God's Love Letter To Women

When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being. When I created man, I formed him and breath life into his nostrils. But you woman, I fashioned after I breathed the breath of life into man because your nostrils are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly fashion you.

Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity. From one bone, I fashioned you. I chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports him, as you are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you, I modeled you, I created you perfectly and beautifully.

Your characteristics are as the rib: strong, yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The ribcage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to the heart.

Support man as the ribcage supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken for his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side, to stand by him and to be held close to his side.

You are My perfect angel… you are My beautiful little girl. You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence, and My eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart. Your eyes… don’t change them. Your lips, how lovely when they part in prayer. Your nose, so perfect in form. Your hands, so gentle to touch. I have caressed your face in your deepest sleep. I have held your heart close to Mine. Of all that lives and breaths, you are most like Me. Adam walked with Me in the cool of the day, yet he was lonely. He could not see Me or touch Me.

He could only feel Me. So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with Me, I fashioned in you; My holiness, My strength, My purity, My love, My protection, and support. You are special because you are an extension of Me. Man represent My image, woman My emotions. Together, you represent the totality of God.

So man, treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her, you hurt Me. What you do to her, you do to Me. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart; the heart of your Father and the heart of her Father. Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you. In gentle quietness, show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.

Jesus Loves You

I can't take credit for these words. I found it on a blog by Joshua De Gracia from Grace Bible Church in Hawaii (my sister's church!). He is the founder of Know God Know Love. Though Joshua may not be the original author, I wanted to give him some credit since I got it from his site. Enjoy and spread to the world.

Lead and Inspire

I have to confess that I have not be very wise with my time management lately. I have a million and three things on my plate lately and I feel like I have been pretty slack in doing everything with excellence. It's not that I am overwhelmed but simply because I have been letting other things, people and various distractions keep my focus off of what I know I should be doing. I could super spiritualize it and say its an attack from the enemy to keep me off of the path that God intends for me to be on. Or I can just be honest and say I have been lazy.

I vote with lazy.

I'm glad I am having this reality check now as opposed to later because there are so many great things going on that I know are totally a God thing and I seriously would hate to screw that up. With my Crown class, I am learning valuable information about getting out of debt and honoring God in the area of my finances. I can confidently store that under my "wife preparation" file because money is one of the top causes of issues in marriages. Getting that under control from the jump is priority number one for me and God. Not just marriage but life in general really. I have started to procrastinate with the homework and tracking my spending but that can't keep going.

I have my Beth Moore Breaking Free bible study on Saturday morning which I absolutely love but for the past two weeks, I just have not made the time to finish all my homework. Not that I couldn't find time, I just didn't make time. Beth Moore is AMAZING and I learn so much from her studies and I have been dying to do Breaking Free since I heard about it. When I dive into the lessons, God seriously does a work in me which I love. Gotta get back on track.

Small group is going really well and its about that time for me to seriously start preparing to branch out to my own group. Had a good meeting with my small group coach on Tuesday and I told her what vision I had casted for my group. Honestly, I had not put what I think is enough time and thought into but luckily enough, God has a bigger plan for me and still sees fit to give me what I need. He randomly gave me name of the group (The Real Me) as I was googling scriptures about my identity in Christ. Ginger loved the idea and luckily it works for either a woman's group or a co-ed group (though I am hoping to lead a women's group). I now need to find an apprentice to groom and assist me and I am praying that one of the two people I have in mind are interested. Time to get on the ball.

So what does my procrastion have to do with leading and inspiring? Simple. Only I can do what God has called me to do.

He has called me to lead others to the Kingdom of God and I can't do that if I am not a person worth following. If I want to talk to people about the importance of being good stewards over their money, I need to be a good steward over my own money. If I want to talk to people about overcoming strong holds and areas of darkness in their life, I think Beth Moore has some pretty good insight on that so I need to get all I can out of this study so I can share with others and help myself along the way. If I am not intentional about being in the place I need to be when it comes to my small group, I doubt I will be an effective leader.

Last night message on leadership totally has me inspired and renewed to get on the good foot and do what I have been commissioned to do. I bought John Maxwell's book Developing The Leader Within You months ago and its been collecting dust on my shelf until this morning. John Maxwell is dynamic in the area of leadership with Christian values. I happened to come across an audio book for one of his leadership books for $5 at Barnes and Nobles and have been immersed in his teaching all day. I always know its a God motivated thing when I feel that insatiable desire to do His will and with excellence and this was one of those days.

I have been called to lead and inspire. I have an indescribable desire to inspire women and help them find their identity and worth in Christ. For all the Princesses, abuse victims, the battered, the broken, the lost; how different would their life have been had there been that one person that told them they were worth something and meant it? I know I can't save the world but I have the authority to lead and inspire many.

"Do for one what you wish you could do for many." Andy Stanley

Get ready, get ready, get ready.