Hello my Positive Friends,

It was great to see you last week at the Positive Women Connection. We missed those of you who were not able to make it. Our lesson focused on the beauty of Christ, and our beauty because of what He has done for us.  Please be sure to mark your calendars for our next PWC as it is one week earlier as we break for the holidays. 

Nov 16 – Prestonwood Country club and Nov 17 at Cottonwood Creek.

Here’s a little devotional thought for you this week:

Baylor UT game

This weekend I was down in Austin, Texas cheering my team on to victory. Yes, the Baylor Bears beat the Texas Longhorns! It was an exciting game, and I yelled for the Bears all the way through the game even though I was sitting in the middle of the UT side in a sea of orange shirts.  Yes, it was a little awkward, but I couldn’t hold back my devotion to the Green and Gold.

The apostle Paul talks about devotion of another sort.  He wrote to the Colossians, “Be devoted to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Now it’s one thing to be devoted to a sports team, but it’s another thing to be devoted to prayer.  One is done in a big show of shouting and cheering, another is done in the secret place where no one sees. Perhaps that is why it’s so easy to be devoted to a team, but so rare to be devoted to prayer.

What does it mean to be devoted to prayer? First of all it means recognizing its worth. In other words, we recognize and believe God hears our prayers and has the power and ability to answer. As we pray, we demonstrate our dependence on God and not solely on ourselves in bringing our requests to Him. We must also humbly realize that God may in His wisdom answer our prayers in different way than we requested.

Devotion to prayer also means setting aside time each day to go to our Heavenly Father giving our cares to Him, as well as praying to Him throughout our day.  It means we are watchful for needs and thankful for God’s hand at work. Consider the change in our hearts if we were as devoted to prayer as fans are devoted to their favorite teams. 

“Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer.” William Wilberforce

Hello Friends,

Mark your calendars now for Sept 22 or Sept 28 as we start up a new season with PWC.  We will meet on Wed, Sept 22 in our Allen location at Cottonwood Creek at 12:00 – 1:00.  In north Dallas we will meet on Sept 28 at Prestonwood country Club.  We are beginning the study of the book of Colossians.  I’m so excited about this powerful book as we learn about Christ and His love for us.  See you soon. 

Here’s a devotional for you!

September 12 is National Day of Encouragement!

 Everyone could use a hearty dose of encouragement. Kids coming home from school need it.  Busy moms and dads could certainly be strengthened by it. Even grandparents and single adults need a good word now and then.  The word “encourage” means to give strength. The root word “cor” comes from the Latin word “heart.”  When we sincerely encourage someone we give strength to their heart, and we ourselves are uplifted in the process.

Encouragement must be sincere and specific. Don’t just say, “You’re great!”  Instead, honor others by telling them exactly what you appreciate about them.  “You are always thinking of others, I really like that about you.”  Even more specifically you could say, “I noticed your kindness to the person in the checkout line today, I really appreciate the way you care about other people’s needs.” 

Here are some starters:

• You sure know a lot about…
• I’m thankful for the way you…
• I noticed how you…
• Thank you for …..
• You amaze me by the way you….
• I was just thinking how you…

Creative ways to encourage (beyond text and email) include:

• Use erasable markers to write a message on someone’s mirror or window.
• Place fun, colorful note cards with an uplifting message in the car or lunch bag or briefcase.
• Wrap a note of encouragement around a favorite candy bar.
• One flower with a note attached does wonders for any woman.
• Write a note and stick it on a balloon.
• Take the time to send a card through the mail.
• Pick up the phone and call someone just to encourage them.
• Leave a message of encouragement on the answering machine if they are not there.
• Put a little note of encouragement in a small box, with a bow on top.
• Give a cute and inexpensive frame and put a message along with a picture in it.

Never miss an opportunity to give a good word. And Certainly don’t miss your opportunity to celebrate the National Day of Encouragement.  A good word cost so little, yet the rewards are long lasting.

The Dogs and me in Austin

“How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak!”  Francois Fenelon

This past week, I’ve been in Austin working on a book based on the book of Colossians.  I must admit I am overwhelmed by the treasures of truth we learn about Christ in this amazing book of the Bible. It’s been wonderful to be in the quietness of Austin, having time to think, pray,  contemplate and listen to the Creator’s voice.

I want to encourage you to take some quiet time to consider the facts about Christ which are laid out in Colossians.  I’ve written a few of them below.   Ponder what these attributes of Christ mean to you personally. In fact I would encourage you to prayerfully take one of these attributes each day and allow God to speak to your heart concerning Christ.  Let’s continually grow deeper still in our knowledge of Him.

• He is the visible image of the invisible God.
• He is the firstborn (supreme) over all creation.
• By Him all things were created.
• He existed before everything else began.
• He holds all creation together.
• He is the Head of the church.
• He is the firstborn of all who will rise from the dead.
• In everything He has the supremacy – He is supreme over all, the first in everything.
• All God’s fullness dwelt in Him and through Him.

God reconciled all things through Christ, by making peace through His blood shed on the cross