"Holiday Make & Take!"

Hey girls! Just wanted to send out another reminder for our Girl's Event coming up on December 11th, from 9am-12pm. We will be serving a large breakfast, along with offering a huge variety of crafty projects! You will not want to miss this event. With Christmas just around the corner, you can use the crafty projects you complete as Christmas gifts for family or friends if you choose. It's going to be a wonderful time of fellowship with one another as we grow in the Lord by exploring the gifts and talents God has given us!



Bring a friend, and make sure you sign up in the Student Center by December 6th!

-Staci:)

Do you tremble at God's word? ...

Hey girls! I hope your week has been smooth-sailing, and that you all enjoyed the costume contest last night! Way to go Macy and Robert for winning the contest! : )

I apologize on being a little late on the devotion for the week ... but hopefully this will be some great encouragement to carry you through to the weekend!

Well, as I was reflecting and praying through what to do this week's devotion on, I was instantly reminded of something I learned from one of my favorite Christian influences, Francis Chan. Many of you know who he is, and many of you may not. He is the author or 'Crazy Love' and 'Forgotten God.'
As I was sitting in my chair in Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta, Georgia during the 2010 Passion Conference, with my pen writing as fast as possible to keep up with every word, Francis began speaking on 'abiding in Christ.' I'll never forget him asking the question ... "Do you tremble at God's word?"
WOW! Do YOU tremble at God's word? I know personally I was convicted, from then on, at how I approached the scriptures. Psalm 114: 7 says (NIV) "Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob ..." and Philippians 2:12-13 says "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." WHEW ... that is such a conviction for me - and such a beautiful verse that God is worthy of. A lot of times we can read the scriptures in the bible and not understand what we read - and quickly close it. But, as Francis so beautifully reminded us, if you are walking closely with the Lord, as you approach the scriptures in the comfort of your own home, school, coffee shop, car, or office ... you should tremble at God's word. He is worthy of it. I believe it goes beyond a physical tremble, but rather to tremble from the fear of the Lord, how worthy He is of our obedience and worship, and the excitement of His grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love.

My challenge for you all, and myself, is that the next time we approach God's word, that we will truly grasp the realness and power of our God, and what He is capable of.

Have a lovely weekend! -Staci

Costume Contest!

Hey girls!

Make sure you are here at FBCBA tonight at 6:30pm down in the Student Center!

We will be continuing our series on "The Mask We Wear." 

ALSO, make sure you come tonight already dressed in your costume! There will be a contest for BEST-DRESSED! You won't want to miss it! It's going to be a fun night!

Hope to see you all there! -Staci

Pleasing in His sight ...

Hey girls! I hope your week is off to a great start!

Something I wanted to share with you all today is something that is always on my heart, and that is the word pleasing. My deepest desire, though I fail miserably a lot of the time, is that I want to be pleasing unto God. Do you want your life to be pleasing unto God?

Think of someone who is very special to you, a friend or family member. I think we naturally want to do things to please that person, whether it be spending time with them, encouraging them, getting to know them more, praying for them, or simply serving them in some way.
When you think about God, do you have the mindset of desiring to please Him? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that by doing things such as attending church, service projects, youth group, small groups etc. are what we must do in order to be pleasing to God. Those are all wonderful things that I believe will help strengthen our walk with Him. But to truly be pleasing in His sight is a different kind of meaning. God desires our hearts, our attention, our worship, our repentance, & our whole lives. This is huge.

The first step of pleasing God, is faith. (Go grab your bible!) Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Today, my prayer and encouragement for you is that you and I will be pleasing to God.
Psalm 104:34 "May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord."

Feel free to leave a comment! Would love feedback.

Have a wonderful week! - Staci

God loves loving you ...

Hey girls!

Recently I read an article on another blog site that has completely encouraged me this past week, and I wanted to share it with you. Actually, it has done more than encourage me. It has changed my thought process completely about God's view of us as His children. The statement is simply this: God loves loving you.

Because the writer asked us to, I had to re-read it about 5 times before it actually sunk in.

So, why don't you re-read it again also, slowly ... God loves loving you.

Isn't that so exciting!? I know it sounds simple, and we're probably all thinking, "Of course God loves me, He loves everyone." But you and I both know that at times we think, "how could God love me?" I know there are moments in all of our lives when we feel completely unlovable. Daily we are faced with the pressure to look prettier and skinnier, and to be smarter, and to work harder in a certain sport, and to be a better friend, etc ... the list goes on. But God does not require any of that in return for His love for us - and I am so thankful for that. Not that I don't want to honor Him in our efforts, but He doesn't require it. In fact, He finds joy in loving us.

I also read that God shouldn't seek us out to demonstrate His love daily, but He does. It's just that sometimes we get caught up in our own business of life, that we forget to notice that God is actively loving us, always. We just have to be mindful enough to recognize it and receive it.

My challenge for you this week, is that you will believe this truth, and live it out loud in your own lives. 

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Have a wonderful week! -Staci 

{Thanks to Pam Gibbs for encouraging me through your blog}