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New Faces & Answered Prayers
Volume 7.3 | April 2010
New Faces & Answered Prayers
 by Laurie Cole, Founder & President
2007. That’s when Faith Baptist in Bartlett, Tennessee first contacted me to speak at a women’s retreat they were planning for 2008. But the retreat was postponed and rescheduled. Then it turned into a one-night event and, finally, it morphed into a Mother-Daughter Banquet. It took three years for me to get to Faith Baptist, and now I know why – and I’ve even got pictures to prove it. Take a look at a few of the precious faces God graciously allowed me to meet at the Faith Baptist Mother-Daughter Banquet, then I’ll tell you why I believe the Lord made me wait so long to see them.
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 I met these two beauties (Abby & Isabella) at the Faith Baptist Mother-Daughter event where I shared the Beauty by The Book message. Darling girls! |
 Here’s Isabella with her precious mom, Heather. |
 How glorious it was to see women of all ages at the Faith Baptist event! |
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(l to r) This is Melanie Redd, the Women’s Ministry Coordinator at Faith, and her lovely-in-every-way teen daughter, Emily. Meeting this mother/daughter duo and hearing them share their about their own commitment to pursue biblical beauty was a HUGE blessing. I also had the privilege of meeting and enjoying some extra-sweet fellowship with Joanna Harwood (far right) – she’s just the kind of biblical beauty that I want to become someday. |
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As I think about the young women and moms I met at Faith Baptist, the way the original event (a retreat) became a Beauty by The Book Mother-Daughter event, and how the date finally became March 26, 2010, I can clearly see God’s sovereign hand in all of it. You see, for the past several weeks, as I’ve watched the March 31 date approach for the Beauty by The Book for Teens pilot, I’ve been... well... kinda petrified. The thought of teaching teen-age girls has had my stomach in knots. So, I’ve been praying. A lot (and many of you have, too, so thank you!).
But on March 27 (the day after the Mother-Daughter event in Tennessee), I noticed something. The knot in my stomach was gone. I also noticed that I was even beginning to feel excited about the March 31 teen pilot. That’s when I realized: God had answered my prayers and calmed my fears. How? By letting me see the faces and hear the testimonies of the girls and moms in Tennessee. And by showing me how He had even delayed, postponed, and changed the event from a retreat to a Mother-Daughter Banquet, and divinely picked the date so that it would be on my calendar just five days before the Beauty by The Book for Teens pilot started!
Now it is with great delight that I share with you some of the fantastic faces from the March 31 Beauty by The Book for Teens pilot. Take a look, and thank God with me for these beautiful young women: |
Over 100 young women are participating in the Beauty by The Book for Teens pilot!
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We kicked off our first night with – what else? – cake, candy, and all kinds of goodies. Yum!
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All of the girls received a Beauty by The Book for Teens pilot workbook, and they will be providing feedback each week to enable us to revise and improve the final study and workbook.
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Lots of BFFs attended. There’s nothing better than growing in God’s Word together.
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These three girlfriends camped out on the front row together – what a blessing to see their enthusiastic smiles!
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Sagemont’s own Ruth Birdsong – our church’s very first Minister to Girls – is co-leading the pilot with me. I adore Ruth... and so do the girls. Ruth and I are having a blast serving together.
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Every single face in the pictures above represents an answer to prayer. Isn’t God good?! He heard your prayers and mine, and He answered big time. But don’t stop praying. The Beauty by The Book for Teens pilot will continue through May 12. As you pray, would you also ask God to provide the funding ($70,000) we need to produce and print the final workbooks, videos, CDs, and leader guides for this study? You may even sense God leading you to make a donation toward this project right now. Your prayers and your gifts will be invested into the lives of every teenage girl who uses the Beauty by The Book for Teens resources. And remember: God’s Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).
 I have one more face to share with you this month. It’s the face of another great, big answer to prayer. For many years, I’ve been asking the Lord to send someone to help write and edit this newsletter. And this month, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Emily Ryan, Priority’s new Executive Editor.
I’ve known and loved Emily for several years, and I’ve also been so blessed to read her book, her blog, and many, many articles she’s written for our church’s monthly magazine (Emily is a member at Sagemont, too). Emily is a HUGE answer to prayer, and I just know you’re going to fall in love with her as you get to know her through this newsletter.
Have you been praying and praying and waiting and waiting for God’s answer? Has God been delaying and postponing, changing and rearranging things in your life? Are you getting discouraged or fearful, confused or distressed? If so, then I want to encourage you to do two things:
- Look at the faces around you – especially that face in the mirror. Recall and thank God for the way He has faithfully answered your prayers through and for all of those faces.
- Tell God, in a symbolic way, that you trust His divine timetable for your life by taking off your watch or by placing a nearby clock face down. Now read and believe the following scripture:
“From one man [God] made every nation of men…and he determined the times
set for them…God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” – Acts 17:26-27 NIV
Girl, God answers prayer. And according to Acts 17:26, His answers are guaranteed to arrive according to His perfect, predetermined time. So continue to seek Him. Keep on reaching out to Him. And be encouraged, because God is never far. Forever and always, we have a God who is near. Glory!
I’m praying for you, beloved sister,
Email Laurie
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Priority Passage of the Month
Just in case you missed your fresh start in January, don’t worry. Spring is finally here – a whole season God devotes to new life and new beginnings.
(Don't forget! Click the Scripture above to view a printable format.)
So don’t dwell on those New Year’s resolutions you’ve already broken. Find your inspiration in Spring and look ahead to new beginnings and new ways you can glo for Him!
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Walking Towards Him
 by Emily Ryan, Executive Editor
For the past five years or so, I’ve been in the same boat as many of you. I’ve received the You Glo Girl! newsletter for so long that I remember when it was just called a newsletter, and I still have every issue from December, 2004 tucked away in a special folder in my email account. I’ve read all of Laurie’s articles. I’ve made some of Jan’s recipes. I’ve printed out some of the beautiful Scripture art. And I’ve prayed for Laurie and the staff as they’ve traveled across the U.S. encouraging women to glo for Him!
So you can understand if I’m just a little bit [read a whole lot] giddy that God has allowed me to be a part of this wonderful ministry that I’ve enjoyed from the outside for so many years. Starting with this issue of You Glo Girl! I’m serving as Priority’s new Executive Editor, which means I’ll compile articles, edit, and write for this already amazing newsletter each month.
And did I mention that I’m simply giddy about this opportunity?
I’ve known Laurie and many of the ladies on staff for several years. In fact, it is because of the “Christian meddling” of Laurie’s husband, Bill, Jan Hart, and my own mother, Sammie, that I met and married my husband, Jason, in 2003. Jason serves with Bill and Jan as Sagemont’s Music and Communications Director, so when they started conspiring with my mom to get us to meet, we were worn down from every side. Now six years later, we’re both grateful for friends and family who loved us enough to meddle, and we don’t wince quite as much whenever they say, “I told you so.” |
The Ryan Family
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A few months ago, God called me to walk away from something that I love doing. I was teaching a wonderful ladies Bible study class on Sunday mornings, and I had a blast serving with such sweet friends. But while reading and teaching the book of Ruth, God impressed upon my heart that the time had come for me to walk away from teaching.
Has God ever told you to walk away from something too? Sometimes the command is understandable, such as when He tells you to walk away from a destructive lifestyle or an ungodly relationship. But what about when He tells you to walk away from something… good?
What is the first thing you want to know? “Okay God, but if I walk away from that, what am I walking towards?”
That’s exactly what I wanted to know too. I begged God to give me a hint. “Do you want me to write another book? Do you want me to focus on my kids more? Do you want me to free my calendar for more speaking opportunities? Do you just want me to finally get my one-year-old’s baby scrapbook done? What?! If I walk away from teaching the girls in my class, what is it that I’m walking towards?”
Do you know what He said? “Me. That’s all you need to know right now, Emily. I want you to walk towards Me.”
It might be that when God calls you to walk away from something, He’s more concerned with your obedience than He is with your understanding. We women love to know what’s going to happen next, don’t we? So it’s tough for us when God tells us to walk towards Him without revealing the rest stops along our way.
God knew before I did and even before Laurie did that this opportunity with Priority would be a rest stop along my path to Him, and in this particular instance I believe He wanted me to obey Him not because I knew the next step, but because I trusted Him.
Less than two weeks after I officially resigned from teaching my class, God began to unveil His new path for me. First, I learned that Jason and I are expecting our third child. We already have two boys, Gideon (3 ½) and Canaan (15 mos), and we’re thrilled and blessed that God is adding to our family once again. In God’s infinite wisdom, He allowed my teaching responsibilities to end just as the morning sickness began! A huge hallelujah moment, to be sure!
Then Laurie approached me about editing this newsletter, and the second explanation for God’s command was suddenly clear. As I prayed for Priority all these years, one of my prayers was always that if God ever wanted me to help out or serve others through this glorious ministry, that He would open that door if and when the time was right. Well ladies, I’m so excited that God’s timing is now!
What is it that God is asking you to walk away from? Will you be obedient and walk away from it even if you don’t know what you’re walking towards next? Walk towards Him, ladies. He’s the ultimate destination anyway, and the rest stops along the way are menial compared to that. But if you walk towards Him in obedience, He will bless each and every step!
As for my own steps He’s blessing these days, in addition to being the newest Priority staff member, I also keep busy with many other responsibilities. I work part time for a financial advisor, write regularly for our church magazine, Sagemont Life, and sell Mary Kay cosmetics on the side. But second only to my calling to be a wife and mom is my calling to be a writer, and that’s the passion God instilled in me at an early age to glo for Him. I can’t wait to tell you more about my first book, Who Has Your Heart? The Single Woman’s Pursuit of Godliness, in the next You Glo Girl! issue, but for now, just simply know that above all, I’m simply a woman who’s trying to walk towards Him every day.
Join me, won’t you?
Send Emily an email and welcome her to the Priority staff!
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Pray for the Pilot Bookmark
We need your prayer support for the ongoing pilot study of Beauty by The Book for teens. So, to help remind you to pray, please print and post this bookmark to your ‘fridge, or put it with your quiet time stuff. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Do you have a biblically beautiful mom? Tell us about her in 100 words or less and we'll run the winning submission in the May issue of You Glo Girl! Plus, we'll send you and your mom a special treat.
Click here to submit
by April 20th!
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Worth Repeating
“If we’ll seek the Lord
first, He will bring our
lives into balance and He
will show us what our true priorities are under His rulership.”
“We’ve heard the excuse
of busyness but the reality
of losing our balance
is this – we have time,
we just
choose to give
other
things priority.”
Hear these truths and more
in Laurie’s three-CD series,
Balancing Life God’s Way.
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Priority Prayer Points
 by Nancy Campbell, Prayer Director
As always, we value your prayers for us above all contributions, referrals, and even notes of encouragement. Here are the items that are close to our hearts this month:
- Pray for Laurie and the Priority staff as we pilot Beauty by the Book: Becoming a Biblically Beautiful Young Woman over the next several weeks, and pray for the 7th-12th grade girls who are participating in the study. In addition, please pray that God would provide the funding for producing this study in time for its release this fall.
- It’s retreat season for Laurie! Pray for safe travel and God’s anointing on her as she teaches in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado this month. Above all, pray that God’s message through her will fall on soft hearts and listening ears.
- Pray for Priority’s newest staff member, Emily, as she transitions into her new position as Priority’s Executive Editor.
Do you have something heavy on your heart as well? Please let us know by emailing your prayer request to Nancy Campbell, Priority’s Prayer Director, and we will be honored to pray on your behalf just as you are so faithful to pray for us. |
Here's where Laurie will be going and glo-ing soon. Please pray. Thanks!
April 9-10
Women's Retreat
First Baptist Church,
Geyer Springs, Little Rock, AR
Contact: Melissa Taylor
April 16-18
Women's Retreat
Christ Community Church,
Westchester, PA
Contact: Deb Cornelius
April 23-25
Women's Retreat
Mission Hills Church,
Greenwood Village, CO
Contact: Janet Carter
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Turn Your Outer Beauty to Inner Beauty
 The cosmetics industry estimates that the average woman spends anywhere from $600 to $1,200 a year on makeup and skin care, revealing the telling emphasis society places on outer beauty. Today’s teens are no different, with most young women setting aside a significant portion of their spendable income on cosmetics and beauty treatments. Where is the focus on inner beauty? you may ask. Great question. Either the cosmetics industry is ignoring those statistics, or the emphasis is so small it’s not worth reporting.
This fall Beauty by the Book: Becoming a Biblically Beautiful Young Woman will be available for the teens in your life with the prayer that, if young ladies learn the importance of biblical beauty at an early age, it’s a lesson that can last their whole lives. And for just the amount that you’d normally spend on lipstick, you can have a part in making this life-changing study available for the next generation.
It will cost $70,000 to produce the new Beauty by the Book study for teens. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the billions spent on eye shadows, lipsticks, and moisturizers each year, but it’s a significant amount when it comes to a need that has to be met. Would you consider helping us by contributing to the production of this study? While any amount, large or small, is a blessing, here are some are some estimates on what we’re already spending on our outer beauty.
Lipstick = $15
Skin Care = $25
Mani/Pedi = $50
Full Facial =$100
Click here to make your online donation now and change the amount you usually spend on outer beauty into a contribution towards biblical beauty for young women. Or, if you prefer, mail your gift to Priority Ministries, 711 W. Bay Area Blvd., Suite 214, Webster, TX 77598. Thank you in advance for making a contribution to beauty that won’t get washed down the sink at night!
Priority Ministries is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. All gifts received are tax-deductible as a charitable contribution. |
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Glo-ing at Home
 by Jan Hart, Administrative Support
Daffodils, tulips and wildflowers are popping up everywhere. There is nothing like the first glimpse of beautiful spring flowers to signal the dreary, cold days of winter are behind us and spring is here. We have survived!
As my thoughts turn to this year’s landscape, I am concentrating on 2 things: (1) Plants that are native to the zone in which I live (in other words, low maintenance); (2) Plants that I love. Through the years I have come to realize this is not the time in my life to have a plethora of plants - time is not on my side.
A wise friend once gave me this advice: “Surrounding yourself with the things you love – in your home and garden – will bring you great joy” - thus, this year’s plan. I will keep the bones I have (evergreens, etc.) and add big splashes of color choosing from favorite plants such as caladiums, coleus, shock-wave petunias, impatiens, daylilies, lantana and the beloved zinnias (in memory of my grandmother who always had a vase of cut zinnias in her home during summer). I also want to add some flowers that will attract butterflies. The severity of this winter has been extremely hard on the monarch butterflies so I plan to plant a couple of milkweed plants. Plants such as the butterfly bush, pentas and salvia also attract different types of butterflies.
A new and fun thing I am trying this year is to incorporate lettuce as a border in my beds and also plant herbs in the beds. I must admit I do not have great success with herbs in pots so I am going the flower bed route. I am planting a border of “Red Sails” lettuce in the bed with the herbs. This is a heat-tolerant lettuce and will add lots of color to the bed plus provide many great salads.
Finally, a few tips for your own spring gardening:
- Yard art makes a big splash. Try bird baths, trellises, or sculptures - what could be more fun and low maintenance!
- Check out the seasonal magazine, Southern Living: Easy Gardening. It can be purchased at area home improvement centers and is a fabulous magazine on plants and trees that grow well in the South.
- Keep things simple. Just remember, simple = joy; over planting = backache!
Just as flowers are popping everywhere, beautiful berries of all kinds are in abundance. This month’s recipe is a delicious and simple cake that is just shouting for a sprinkling of your favorite berries. It comes from a sweet friend and fellow choir member, Chris Godbee, who, along with her husband John, is a glorious Priority supporter! Surprise your sweet family with this special treat for Sunday lunch this week.
Click on the recipe below to print!
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More Pics from Faith Baptist Women's Retreat
in Bartlett, TN
(l-r) Here’s Laurie with her beautiful niece, Annie Freeman, and long-time friend, Konnie Easley (Annie is Konnie’s niece, too). Annie lives in Alabama and surprised Laurie by coming to Tennessee for the Faith Baptist event.
Celebrating at Cracker Barrel the morning after the event, Laurie loved every minute she shared with the women of Faith Baptist.
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 Gotta Glo
Thanks for reading this month’s issue of You Glo Girl! Do you have any ideas or suggestions for things you’d like to read about in future issues? If so, Priority’s new Executive Editor would love to hear from you! Send your questions, ideas, and comments to Emily and stay tuned in future months as we continue gloing together in this newsletter!
Until next time, enjoy this glorious season of Spring and glo outside and enjoy the new life God is creating all around you!
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Your Priority sisters,
Laurie Cole, Pam Henderson, Shanda Stiles, Jan Hart,
Debbie Todd, Stephanie Cole, Nancy Campbell, and Emily Ryan
Priority Ministries Staff
“Love the Lord your God with all of your heart…soul…(and) mind.” Matt. 22:37
“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…” Matt. 6:33
Contact us at
www.priorityministries.org
Priority Ministries
711 West Bay Area Boulevard Suite #214
Webster, TX 77598
832-632-2197
Priority Ministries is a 501(C)3 non-profit ministry.
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