Need some help with couponing?  What about how to put together an outfit on a dime?  

We have got you covered! Come out to our Connecting Point Get Thrifty event on Monday February 7th at 7 pm in the Ledford Center.  During the event you will have the chance to learn more about clipping coupons and dressing on a dime, as well as hear an encouraging word from Stephanie Mills, the 

pastor's wife of Faith Baptist Church.  

FREE Childcare is available.  Please contact the Women's Life Office at 761-2340 or womenslife@sebts.edu to reserve your child's spot.   

Reblogged from LifeWay's Women Reaching Women website. To see the original post click here. 

Today's postmodern teenage girls face a variety of issues and pressures from the world, but how are churches influencing them to become godly women? Women's and youth leaders are stepping up to the plate to address that need through girls' ministry. Girls' enrichment ministry is an intentional and organized method to spiritually transform the lives of teenage girls, moving them from large open groups to smaller closed groups, while equipping them to be godly women. Many times it's couched as a sub-ministry under student ministry, women's ministry, or both.

Girls' ministry is a proactive way to instill godly values in young women while addressing the needs and issues they are facing. It can also be seen as a preventative type of ministry. When girls establish their identities and values on God's Word as teens, they are well on their way to becoming godly women and avoiding the pitfalls (and consequences) so many of their peers may fall into as adults.Before you consider expanding your church's women's ministry to include a girls' ministry, look at the needs of today's postmodern teenage girls:

1. Self-Image
Girls today are prone to low self-esteem. Some are pressured into promiscuity and alcohol or drug use. Many find themselves dealing with eating disorders, self-mutilation, pregnancy, unhealthy Internet relationships, even confusion over sexual orientation.

2. Decision-Making
Teenage girls need to learn how to make wise decisions as they become women. Much of women's ministry today is crisis intervention. Many crises are brought on by unwise decisions made during the teenage and college years. Girls are maturing earlier, being exposed to temptations earlier, and losing their innocence earlier than in past generations; therefore, we must reach them for Christ earlier.

3. Application of Scripture
Girls need to know the truth of God's Word and how it applies to their lives as women. By impressing on them the importance of reading, studying, memorizing, and applying God's Word to their lives at a young age, you will help them move along the path to becoming a godly woman.While these three aren't exhaustive of all the needs of girls, many can be traced back to these essentials. Girls' ministry may also provide for these other needs:
·    close-knit relationships with other girls,
·    female role models,
·    validation of feelings,
·    affirmation,
·    awareness of hormonal issues,
·    emotional security,
·    physical security,
·    understanding of the male mind,
·    acceptance,
·    genuine love,
·    boundaries, and
·    help in working through problems (such as abuse, eating disorders, unwanted pregnancy, and STDs).

As you pray about how your church might reach teenage girls, take time to talk to other youth and women's leaders. Research trends and habits among teenage girls. Ask God to show you how He'd have you proceed, whether that means simply organizing a youth girls' event or if it means launching a full-blown ministry. With God paving the way, a girls' ministry can be a powerful tool in His Kingdom.



 Jimmie Davis, is the director of girls’ ministry at First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, NC. She is also author of  Girls’ Ministry Handbook and Girls’ Ministry Idea Book. She has spent years working with girls and raising up leaders among the teen girls she has invested in.

Congratulations Robin Purdy for winning the FREE Dinner for Two from Olive Garden!!

Robin, come by the Women's Life Office to pick up your gift certificate next week at any time Monday - Thursday from 8-5 or Friday from 8-4. 

2011.

It’s here. My husband and I have been thinking about this year for a very long time. We have prayed continuously over this year and made many preparations for this year.

The reason is because we have just moved to Denver, CO with a team of people to plant a new church in the city. Over the past year and a half we have been preparing for this mission. Now that it’s here it seems a little daunting. Denver seems like a whole different world than what we’re used to. And the fact that the very reason we moved here is to live on mission and make Jesus famous in this city is a little intimidating. I have been feeling a lot of pressure to share the gospel with every single person I meet. It’s nerve-wracking. 

But it’s in those moments where I need to stop and breathe. I love the Psalms because they are so reassuring. 

"Be still, and know that I am God.
 I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:10

He is God. He has made it possible for us to live in this city. He has provided a mission field for us. He has made us capable of sharing His love with those around us. It’s a privilege and I don’t have to be afraid. So this year I will continue to trust in the Lord and rely on Him for strength, wisdom, and boldness to be His witness in Denver. It’s going to be an interesting year full of new experiences, successes, disappointments, and learning to have faith in God in a whole new way. 

Kristel Acevedo graduated from Southeastern Seminary with a Master of Arts degree in Biblical Counseling. She and her husband live in Denver, CO where they are helping to start up Soma Church, a church plant of the Summit in North Carolina. They are expecting their first child in the Summer of 2011. Read about their journey on www.glowinglightblog.com

There is an URGENT NEED for a volunteer administrative assistant to Chief Operating Office at Pregnancy Support Services of Wake Forest.  The volunteer position requires 4-10 hours per week. 

This is an excellent learning opportunity for someone who wants to gain wide-ranging experience in running a ministry's day to day operations.  The administrative assistant to the COO at PSSWF is responsible for performing a wide variety of administrative work in the areas of human resources, facilities management, financial management, fundraising and the law.  This position offers flexible hours from 4-10 hours per week and some of the assignments can be performed from home. 

If you are interested please contact Theresa Jones, PSSWF COO at (919) 995-3224 or theresa.psswf@gmail.com

There are many other open volunteer positions at PSSWF at this time such as a Female Client Advocate, Walk for Life Prize Coordinator and Prayer Team Coordinator.  If you are interested please contact Paige at paige.psswf@gmail.com. Check out their website here.

Ladies,  did you know that there is childcare for Thursday evening BWI classes?  Yep, we have it for you.  We understand that for some of you taking a class seems impossible because you have kids and have no where for them to go!  If you are taking a BWI class on Thursday evenings childcare is available for a small fee.  For the first child it is $12, and for every child after the fee is $10.  Not a bad deal!

If you are interested in learning more about childcare please contact Laura at 761-2340 or womenslife@sebts.edu

There is still space for Term 3 classes!  Take a look at the classes here on the blog under the Spring Courses page, or visit http://sebts.edu/academics/bwi/courses.aspx for more info!

After reading the previous blog posted by Nicole Whitacre, I am able to completely relate to having fears that overwhelm my thoughts and paralyze me spiritually. Even though I am not a mother, there are fears of my own that take on a similar power.

Now that we are looking ahead to 2011, there are fears and hopes inside us all – countless questions in our heads.

Something I have to confess is that often when a desire for 2011 crosses my mind, I disregard it. I don’t want to hope in something because I cannot handle the thought of being disappointed. Hope is vulnerable. Being as pessimistic as possible seems to be a MUCH safer route, right?

But then of course, I get smacked in the face with the truth of Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (ESV)

What do you do with that?? Do you DARE to hope? How do you know that a desire will be fulfilled? What if it’s not fulfilled?

Then there is Psalm 20:4 “May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!”

Psalm 37:4-5, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

This is the Word of God! Our Father is a God of hope, He is a God of desires.

Psalm 119:81, “My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.”

Psalm 39:7, “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”

Sometimes the things that we fear feel far more tangible than the hope that scripture is calling us to have.

Our God is not a God of fluffy-puff comfort, though. May that not be mistaken!  Job had to cry out in chapter 13 verse 15: “Though he slay me, I will hope in him…”

God often calls us to a refiner’s fire. We may perhaps experience great sorrow in 2011. But no matter what we SEE in front of us, even if the pain is more real than the hope at the present time, there is more that we cannot see: “…Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 24-25)

Yahweh is still our comfort in all trials – 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. We share in affliction as we share in comfort through Jesus Christ.

And in the trial itself we remember: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,” (Colossians 1:24). We can know that suffering is a joy for it is fulfilling Christ’s death, bringing Him glory, and furthering the Kingdom.

All this to say, there is no reason to fear hope. Hope that is Jesus Christ conquers even death. Our Father has great things ahead for His glory. But EVEN IF our life is full of tribulation (which we are actually guaranteed), we need not ever succumb to fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear.  Let us hope in what is bigger than us.

“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 (NASB)   

Hannah Griffin is a freshman in the College at SEBTS.  She is pursuing a degree in English.  Hannah attends Green Pines Baptist Church in Knightdale, NC.  She works at Dick's Sporting Goods, and enjoys chapel choir here at SEBTS, and hopes to be a part of the intramural sports this semester!

Reblogged from girltalk
1.6.11  |   by Nicole Whitacre 

Sometimes, when battling fear, I am unable to effectively speak truth to myself. I try, but it just doesn't stick. In such cases, I need others to talk to me. So I tell them about my fears and ask them to speak appropriate biblical truth to those fears.

God anticipates our need for community in fighting unbelief: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end" (Heb 3:13-14).

I need those who "have come to share in Christ" to help me "hold [my] original confidence firm to the end."

It isn't always easy to confess fear. We might fear what others will think of our fear! We might not want to appear weak. But in the very act of asking for help, we are opening the door of humility through which God promises His grace will always come rushing in (James 4:6).


So if you feel as if you are losing your battle against fear today, enlist an ally in the fight. Ask a friend who "shares in Christ" to help you hold fast to gospel truth.

Click to see the Part 1 and Part 2 of the Fear Fighting Counsel posts from girltalk. 

Reblogged from Justin Taylor, The Gospel Coalition

Lost from HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

Reblogged from girltalk

Part I
12.2.2010 at 3:39 pm   |   by Nicole Whitacre

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?" Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This is revolutionary, biblical, fear-fighting counsel for mothers. And it comes in two parts:

1. Stop listening to yourself
2. Start speaking to yourself

First, we must stop listening to our fears. We must not give them any "air time."

The critical moment is when a fearful thought first strikes our soul: "What if _________happens to my child?" or "What if my child never___________?"

If we listen--even for a moment, if we give this fear any attention, consider its potential, wonder at its source, soon we begin to believe it might be true. The more we ponder this possibility, the more believable the fear becomes. Soon it is joined by other, more fearsome, thoughts; and before we know it, we're overwhelmed by hopelessness and dread.

A wise pastor once gave me this advice: "If any thought robs you of peace, it is an enemy of your soul; give it no recognition."

Give it no recognition. Ignore it. Disregard it. Close your ears to it. Pay it no mind.

We must not yield the floor to fear. We must filibuster our fears by speaking truth to our souls.

Part II
1.5.2011 at 2:41 pm   |   by Nicole Whitacre

We pick up our series on fear with the second half of Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones' counsel. We must not listen to ourselves, but we must also fill that space by speaking to ourselves.

Dr. Lloyd Jones explains:

"Our fears are due to our failure to stir up--failure to think, failure to take ourselves in hand. You find yourself looking to the future and then you begin to imagine things and you say: 'I wonder what is going to happen?' And then, your imagination runs away with you. You are gripped by the thing...this thing overwhelms you and down you go. Now the first thing you have to do is to take a firm grip of yourself, to pull yourself up, to stir up yourself, to take yourself in hand and to speak to yourself."

"Talk to yourself out loud, if you have to" a pastor once advised me in the midst of one of my particularly intense battles with fear. So if you ever catch me muttering to myself, you'll know why.

And what exactly should we say to ourselves?

"Faith reminds itself of what the Scripture calls 'the exceeding great and precious promises' says Lloyd Jones. "Faith says: 'I cannot believe that He who has brought me so far is going to let me down at this point. It is impossible, it would be inconsistent with the character of God.' So faith, having refused to be controlled by circumstances [or feelings!], reminds itself of what it believes and what it knows."

Tell your soul--out loud if you have to--what it believes and what it knows.

We are very excited to announce this month's GIVEAWAY!  Who doesn't love Italian? Who doesn't love those unbelievable bread sticks?  What about the big bowl of salad (never ending might I add)?

Is your mouth watering yet?

It's Olive Garden!!!  The Olive Garden located on Capitol in Wake Forest has graciously donated a FREE dinner for two! 

That's right ladies. 

All you have to do is Become a follower of the blog and leave a comment with your name and email address. 

For an extra entry, leave a comment below about what you are looking forward to this New Year!

For another extra entry, share on Facebook and Twitter.  Leave a comment saying that you did this also! 

Giveaway details:

A winner will be chosen randomly Friday, January 21st at noon.  

Dinner for Two gift certificate ($35 value) can be picked up from the Women's Life Office.

Making lists makes me happy.  I find sorting Legos and matchbox cars somewhat…therapeutic.  Droid apps that track progress toward goals = bliss.  

The. Container. Store.  Enough said.
 

Strange, I know. But I do love organization.              

So, about this week of the year, you’d think I’d have compiled a list of New Year’s resolutions. Not so much.  For people like me, abundant life includes embracing flexibility.   And knowing when to stop. And  to sit at His feet.  Jesus.  He has lovingly, patiently saved me from living a Martha life of a thousand resolutions. 

And I’ve found I love to sit at His feet even more than I love…doing.               

Resolutions are good. Certainly, focus isn’t bad. “Direction, not intention, determines destination” (Andy Stanley). Agreed.  Really.  But a long time ago, I realized God wired my brain this administrative-spiritual-gift way to glorify Him and not so I could control my world.   

So, I’ve created my own tradition for that the week between Christmas and New Year’s…which is probably as crazy busy at my house as it is at yours. 

I’ve become intentional about stopping, and reflecting on Jesus. I meditate on His glory.  I marvel at His mercy.  I am amazed by His grace.  And I beg for His wisdom.    

I ask Him for a heart that clings to His Word this year…as though I can’t take my next breath without its wisdom. Because I can’t and have anything worth exhaling into a needy world around me.                 

I plead for a hunger…a ravenous hunger…for prayer.    

I ask Him to open my eyes to the spiritual battle raging in the heavenlies. Over my husband. Over my children. If I don’t pray for them with passion – who will?!? The thought shakes me to my core. I ask Him for a passion to pray for His glory through His church for generations to come.                           

I implore Him for compassion to see people through His eyes. 

Made in His image. Valuable. Precious. Redeemable. Compassion, especially as a pastor’s wife, that never forgets how completely and miserably and hopelessly lost I’d be without Him…so I’m never tempted to give up on others.          

My husband often reminds our congregation of what Dr. Ronnie Floyd says, “God can do more in a moment than I can do in a lifetime.” Truth worth pondering in the New Year.                          

                     

Finding time to linger with Jesus. Making the time, rather than the excuses. 

Relationship rather than resolution.  No, it’s not easy. And, no, it didn’t come naturally. But it has made all the difference.   

Stephanie Mills loves being married to Richard. And mornings that start with a mug of coffee & an open Bible.  And, now that the kids are grown, exploring the world…often in hiking boots with a tent. Richard planted Faith Baptist in Youngsville, and it was amazing to raise PKs in a place where the whole family got to join God at work and see lives changed. She thinks it just doesn’t get any better than that!