Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What in the world is God Sibs you might be asking yourself?

For the last several months what is now known as God Sibs was known as Chick Chat. (With those familiar we are now the artist formally known as Chick Chats :)) But somewhere along the way the Holy Spirit started bugging my heart. He’s been known to do that in my life. As the Lord pressed my heart about what He wanted from this ministry I came across the definition of gossip. And even more important than the definition was the origin of the word gossip. The word as a noun came from Old English as something like godsib. In a literal sense godsib meant just that God-sibling. It was a relative in God, a friend, an encourager, a mentor and a spiritual supporter. Unfortunately as the years progressed the definition changed and a godsib transitioned into a gossip. The word godsib had begun a transformation from merely supporting spiritual growth to an individual that was usually sharing information that was none of their business and had become largely associated with women. That is no good ladies!! God wants to take that word back for His glory!


As the Holy Spirit revealed His heart for this ministry and the passion behind Glorious Daughters I think nothing suites us better than God Sibs. Just as Barnabas put his name and approval on the life of Paul as he began his ministry (Acts 9:26-28) we want to stand beside others that are pursuing the King. God Sibs is a time when we can come up alongside other sisters as multiple generations and allow the Lord to encourage and inspire us to be strong, brave, bold and beautiful daughters of God. (And yes I ended it just like the soap opera on purpose hoping you won’t forget the slogan! :)) In essence we are deciding to put our names on others lives in front of our peers no matter what their background or present story might be and saying “She’s with me!” It models what Christ did for us. HE put His Name on our lives in front of the world and says, “She’s with me, she is my daughter and a rightful heir to My Throne.” That we are growing not as gossips, but as God Sibs!!!

Come and join us on the first Tuesday of every month in Weatherford, OK at the Fairfield Inn at 7pm and find out all about God Sibs! We spend time with sweet friends chatting about life, laughing, singing, playing ridiculously fun games, eating something with chocolate in it, of course coffee and receiving fun gifts as well as gaining strength and encouragement from an in depth study of God’s Word. Mostly we celebrate being a daughter of the Most High King!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Projects that need to be in your life!

Well, the last several posts have been all about announcements….but there are a lot of really sweet projects God is putting in front of me that are just too precious and making a powerful impact on my heart. Can’t help but share them with you!

1. I had the privilege of attending First Baptist Church El Reno’s Spin Cycle Fall Ladies Conference this past weekend! It was so refreshing and everyone had an amazing time. The speaker for the event was Jen Hatmaker, and I’m gonna tell you right now if she is not a part of your life……what are you waiting for!!! I was laughing so hard I was snorting (probably scaring all the precious ladies I was sitting with :)) at all her relatable stories about life. Then I was sharpened in my spiritual life as she proclaimed some powerful Truth about the state of the church right now in America. There is incredible favor over her message and you are guaranteed to be blessed, strengthened and pushed as you listen to God’s heart through her. She also has several books that I totally suggest you getting your hands on asap!! Right now I am reading Make Over, Revitalizing the Many Roles You Fill. Yeah, you know you need it! :) She is relevant and in the trenches with you. She isn’t trying to be some sort of superhero, she’s just submitted to the Lord. She lives a real life and in the midst of that she is willing to share her journey. I gained a ton of inspiration just from the introduction to the book!

“I’m a pastor’s wife, a mom of three (ages eight and under), a friend, a daughter, a sister, a writer, a teacher, a neighbor. I have no nanny, no housekeeper, no parents in town, no assistant, no free babysitters, no free ride, no time, and often no clue. So I won’t be writing while the nanny takes care of my kids and the maid cleans my house. I’ll be typing with a three-year-old lying in my lap putting tape on my face.”

Can I get a witness?!!! Seriously, she has some incredible truth to share and if you are anything like me your life is moving at supersonic speed and knowing that someone is rising above to share the Truth of God’s Love in the MIDST of it all inspires me! So leave this blog and check out http://www.jenhatmaker.com/ as soon as you can!

2. On Friday night my family had the BEST evening with an absolutely incredible woman of God. Her name is Charity Teal and she took the most precious pictures of my family. As a family we had never had professional pictures taken and so with this being our first experience we didn’t know what to expect. I am here to tell you that at the end of the evening I could have cared less how the pictures turned out. As a family we had just had the most rewarding time laughing and enjoying each other. A huge part of that was based on Charity’s professional, organized and peaceful spirit. She is someone that I have known since college and when I found out about the story behind her photography business I could not wait to support her and pass on her story to you! And now I am telling you and sharing a few pics to support her and encourage you to consider using CAT Photography.

All her proceeds go to raise money as her family seeks to adopt siblings from Uganda. Her and her husband, Roger, have a beautiful daughter Mary Katherine and are now seeking to share the incredible love they have with those that are in need. Please visit her website and blog to read more and please, please, please contact her today for information on booking her to record the special moments you want to capture! http://www.yourcatphotography.com/

3. Finally, I want to just fill you in on a project that is already touching so many families in the downtown OKC area. God has this amazing ability to reconnect and cross paths at the perfect moment in our lives. While I was attending the Spin Cycle Conference last weekend I had the privilege of running in to someone that I had not seen since college. We lived on the same dorm floor our freshman year…so as we reconnected and caught up on life I found out how absolutely incredible God’s grace and redemptive power really is! Amy Newberry is the Executive Director of The Tapestry Project in Oklahoma City and along with her husband they are telling their marvelously awesome story and helping make the community livable again. I HIGHLY suggest you checking out this website, supporting their cause, getting involved and become an active mentor in helping train and love those that are recovering from addictions, reclaiming a life from years of abuse, taking ownership of their first apartment, and discovering just how lavish the Love of Jesus really is. So again, please, please take the time to check out this website to learn more and find out ways you can get involved. http://www.thetapestryproject.org/ It just takes a few people committed to seeing a generation changed for Christ…….let’s be a part!

Oh and I’m so excited because our next God Sibs meeting is just ONE WEEK away!!!! Please make plans to attend as well as bringing someone with you! I promise this stuff is too good to keep to yourself! I have talked to the couple of incredible women that I will have sharing testimony of how the King is loving them as daughters and I promise you don’t want to miss hearing their hearts. More to follow, so stay connected and remember we are counting on you to spread the word and bring a friend. A road trip is much more fun with your best friends along for the ride….and if you don’t have a bestie to come with….come anyway, you just might be surprised who you meet!! As always I love you with all my heart and am honored to serve the Lord and to serve you through Glorious Daughters. You’re pretty stinkin’ awesome!!!!!!

xoxo


Friday, September 24, 2010

Announcements, Announcements, Announcements!!!

Hello Glorious Daughters!!!!  Oh me oh my it has been way too long!!  So much has been happening and I couldn't wait to hop online and finally update you about all that God is in the middle of doing with Glorious Daughters!  First, a huge thank you to all of you that prayed and helped while I was super sick.  Your encouragement meant more than you know.  It was so hard to be away from connecting with you all for so long, but rest was mandatory and I am much better for it!!  So hello to you beautiful! :)

Okay so announcements!! 

1. Pass It On event at First Baptist Church Weatherford went AMAZING!!!!!  The room was full of almost 300 women representing multiply generations all of which were BEAUTIFUL!  I was blown away by such an amazing heart-ready group of women and am still living on the overflow of that evening.  God did some amazing things in some very special hearts that night and reminded us how important it is to Put It Down, Put It On and Pass It On!  (if you want a little insight into the evening go back and read the Plastic McDonald's Crown blog post)  Thank you to all the Glorious Daughters at FBC Weatherford for providing an incredible evening of praise, fellowship, and amazing insight into the King's desire to see us rise up as a generation wholly yeilded to the King!  Amazing and I will never forget our special time together!  Love you all so very much!

2. I am so honored and excited to have been invited to join the Destiny In Bloom writing team!!  This is an incredible online magazine for women that promises to encourage your walk with God no matter where you're at!!  There are some brilliant writers that express new parts of God's unending character and love every week.  And TODAY my article is posted!!!  This is a very special peice to God's place in my life and how HE never fails to connect the dots in our lives.....there is purpose in EVERYTHING He does!  What a promise!  It will so bless my heart if you could take a second and go from this site to the Destiny In Bloom site and read my article as well as post a comment!  So go right now and check out http://www.destinyinbloom.com/ and please let me know your thoughts!

3. Another bit of exciting news is that an article I wrote will run in October's issue of Home Life Magazine!  Entitled Family Hugs it is yet another experience that is so very near and dear to my heart.  Home Life Magazine is a wonderful resource for families and it is an honor to have been included in the already amazing articles they run.  It has been such a rich encouragement for my family and I hope that our family's experiences will encourage others...again it's all about PASSING IT ON!!  So run by Lifeway or Mardels and pick up your copy of Home Life or check with your local church and see if they don't have a copy you can grab.  Can't wait to hear your thoughts on that too!

4. Chick Chats has officially changed to God Sibs!  What in the world is a God Sib you might be asking yourself??  Well, come and join us on the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm and find out!  Please make note that the scripture that Glorious Daughters is based on is Psalms 45:13 and that means YOU!  And continue to check back because website updates are COMING SOON!!

5. And the BEST news I have saved until last......drumroll.........we are PREGO!!!!!  I am so excited to announce that we will be having a precious little baby April 12th!  Cannot wait for a new baby cakes to join Team Trotter - as my mom and grandma said it's like the sweetest little Easter basket!  I couldn't agree more and it seems so fitting to celebrate new life as we celebrate our Life in Christ :)  Prayers would be awesome for a healthy pregnancy and no complications.  Again, you sweet prayer warriors are amazing!

And finally I just want you to know that I love you.  That the King of Kings loves you.  Don't listen to the voice of the Deciever...even for a second....flood your heart and mind with God's goodness and take every thought captive (2 Corin 10:5)....He has abudant Life to give you, don't let the enemy have a single inch (John 10:10).  The bugger can only take what you give him, so don't give him anything.  Ladies, I want you to know I'm speaking that word from the trenches right now....again, we're in this together.....it's worth the fight.  You are worth the fight.  Be Lavishly Loved and Extravagantly Filled by God's powerful presence today.  And it's been great to catch up.  Talk soon and love you richly!!!

xoxo