Bellevue Bright Lights: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mercy Me!

Hello Bellevue Bright Lights!

Our meeting this past Sunday was on Mercy, and I think it was our best meeting yet...although a friend pointed out to me today that I say that about every meeting! It's hard not to feel that way about such a great group of gals...I'm so blessed by each and every one of you!

Here are some pictures from the meeting. (mental note: the girls really like doing skits!!)

That sticky note says 'Law Expert'...from the parable about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37)

The parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18: 21-35)...pleading for mercy from the King to whom she owes so great a debt.

But unfortunately, she doesn't show the same mercy to her fellow slave, who owes her a pittance...

Off to prison for your lack of mercy!

Next comes the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18: 10-14)...hmmm, which one do you think she is playing??

I'm thinking this is a much more humble approach to prayer! Who do you think received God's mercy?

The younger gals prepare for their last skit....

Narrating the parable of The Lost Sheep (Luke 15: 3-7).

Calling to her friends to come help celebrate...bringing home the little lost sheep (or at least a well-loved bedtime snuggly lamb!)

No, she's not skippin' out of Bright Lights to go shoot hoops...she's the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32) off to spend Dad's fortune!

But alas, after the dough runs dry, she can't even eat the pig's food - she's thinking it's time to go home to Daddy...who runs to meet her and welcome her home!

Our project for this meeting was writing letters back to our AWESOME NEW ZEALAND pen pals! Look at these cool origami kitties they made for us...

Tea time :)

Thank you girls for another fantastic meeting! Until next time... :)

What is a Bright Light?

It is a girl who has given her life to Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone for salvation and for the grace to live each day according to His will. It is a girl who knows how to respond "just right" to people and circumstances, demonstrating godliness in her actions and attitudes. It is a girl who has Biblical convictions and commitments (holiness), and is able to go through her teenage years strong for the Lord without stumbling as many do. It is a girl who touches the lives of others by her servant’s spirit, her radiant countenance, and the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ (testimony). God wants bright lights! There is a great need for more of them in this generation of darkness.

What does a typical meeting look like?

What is a Typical Meeting Like? If you were to attend a Bright Lights meeting, what would it be like? At each meeting the leader shares a lesson covering important topics that are essential for girls in order for them to be strong for the Lord in their youth, such as:

Developing a Close Relationship with Parents
Gaining a Clear Conscience
Spending Time in God’s Word Everyday
Keeping Yourself Pure from Polluting Influences
Accepting the Way God Created You
Choosing Wise Friends
Contentment
Sensitivity
Humility
Self-control

The lesson is reinforced by testimonies from older girls in the group. At Bright Lights meetings, we also enjoy singing, fellowshipping with likeminded young ladies, listening to biographies of great Christians from history, preparing for future ministry opportunities, enjoying other activities together, and snacks (often with tea in china tea cups).

Each girl receives a Bright Lights binder that she brings with her to the meetings each week. After each lesson, she receives a new handout to add to her binder. The Bright Lights curriculum is organized into eight sets which you can view here.

Statement of Faith

1. Everyone has sinned and broken God’s laws. Because the penalty for sin is death, each of us deserve to spend eternity in hell in separation from God. We are totally incapable of achieving heaven on our own. There is no way we can be good enough to attain forgiveness from sin or achieve eternal life by our own works.
2. God so loved the world that He gave His only son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from our sin. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. He paid the penalty for our sin and took the punishment that we deserved.
3. Forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life is offered to anyone who will repent of their sin, and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Redemption is wholly by the blood of Christ, and salvation is by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and the final authority for our lives. It is literal, historical, and infallible.
5. There is one God, eternally existent in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
6. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God, born of a virgin, sinlessly perfect. His sacrifice is substitutionary and representative. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to His Father’s right hand, where He now ministers as our Great High Priest.
7. Jesus Christ is coming again to rapture His church, and subsequently to return and reign over the earth.
8. God created the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing) by His spoken word in six literal days as the Bible states.
9. There will be a resurrection of both the saved and the lost to either eternal life or eternal judgment.
10. A true child of God who is justified by the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit is safe and exempt from God’s judgment and thus secure for eternity.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mercy Me!

Monday, January 30, 2012