Beauty of Submission

The turn around to the monthly PEARLS meeting was rather quick this time. We were coming off an excellent retreat where we learned about being a beautiful woman with a gentle and quiet spirit and honoring our husbands. God must be trying to tell us something because this PEARLS was on being Submissive to our husbands (maybe He is just talking to me).

We met at Joy's house and began our evening with an ice breaker on different pies. All the pie names were scrambled up and we had to figure out what they were. Stephanie was the winner... and I think she got most of them!

Then Joy led us in a great devotional on being submissive to our husbands. It was another great reminder of the truth God gives us. All scripture is from Him and useful for teaching and rebuking. She reminded us that it might be hard to be submissive, but we are commanded to do so and it shows respect to our husbands when we are. It is honoring to God as well and will strengthen our marriage. If you missed it, you missed some great truth. Truth that we all need to hear.

Then came the eating part:)
Joy demonstrated her wonderful, easy, in the pan pie crust! She uses this one for her wonderful raspberry pie and for a lot of other pies, too. I never knew that making a pie crust could be so easy! Thanks, Joy, for sharing that one with us.
JeriAnn shared a dutch pie crust that is used for a crumb crust...mainly apple pie. Made from brown sugar, flour and oatmeal. Then we got to sample the pies...yum yum!



Our next PEARLS is Tuesday, December 7. We will meet at the church building. Please bring 3-4 dozen cookies or candy to divide into Christmas goodie bags so that we can show kindness to those around us. We will also be studying Kindness. Hope to see you there!

Beauty Mark Retreat

God has truly blessed us with a beautiful fall and Friday was part of that beauty. The sun was shining and the air was crisp! What a great day for a retreat! Lots of time, preparation, and prayers have gone into this retreat. There was an excitement to see how God would work during this time.

We began the evening with an ice breaker game of finding various "beauty" items that women had brought with them. You could only sign your name one time to the sheet and these items ranged from a tooth brush to tweezers! Four ladies managed to find all the items so the grand prize was awarded to Julie H. because age goes before beauty:) It was fun listening to all the ladies laugh and talk as the evening got started.


Twenty-five ladies then headed to the food line! Thanks so much to Julie M. for all of her great food preparations and for Joy who also helped. The food was delicious!

Our speaker for the weekend was Angi L. We were so excited to have her share with us. Angi and her husband, Mike, had done our spring Bible conference on marriage and Angi's beauty, quiet and gentle spirit, was obvious. She shared her testimony with us that first session and opened up...she was real with things that she struggled with in life and things she cherished. It was refreshing to hear from someone who is like us. 1 Peter 3:4 "...but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God's sight." was the verse that she shared with us. She did make note that we are not to ignore our outward appearance, but we are to focus on the hidden person of the heart. We are to have a quiet spirit and sometimes that means BITING OUR TONGUES! Angi shared a great definition of gentleness...meekness which is power under control. Oh to strive for that. She ended that session by giving some practical suggestions for having a quiet and gentle spirit: 1. Be a woman of the Word. 2. Be a woman of prayer. 3. Look for a woman who you can pattern yourself after. 4. Memorize passages about the tongue. Ask the Lord to help you have your words under control. We ended the "organized" part of the evening at the fire pit. It was a beautiful evening...clear sky and bright moon. We enjoyed roasting marshmallows for smores and chit chatting...something women love...talking and chocolate!






Some then headed into bed, while others played games. The late ones finally made it to bed at around 1 am! Breakfast comes early:)

The next morning started with quiet time. You could do your own or use "A beautiful woman in Christ" by Julia Bettencourt. This is a great devotional that used beauty tips for our outward appearance and gave scripture verses to make our insides beautiful. Example: Cleanser: In order to make oursleves beautiful, we have to first cleanse ourselves of all unwanted impurities. Our cleansing agent works through our confession and God's forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

We then had another yummy meal:)
Felicia started our morning off by having us listen to the song "Praise God". It was a great way to quiet our hearts and prepare us for the day.

Angi came again and talked about the Beauty Mark of Honoring our Husbands. We are called to be submissive to our own husbands not to all men. Submission has always been in God's plan. It has to do with order and we voluntarily go under it. It requires FAITH and freedom from fear. It is a scary thing to relinquish control. The opposition to the idea of submission is found in our own heart. There are some practical ways to express respect. 1. Tell him what you like about him. 2. Thank him for providing for you. 3. Thank him for fixing things. 4. Join him in what he likes to do. 5. Work on the eye sparkle. 6. Meet his sexual needs.


Our final session was on the Beauty Mark of Kindness. Angi shared that kindness must be coupled with goodness. Kindness is the feeling whereas goodness is the action. Lasting kindness only comes from the Holy Spirit. There are 3 hindrances to kindness...anger, bitterness, and judging. To be beautiful...kindness is something to work on and strive for.

I am not doing the weekend justice in this small post. I know I was truly blessed by the time. Blessed by the woman who came. Blessed by the testimony of Angi. Blessed by the relaxation. Blessed by God's truth. I was challenged and I hope you were too....challenged to become a beautiful woman in God's sight.

September PEARLS

There has been a lot going on at church the last few weeks with preparing to move to the temporary facility and getting ready for the 10 year anniversary. Because of those 2 things we decided to make PEARLS available for whatever needed done. Well, the city hall didn't need any other work and the anniversary celebration was all planned. That left us with an opportunity to pray for each other and that is just what we did. By now, you hopefully have received your registration form for the PEARLS retreat "Beauty Mark" to be held October 22 -23 (If you have not, please let me know). We took Tuesday evening and prayed for every woman at RHC! Yes, we prayed for you! We know that everyone has different struggles and joys happening in their life, so we prayed for you. We prayed that God is working in your life and that He will give you strength to carry on with whatever life is giving you right now. We also prayed for the retreat and how God is going to use it and our speaker, Angi. Each year the retreat gives a great opportunity to grow in God and to draw closer to each other...to encourage one another and get to know someone a little better. Be sure that God will work there! It is for His glory that we will meet that Friday evening and Saturday morning and He already knows the great things that will come from it! All this to say...DON'T MISS IT! It is close (right outside of town), it is brief (6PM on Friday to 1PM on Saturday), there will be great food, the facility is awesome, and our speaker is preparing truth that God wants her to say (Angi spoke on marriage with her husband, Mike, at our spring Bible conference).

Ladies, please join us! You must register by Sunday, Oct. 10, but don't delay! Mark your calendars now, turn in your registration and let NOTHING stop you from coming. The cost is $20, but there is definitely help financially if that is what is holding you back.

Please know that we want you there! You have been prayed for and we are confident that "wherever 2 or 3 gather in my name, there I am with them." God will work, come and allow Him to work in your heart!

Garden Party

What a beautiful night! It was humid, hot, sticky, but it was awesome to be outside in God's beautiful creation with beautiful women that He created, too! The weather had been calling for rain, but once again God provided sunshine and a slight breeze for the garden party.
A very special thank you to Linda and Felicia for doing the decorating and most of the refreshments. Also thanks to Heather H. and Mary H. for bringing food as well. I think it is safe to say that it was a great evening for everyone!

The above pictures are of the 3 tables that were decorated in a citrus theme. The colors were bright and bold and there were lemons, limes, or oranges under glasses with candles. It was very fitting for a warm summer evening.
Welcome to the Garden Party...a patio transformed for a festive, fun evening.

We started with "speed interviewing" which was taken from the idea of "speed dating". There were sets of questions that were being asked with a time limit of 1 minute (this was dropped to 45 seconds later). When time was up. The lady being asked the questions got up and moved to someone new with a new set of question. Questions like...what is your favorite color? What is your most over-used word (ask Mary M. and Linda this question!)? What is your favorite restaurant? What would you do if you ha 1 hour to do anything? There was a lot of laughter and a lot of information gained in a short amount of time.
Next, Bonnie led us in our devotional on "The Honor of Working at Home." This is a wonderful chapter for all ladies! It stressed the importance of taking care of the home that God had provided for you and balancing all the work! Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a career mom, or even single it is still a command to care for your home and make it a place where God is the focus. Bonnie also shared some scriptures from Proverbs 31...that woman did it all:) Sometimes it seems hard to fathom all the work she did, but she did it to bless her home and to honor God.






Finally, we had a time of fellowship and FOOD! There was food to fit the theme, orange, green, and yellow. Pimento cheese sandwiches, Crab salad sandwiches, bright fruit salad, cucumber sandwiches, key lime pie, and citrus splash and pink lemonade to drink.

One of my favorite parts of the evening is the fellowship time when we can just sit in a relaxed setting and get to know the other ladies of our church. These are precious ladies! I hope you can take the time to get to know each one on a personal level. Every woman in our church has something special to share...find out what it is!


Our next PEARLS will be Tuesday, September 7th and will be held at the church. We will be using the time to prepare for the move into the temporary facility and to get ready for our 10 year celebration. Hope you can make it! Also, don't forget to mark your calendars....Oct 22-23 is our Beauty Mark Retreat!

Service Project...Care Packages for our Troops

For PEARLS this month we sent care packages to two different servicemen and their units serving overseas. One of the young men is the grandson of Pat B. We spent time praying for our troops, their safety, their families, and for our administration. It was a good time to pack up 4 boxes and I'm sure they will be excited to receive the goodies. (I forgot to get out my camera until the end...those boxes were packed tight!)

Our next PEARLS is the annual GARDEN PARTY! It is Tuesday, August 3 at JeriAnn's home.
Also, please SAVE the DATE...October 22 & 23 will be our BEAUTY MARK Retreat!

Yummy Recipes!

Mac & Cheese ~ Sheral

1 Cup Macaroni
1 T Flour
1 lbs butter
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 lb bacon (2-4 slices)
2 cups shredded cheese

Cook macaroni
Fry bacon
In a sauce pan combine butter, flour, bacon, and milk and saute until a smooth, white sauce.
Combine in a baking dish (9x9) macaroni, white sauce, bacon, and cheese and bake at 350 for 30-1 hour. About 5 minutes before done dust more cheese on top until it bubbles.

Vegetarian Penne ~ Abbie
2 Cups uncooked penne
1 cup baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T canola oil
2 cans (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
2 cups frozen cut green beans
2 t dried oregano
3 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 T minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta. Meanwhile in large non-stick skillet, saute carrots and garlic in oil. til tender. Add tomatoes, green beans, basil and oregano; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth, stir into veggies. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 more minutes or until thickened. Drain pasta, stir into veggies. Sprinkle with parsley.

Julie's Pasta Salad ~ Julie M.
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
Salt & pepper to tast
1 - 160z whole grain or wheat pasta shells cooked and drained
1 small onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 cup sliced olives
1/2 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
2 cups cubed cheddar cheese

Mix dressing, sour cream, salt & pepper. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine all other ingredients. Mix in sauce and chill

Greek Barley Salad ~ Joy
1 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
pinch of salt
1 cup barley (pearled or hulled)

Bring to boil - reduce to simmer. Cook 30 minutes. Cool in refrigerator.

In food processor chop

2 cups (3 ounces) salad spinach
1 clove garlic
1 T fresh oregano (or 1 t dried oregano)
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t lemon zest
1/2 t salt
2 T olive oil

Stir into barley.

Add
1 medium cucumber chopped
4 oz feta cheese
1 large tomato diced

Top with more feta cheese. Serves 6

Corn Salad ~ JeriAnn

2 cans whole corn, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 bag coarsely crushed chili-cheese corn chips

Mix first 5 ingredients and chill. Stir in corn chips just before serving.

Cafe Mocha Punch ~ Felicia
Scoop 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream into punch bowl. Pour 1 pint half and half or heavy cream and 1/2 cup chocolate syrup on top. Pour 1 full pot of hot coffee, brewed double strength on top of ice cream mixture. Ladle into cups and enjoy!

Oreo Dessert ~ Rhonda & Stephanie
1 pkg oreos (crushed) half on bottom rest on top
vanilla ice cream
hot fudge
8 oz cool whip

Put half of crushed oreos on bottom of 9x13 pan. Scoop desired amount of ice cream on top. Pour hot fudge over ice cream then spread cool whip. Place the rest of the oreos on top. Place in freezer.

Green Fluff ~ JeriAnn
1 pkg pistachio pudding mix
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple undrained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 8oz container cool whip

Mix pudding and pineapple together. Add marshmallows. Gently fold in cool whip. Chill overnight.

I know there were a few more recipes that I did not get. If you wish to include your recipe, please give it to me!

Thanks to all who contributed.

The Pleasure of Purity

The weather was thought to be questionable with severe storms on the radar, but God held off the rain allowing just a gentle sprinkle. Otherwise, it was a beautiful night to have a picnic at the park with some GREAT food!

We started off by....eating...

eating...

and eating some more!

If you didn't know it, there are some great cooks at RHC! Thanks to everyone who contributed some yummy food. I will give the recipes on another post, so keep looking at this site for some great foods for summer.

After filling our tummies and enjoying some great fellowship, we discussed the next chapter in Feminine Appeal... The Pleasure of Purity. We began our talk by some sharing their love stories. There were some great stories. If you get the chance you should ask Joy about her canoe trip, Felicia about Jeff's dancing sister, and Julie M. about dancing Craig:) Honestly, it was great to hear how God brought couples together.

This chapter on purity is an extremely important chapter! The world, media, everyone but Christians seem to be willing to talk about sex. Just read the Bible and you will realize that God intended for sex as long as it is in marriage! Sex is 1. God's Idea (Genesis 2:21-25), 2. He fashioned it for Marriage (1 Corinthians 7:1-9), 3. It is intended for pleasure (Song of Songs 5), 4. He designed it for intimacy (Genesis 4:1), and 5. it was created for procreation (Genesis 1:27-28).

It is great to be married and once in love and married, it is easy to think that "I will never sin against my husband...I will never be unfaithful." The sin of lust is "no respecter of persons". We are told to "be careful that you do not fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12&13) We need to set our hearts on things above, make no provision of the flesh, and pursue accountability. It is easy to think that men struggle with lust, but women can also lust when watching shows they should not or reading books that allow the imagine to wander. We, just like our husbands, need to stay away from things that could cause us to fail and think about Godly things.

Finally, we need to always be ready for romance our husbands!!!!! Ladies, always strive to be attractive...in your husbands eyes and theirs alone! Be available! You are the only one in the world that can, under God, meet your husbands needs! It should please you as well. Be anticipatory...allow your thoughts to wander...ON YOUR HUSBAND! Flirt with him and find out what is the most meaningful thing to him.

Ladies, God has blessed us with a great gift to be used in marriage to please our husbands! Seek to honor Him in all that you do!

Our next gathering is Tuesday, July 6 at Abbie's house. We will be putting together care packages for our troops overseas. If you know of a soldier overseas, please let us know. Look for a list of needed items coming soon!