BRIGHT LIGHTS IN 2014-2015

Hey girls!  It's that time of year again, when Bright Lights is getting ready to start!  This year, we're starting on August 26, and we'll run until December 16, to start up again some time after the new year.  We're not charging anything this year, so come as you are, bring friends, and get read to have another year of Bible study, learning, and fun.  :-)  We're going to go through Proverbs 31:10-31 and talk about some of the different character qualities found in the "woman of virtue."  We may even be having some "guest" speakers... 

But anyway, come one out and join the group!  Every other Tuesday evening from 6:30-8:30 starting August 26, at 302 S. Railway in Macoutah IL! 

As always, please keep the group and its leaders in your prayers.  We honestly don't want to spout human wisdom.  We long for this group to be a place where young ladies can come and get to know their Savior and King, and we want to help guide them along ways that will enhance their radiance as they continue to become BRIGHT Lights in this dark world.  Jesus is the only one Who can do anything, and we want only to be empty vessels through which His glory and wisdom can flow though.  So PLEASE pray for us as we lead, and the girls as they learn.

ONLY through Jesus,

Jael and Sylvia

More information about the Purity Day!

After some more planning, I'm beginning to pull together some information about the Purity Day I'm planning.  Here's the information as of today.  :-)

When: Tuesday, July 15, from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM

Where: Olive Branch Lutheran Church fellowship hall (11235 State Route 177 Okawville IL 62271)

What: A Purity Day with two meals and lots of fun, learning, and fellowship

Who: Moms and daughters (12 or older is suggested)

Reading Requirements: BEFORE YOU MEET PRINCE CHARMING 

Optional but highly recommended readings : THE LOST ART OF TRUE BEAUTY

Cost: $10/person for lunch and supper and building rental and random supplies

A synopsis: 

My idea is to have a day where girls and their moms come together to learn more about purity of all types.  I'm praying that this day of teaching and fellowship will serve to create in each girl a longing for the purity found only in Jesus by introducing them to the pure and the noble so that they can ignore all the  sludge that the world will be throwing at them in the upcoming years.  

About the reading material: 

BEFORE YOU MEET PRINCE CHARMING will be the main textbook, so please bring it along.  Additional depth of concept and application will be drawn from THE LOST ART OF TRUE BEAUTY.  Although I strongly urge everyone to read BEFORE YOU MEET PRINCE CHARMING, THE LOST ART OF TRUE BEAUTY is slightly more mature and parts should be read with caution with younger girls.  

My contact information is

Jael Trinklein

Home: six one eight, two four three, five four nine eight

Email: estherjaelelizabeth(at)yahoo(dot)com

Deadline for registration is July 10, but I'd love it if you'd RSVP a lot sooner than that.  :-)

The end of the year. What next?

It has been a wonderful year, filled with lots of Hebrews and James and some good talks about feminism and The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.  :-)  Sylvia and I have had a great time with all you girls.  Thanks you for all the fun and laughs and insights.  Of course, the cap of the whole year was seeing what the His Lighthouse guys did with that old cottage out back.  ;-)  (Great job, HL men!)

Now the most obvious question now is, "What about next year?"  Sylvia and I have been praying and thinking about what God would have us do.  If we are to lead it together again, then each of us needs to be hearing the same "go ahead" from God.  So please be praying for us as we try to make that decision.  We'll hopefully know within a few weeks and email you BL families (and post here) so that you'll know.  :-)  

In the meantime, I am planning a "purity day" out at my church for all the girls from BL who would like to come.  I'm still figuring out the date and price and times and all that fun stuff, but I wanted to give you the heads-up.  The goal of this day is to address purity and romance and devotion, with the end result of becoming a girl as much like her true Lover as humanly possible.  I will be using Before You Meet Prince Charming and The Lost Art of True Beauty as my foundational "textbooks."  I want to make this day geared toward the innocence of teenaged homeschooled girls, but since this topic is what it is (and homeschoolers have such varying levels of propriety), I recommend it for those with a maturity level of 14 or more (someone who has already had "the talk") so that I will not have to be afraid of treading where the parents haven't trod.  [Note: my talk will stear clear of "that" area, but I don't want to cross any boundaries in this general vicinity.  :-P]  This "purity day" is open to all Christian girls, so share the word with your friends.  :-D

Anyway...that's an update.  Stay tuned for more.  :-)

Blessings,

Jael and Sylvia

James 2

Our apologies for neglecting the blog lately!

This past meeting, we studied James 2. We had the girls answer these questions:

    -What are some ways that we show favoritism in our everyday lives?

    -How should we be combining faith with action?

    -What are some ways you SHOULD be combining faith with action, but aren’t?

    -What's the difference between salvation and justification?

    -Is telling a lie ever okay? (This would be a great one to talk to your parents about!) 

At the meeting, we discussed some of them, focusing mainly on the last one ("Is telling a lie ever okay"). There were some very different viewpoints within the group (aided by the fact that Jael and Sylvia have opposite viewpoints), so we had some great discussion! At the end of the discussion, we reminded the girls that it's okay to believe differently on issues like this, as long as the issue isn't fundamental to the Christian faith, and that different beliefs should never cause broken friendships or heated arguments. 

We had several of the girls read through skits illustrating favoritism:

Assignments for next meeting: 

Please Read:

James 3-4

Questions:

How are you allowing “salt water” to flow from your mouth?

What does it mean to be a friend of the world? How can we guard against it?

When is it okay to judge someone, and HOW is it okay to judge someone?

Is it bad to plan ahead?

Action steps:

Try to say ONLY uplifting words. If your parents allow you to do so, make a sharpie mark on your hand or arm every time you fail to do this, then count up the marks at the end of the day. (If you can’t make a sharpie mark, carry around a small notebook and pencil in your pocket to keep track.)

Find some character trait that you boast about that really isn’t a good thing and try not to boast about it.