Girl's game night, tonight!!!

Come tonight (Tuesday, August 12) to a game night at Rebecca Fulwood's house!! We'll start at 7:30 and should be finishing up our games around 9:30. Feel free to bring a fun game, a tasty snack, and even a friend if you would like to do so! :)

Hope you all can come!!

Dinner at Grace's Place

Yummy pizza for the 15 of us.
Then Batman at the Grandin for 9.
It was a pretty good Tuesday evening :)

More to come on plans for girls' study. Working on continuing in some form.

Pancakes, cookies, and fellowship...

Well Tuesday's meeting was a little different than usual. A lot of people were traveling or at RYM, but we still had fun and made the most of the evening. We were all able to hang out together, make pancakes for dinner and then bake cookies and brownies that we later attempted to take Jake and Anna Claire.

As an update for you all, I wanted to let you know that as of Wednesday morning Jake and Anna Claire have electricity in their apartment. :) There had been a miscommunication with the landlord and so the electricity had not been turned on before they arrived Tuesday evening. However, with that said, they are now getting settled in and unpacked and as far as I know will be at church this Sunday for us all to meet and to begin getting to know. Let's all be sure to give them a warm welcome!

On another note... Some of us had mentioned having a shopping trip next week to Goodwill to see what inexpensive treasures we can find! Does Wednesday night work for you all? Let me know, and we'll see what we can work out. :)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! :-D

Prayer requests from our July 1 meeting

Pray for healing for Hunter Groves. Hunter is 10 years old and was seriously injured in a jet ski/knee board accident. On Tuesday we learned that he was in an induced coma until doctors stabilized him. Pray for God to restore and heal Him, and for his family also as they are with him and so concerned during this time.

If there is an update, someone please please let us all know!!

A praise from Molly who had great news about a caricature event tomorrow (July 4th) that will provide even more money than she expected, which will help her settle the rent for her house at college. Praise God for the way He constantly provides and meets all of our needs. :)

Pray for Sarah G's grandfather who was admitted to the hospital Tuesday night for an infection. Pray for healing and guidance as the doctors treat him.

Pray for Faith's brother and his friends as they are now in Costa Rica. Pray that God would use them as His hands and feet, and that He would watch over them and keep them safe while there.

Praise that Eric Cook and his family are getting settled into their new home that they are renting from the Wilsons. God indeed does provide. :)

Praise God that Priscilla arrived home safely last night! We miss you already!! :)

Continued prayer for Ed and Claire Natt.

Pray for everyone who will be attending RYM in Florida next week. Pray for their safety on the bus ride there and back, for gentle, patient, and loving attitudes, for God to speak through the many teachers and speakers and touch the hearts of each person there.

Prayer for those going on the Mississippi missions trip later in July. Ask God to prepare us for that week, give us a peace about all the details, and prepare us to serve heartily while we are there.

Pray for Jake and Anna Claire (our new youth leaders) who will be moving here the beginning of next week. Pray for a smooth transition as Jake gets to know us and as we get to know him.

Pictures from study on July 1

Notes from Week 2

Week III – Focusing on God’s Character
(notes reliant heavily on Pray with Your Eyes Open – Pratt)

Fascination with God:

What kind of things fascinate you?

Do people, books, animals, concepts, etc??

What does the word fascinate mean?

Webster’s dictionary says:
fascinate:
a: to transfix and hold spellbound by an irresistible power fascinate its prey>
b: to command the interest of : allure fascinated by carnivals>
c: to be irresistibly attractive fascinates>

Richard Pratt in Pray with Your Eyes Open says:

“Fascination with God is to have an enthusiastic appreciation for Him”

Think of the word again in the context of your relationship with Christ.

Are we as Christians called to be fascinated with God?

Psalm 27:4

As our fascination with something grows, we desire to be with the person or thing more, to learn more about it, and naturally we want to talk about it more with others, and talk to it (if possible) more.

What happens to our prayers as we become more and more fascinated with God?

We will want to learn more about who this great God of ours is:

Psalm 18:1-3
Exodus 34:6-7

Even more, when we are gazing upon the beauty of the Lord as the Psalms tells us, we can look deeper and learn more about the things He has done.

Genesis: 1:1
Colossians 1:15-20
1 Samuel 2:6-7
Isaiah 40:26

When we are fascinated with God, His character and His actions, we will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to sit at His throne and learn more about Him and to converse openly with Him through prayer. He is our Lord in
Heaven who created us, however He is also our Father who loves us and cares for our every need, and if we ask Him, He will meet those needs.

Directions to the Sloan House

Hey everyone! I'm excited that we are having Bible study at my house this week. Here are directions to our house --5757 Pine Acres La:
From Brambleton Ave.:
Coming away from town, turn left at stoplight below Cave Spring Baptist Church onto Ranchcrest. Take Ranchcrest past Cave Spring Elementary, then continue to bear right as it becomes Merriman Rd. The 2nd street to the right after you pass Cave Spring Elementary
(about 1/2 mi.) is Pine Acres La.
Turn right onto Pine Acres. See below for further directions.

From Chaparral Dr.:
Take Chaparral to Merriman and turn right. Pine Acres is .2 mi. on the left. See below for further directions.

From Faith Christian:
Take Buck Mtn Rd. toward Starkey. When you get to the turnoff at Starkey Rd, continue to bear left onto Starkey Rd. toward Merriman. Take a right on Merriman, travel about 1.5 mi. to Pine Acres La. Turn left onto Pine Acres Lane.

Once you get onto Pine Acres, ours is the 6th house on the right. The house sets at an angle back off of the road, and is the only residence on our road with a gravel, circular driveway. There is usually a raccoon waiting to greet you at the mailbox.

Still lost or confused? 774-0683

See you then!
Rachael

P.S. We are having lasagna (with meat) and stuffed shells (no meat). Also, we may be meeting outside or inside. We have cats, so if you are allergic, you might want to take medicine before coming!

The Cousins...

Hey guys! I just had one request to keep in your prayers. If you could keep in mind the Strelows & Jane Brandon for safe travels as they are on their cruise. Thanks a bunch :)

Week 2 Prayer Requests

Pray that Sarah G's shoulder would heal properly from the surgery she recently had. Ask God to guide her physical therapist to know how to help her the most and to give Sarah patience and grace through this time.

Pray for Rachael's internship this summer as she works with a kindergarten class at a summer school program. Ask God to give her an increased measure of patience and wisdom as she works with the children.

Pray that God would provide ways for Molly to earn for the rest of the rent money she needs for this fall back at JMU. Pray specifically that God would give her a peace about it, and the comfort that He will provide.

Catherine Doyle (Molly's mom) injured her knee on Tuesday. Pray for healing that she would not need surgery and that she would have a quick recovery.

Pray for Lauren Conrad (a Faith grad) who is working at an orphanage in Uganda for the summer. She recently came down with Malaria, but I believe is now recovering. Please pray for strength, encouragement, healing, and that God would continue to use her to impact the little lives during the remainder of her time there.

Pray for Rebecca /Ms. Fu as she will be traveling a lot this summer. Ask for God to give her safety in her travels, sweet memories with the people she is with, and a knowledge of His presence beside her wherever she goes.

Pray for Ed and Claire Natt. Ed is going through cancer treatments right now and is experiencing some trying side effects. Pray that God will give Ed comfort and ultimate healing, and Claire strength, wisdom, and rest as she cares from him.

Pictures from Tuesday's Study

Notes from Week 2

Girls’ Small Group – Prayer

Week II – Focusing on God

(notes reliant heavily on Pray with Your Eyes Open – Pratt)

I. Review – We will be studying 3 areas of prayer: Looking at God, Looking at ourselves, Looking at our communication.

1. We defined prayer – “Believers communicating with God.”

2. We said that in this definition we must first acknowledge the recipient (God), secondly we acknowledge that we as the source are involved in our prayers (our attitudes, circumstances, feelings, thought, all are parts of our prayers), and thirdly that prayer is a verb. We are doing something – communicating.

3. Matt 6:5-8 teaches us not only how to pray but what to avoid in prayers.

4. We discussed some of the problems that could / do arise in prayer – We don’t feel like we pray enough, we don’t feel we pray “rightly”, we often pray memorized or superficial prayers.

5. We broadened our definition to be sincere communication with God. Ed uses the following definition for prayer: “Prayer is earnest communication with our Father.”

6. We talked also about the characteristics of God last week and discussed our tendency to focus on just one part or aspect of Him when we pray. We know not to have this one sided concept of God – but – we can be assured that He, as our heavenly Father, hears and delights in our prayers. Even when we don’t know the words to say – the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. We know prayer is necessary and essential and that though our prayers our personal relationship with the Lord is grown and deepened.

7. We looked at the variety of the Psalmists prayers.

8. We challenged ourselves to intentionally pray in areas we had been avoiding talking to God about.

II. Looking at God

1. We are to look to Him as completely dependent servants. (Ps 123:1 – 2 We are slaves looking to His hands.” When we pray we are to acknowledge Him as provider for all our needs.

*Heb 4:16 – tells us we can ask for these things with confidence

* II Sam 7:27 – 29 - tells us He will bless His servants

2. We are to address God when we pray. The Bible gives us many ways of addressing God: Righteous Judge, Prince of Peace, Word of Life, etc… Try this week to address Him differently than usual. Ie. for the particular prayer – Master Potter when asking for growth vs. God.

3. We are to look to God in our prayers with Fascination

* Ps 15 :1 – 3 Look at the different “addresses” / descriptions the Psalmist uses her

* Note the metaphors – God as: My Rock, Fortress, Shield, Stronghold

These bring to mind specific images and emotional reactions

- Not only are we to admire and contemplate the character of God when we pray, we should also stand in awe of His actions

4) We are to look to and acknowledge God’s Actions / Deeds when we pray

- Don’t be limited in our perspective. Try to identify the many ways God acts not only in our lives but in His world.

a. God has sustained His people in the past –

Ps 77:11 – 20 – Bringing His people across the Red Sea – Meditate and pray though Scripture of His mighty works of Old.

b. The Lord is actively working in the present -

Ps 18:46 – The Lord Lives!

c. The Lord knows our future and is growing us accordingly

Valley of Vision Puritan Prayer - “Heavenly Father, if I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty, make my heart prize Thy love, know it, be constrained by it, though I be denied all blessings. It is Thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants, for by these trials I see my sins, and desire severance from them. Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations, if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil, and be delivered from it with gratitude to Thee, acknowledging this as the highest testimony of Thy love.

When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been; His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny. Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued I must not only labour to overcome it, but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it, and He must become to me more than vile lust had been; that His sweetness, power, life may be there. Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin, but must not claim it apart from Himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch, but in Christ I am reconciled and live; that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest, but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace; that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good, but in Christ I have ability to do all things. Though now I have His graces in part, I shall shortly have them perfectly in that state where Thou wilt show Thyself fully reconciled, and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely, with sin abolished. O Lord, hasten that day.

d. Our prayers depend on no merit of our own, but all their worth and hope of success are founded and depend on the promises of God, so they need no other support…It must be fixed in our minds…the command to pray is common to us…we are to lean on the Word of God… He will listen favorably to all…let their be sincerity of heart, the dissastifaction humility, and faith…Our most merciful Father will not reject those whom He urges and encourages to come…in prayer.” Institutes

5) We are to seek His presence when we pray

a. What does “His presence” mean – “He is near!”

Jer 23:23 – 34

Ps 46: 1-2

b. We are to desire that nearness.

Ps 73: 25 – 28

c. We have to be interested and want His presence

James 4:8

d. To be near – we must draw near – we must seek after Him when we pray.

III. Review / Application

- Pray this week with honest, freedom, and confidence. Focus on how you are in relationship

to God, how you call on Him, and what He has, does, and will do in His world.

- Start writing down areas to pray about in your life and those who ask you to pray for them. Be committed and intentional when you prayJ

Welcome to summer!!

This blog has been created as a way for participants in the Christ the King summer girls Bible study. Feel free to post prayer requests, announcements, pictures, questions, stories, fun things, or just your thoughts, reactions, or comments from the study each Tuesday night.

I hope this will be an open forum and a great method of communication for all of us as we grow in Christ, get to know each other more, and encourage each other as sisters in Christ.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
Jeremiah 29:12