Discover Laurie’s “addiction.” Get the scoop on some money-saving sites. Learn 3 ways you can serve God more effectively this year. Find hope and help for your New Year’s resolutions. PLUS, get all the latest news about Priority and a very special friend of ours. As you can see, there’s lots for you to know and glo – glorify God – about in this issue of You Glo Girl!

My Annual Addiction
by Laurie Cole, Founder & President

Hi, my name is Laurie and I am an addict. It began many New Years ago when I resolved to read through the entire Bible in a single year. Three and a half humbling years later, I completed that commitment. Soon, however, I began reading through the Bible again (took me two years that time), and again, and again. Today, I am a full-blown addict of the mind-altering, life-changing, soul-satisfying Word of God. But, girl, I’m not just an addict. I’m a pusher. I want you to read through the Bible, too. So, here are five super-simple tips to enable you to read through the Bible in a year (or two, or possibly three) and become addicted to God’s Word in 2008:

Use the One Year Bible®. Published by Tyndale House, the One Year Bible® is formatted into 365 daily readings. It is a simple, practical tool that I absolutely love. In fact, I love it so much that I chose it as Priority’s gift to our Partners. So, pray about becoming a Priority Partner :-) – or you can purchase the One Year Bible® at your local Christian book store or online.


Use an easy-to-read translation. One I really like is the New Living Translation (NLT). It’s accurate, easy to understand, and it makes reading even the most difficult books of the Bible (like Job, for instance) enlightening. In fact, if you don’t absolutely love the NLT, return it to me within 30 days for a full refund. Sorry. I take that back. I just get so carried away when I start talking about how much I really, really (oops, there I go again) love the NLT. You will, too.


Make daily reading a priority. It only takes 15 minutes a day to read through the entire Bible in one year. Fifteen minutes. But you’ll never be able to find those fifteen minutes until you do two things: 1) stop believing the lie that you’re too busy; and 2) start making daily time in God’s Word a priority. And when you do those two things, there is a huge payoff: God will multiply your time and organize your days. Hallelujah, we all need that!


Make daily prayer a priority, too. As you open your Bible each day, offer a short, simple prayer like this: “Lord, speak to me today through the pages of your Word. Tutor, teach, and transform me.” Trust me when I say that you will be amazed by the way God will answer that tiny two-sentence prayer. Conclude your daily reading by pausing to pray again. This time, incorporate scriptures you’ve read into you prayer and intercession. Your prayers will bless God’s heart, and He will bless yours right back.


Persevere and don’t quit. I already confessed that it took me three-plus years to read through the Bible the first time. For numerous reasons (both good and bad), I made frequent stops from my reading for a day or two... or weeks. Then, discouragement would set in. I’d feel like a failure. I was tempted many times to call it quits. But eventually, I would pick up my Bible and begin reading again. It was a bumpy three-and-a-half-year inaugural journey, but it changed my life and launched an ongoing annual adventure with God through His Word. And like a Divine Travel Agent, God has custom-designed each trip we’ve taken according to the foreknowledge of His will and my needs. Girl, you’ll never find a more precious or patient traveling companion than God. So, persevere. Don’t quit.

God’s love, compassion, and mercies are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:22 -23). So, if you need a new start in 2008, go to God. He’s open 24/7, and He specializes in new beginnings. After all, He is the beginning. “And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ ‘…I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’” Revelation 21:5-6 NASB

Surfin' with Shanda
by Shanda Stiles, IT Director

Submit your favorite blog and you could win free Priority resources!

After all of the Christmas gift-giving, January is a great time to take a look at our checkbooks and make some financial goals for the coming year. Last month I asked for your favorite websites with ideas on being frugal and stretching those dollars. Check out these fantastic, money-saving sites, discover who won this month’s Surfin’ With Shanda contest, and find out how you can enter to win next month!

Gwen McBrien (Muskogee, OK) says Cindysporch.com is an awesome frugal website.  It has gobs of thrifty tips, activities, and other odds and ends.

Being frugal includes being a smart shopper.  If you do a lot of shopping online, you should bookmark retailmenot.com in your favorites.  This website has more than 50,000 online coupon and promotion codes that will save you money as you shop online.

Kathy Bogajczyk (Lakeside, CA) says that momsview.com is another great website, especially for frugal moms.  It has lots of tips to help you get the lowest possible price at hundreds of stores.

Next month, my column will feature blogs.  If you don’t know what a blog is, it’s an abbreviation of “web log”, which is basically an online diary, or a webpage where an individual posts his or her thoughts.  If you regularly read any blogs that are inspiring, uplifting or even challenging, send them to me.  And if your site shows up in my column, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Laurie’s You Glo Girl! 3-CD series. I look forward to hearing from you and surfin’ your favorites!

Email Shanda your favorite blogs.

Priority Products
by Pam Henderson, Production & Resources Director

Priority had a glorious Christmas season, and we wish it could last longer. But 2008 is off to an equally wondrous start! The New Year is always a time of renewed commitments and returning to familiar places. So, this month, let me recommend to you one of Laurie’s newest 3CD teaching series, Who is Grace and How Do I Find Her?

Girl, you gotta meet Grace! Grace loves you when you’re unlovable, pulls you out of the pit when you’re pitiful, and strengthens you when you’re struggling. Get to know Grace in this encouraging, grace-filled teaching series by Laurie Cole. You’ll Meet Grace in Session 1, Get to Know Grace Better in Session 2, and learn how to Introduce Grace to Others in Session 3.

Click here to find out more

Find this series – and many more – when you visit Priority’s online store. Or call us toll-free at 1-866-YOUGLOGIRL (1-866-968-4564) to order by phone. Your purchases support the mission of Priority Ministries: to encourage and equip women to love God most and seek Him first. May the Lord bless your study time with Him in 2008!

Email Pam

Journey with Janet & Laurie
by Janet Valentine, Executive Director

December was ushered in for Laurie and me with a grand celebration at Northwest Bible Church in Spring, Texas . This fabulous church hosts an annual Vintage Brunch, and all the tables are dressed to the max with different and spectacular décor to ring in the holiday season. Take a look at one of the prettiest tables I’ve ever seen in this picture from the Vintage Brunch.

Laurie was invited to be the speaker this year and gave a wonderful presentation entitled Six Gifts That Are more Precious than Gold. God was definitely glorified and lifted high as she revealed these six lasting and life-changing gifts from God. 

We were treated (translation: spoiled rotten) to a lovely morning with a table setting that would rival royalty.  And we met some special new friends and heard some sweet Christmas music performed by Fresh Praise.  Shelia Hauser, Women’s Ministry Director at Northwest Bible, and many others are new subscribers to this newsletter.   Please join me in welcoming our newest glo girlfriends.

Laurie and I will hit the road in mid-January to begin another full-filling year of ministry and sharing God’s Word with women in California, Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia, and, of course, Texas. If you live in one of those states, we’d love to see you. So, take a minute to check out our schedule for specific information about where we’ll be. And if you’d like to invite Laurie to speak at your women’s event in 2008 or 2009, please contact me. We’d love to journey your way!

Email Janet

Going & Glo-ing

Please pray for Laurie and Janet as they head to Santee , California and Cypress , Texas for upcoming events. Contact information is given so you can come and glo with us! Jan. 18-19 Women's Retreat Sonrise Community Church, Santee, CA Contact: Shirley Clark Feb. 1-2 Women's Retreat Cypress Bible Church, Houston, TX Contact: Kim Gilpin

Partner with Priority
by Debbie Todd, Director of Support & Stewardship

We serve God by serving others. In our self-serving culture with its “me-first” mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. God shaped you for service. - Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

God is not looking for people who want to make a name for themselves or put their own accolades at the forefront. God is looking for ordinary people to step up and make a difference in the lives of other’s. If you’re like me (ordinary), and you passionately want God to use you this year, here are three things you (and I) must do:

1. Seize the Opportunity to redeem a bad or uncomfortable relationship by making a choice to do what is good. This will require setting aside fear of rejection, being obedient to God, and delivering a message of hope and restoration.
   
   
2. Establish a Relationship we would not typically seek to develop. There are so many women who are hurting and need a trusted friend. At the office. In the neighborhood. Even in church. If we will invest the compassion of Christ into their lives, He can use us to make a difference for His glory AND He will open doors for us to share the gospel. This, my friend, is our calling!
   
   
3. Seek Spiritual Wisdom in seasons of brokenness and discouragement. God is teaching me to be thankful for the times I have experienced great pain and heartache because through these times, He’s given me wisdom and restoration. God redeems our sorrows by giving us hope and a greater understanding of His wisdom and truth.

Now let me share a brief story with you about someone who showed all three of these qualities to me. One evening at a party, a past donor to Priority asked me, “How are things going?”  I responded with my usual answer, “Good, thanks.”  “No, I mean with Priority,” he said (see, it isn’t about me). I then seized the opportunity to share the financial need for the Beauty by the Book production expenses. The result: 

Our single largest donation to date for that project!!!

OK, now let me tell you what that man looks like:  He’s an ordinary man who passionately wants God to use him. He seized the opportunity to establish a relationship with this ministry by sacrificially giving from a pure heart. His spiritual wisdom and obedience are examples of the life I long to experience this year. I’m hoping, praying, and believing that you do, too.

Support Priority! Your gift of any amount is appreciated greatly and will be used to reach and teach women to give God priority. Thank you! Priority Ministries is a non-profit 501(C)3 organization. All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Email Debbie

Make a donation

New Year's Resolutions
by Stephanie Cole, Administrative & Prayer Director

If you are anything like the average woman, you are probably plotting how to lose the holiday weight you gained, planning how to stay on budget this year, and praying you will be a better person in 2008 – some of the very same things you resolved and failed to do last year. So what will make 2008 different? How can you and I really change our ways and not just make the same old, empty New Year’s resolutions?

Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”  Not only is it difficult to make change happen on our own, it’s not God’s way. Jesus didn’t come and die so we can struggle along by ourselves, but to remove the barriers so we can walk freely with God. He desires to be intimately involved in the plans of our lives. Yet so often we ignore His clear, written Word and the urging of His Spirit within us and pursue, instead, the things that satisfy our flesh.

Take a moment now to reevaluate your goals for 2008. Do you want to lose weight because you are ashamed of the way you appear, or because you know the Lord has commanded us to treat our bodies as His holy temple? I’m not saying losing weight is a bad goal, but whether your motives are God-centered or self-centered will be a determining factor in your success or failure.

When we seek God through His Word, He truly does speak to each of us in a unique way. He uses the Bible to open our eyes to see ourselves as He sees us, and He inspires and enables us to make lasting changes.

Tired of empty resolutions? Ready for real and lasting change? Then take a moment right now to pray this prayer with me: “Jesus, how thankful I am for your mercy and grace. Give me godly goals and priorities for my life this year. Show me any empty or self-centered goals I’ve set apart from you. Draw my heart closer to you each day, and burn within me a passion for your Word and your ways. Help me put you first in my life, and allow me to see the beauty giving you priority brings. Change me from the inside out.”

There is no secret recipe for instant perfection, but Proverbs 23:17-18 says, “always continue to fear the Lord. For surely you have a future ahead of you; your hope will not be disappointed.” Let’s hold fast to that promise in 2008!

Email Stephanie

Priority Prayer Points

We begin this beautiful New Year by praising God for His glorious work through this ministry and by thanking those of you who pray for us. We know His heart is warmed by your faithful intercession, and we recognize much of what He’s done is in answer to your prayers. Your continued prayers are prized and precious to us. We offer two specific requests for you to pray with us about this month:

1. Praise God with us for His awesome provision for Priority’s newest Bible study, Beauty by The Book! To date the Lord has supplied $19,113 for this project. Please pray that He will provide the remaining need of $24,887 which will enable us to print workbooks and produce the companion DVD and CD resources.
   
   
2. Pray for safe travel for Laurie and Janet as they head off to retreats with Sonrise Community Church in Santee , CA , and Cypress Bible Church in Cypress , TX . Ask God to give Laurie wisdom, power, and sensitivity to the Spirit as she speaks, and to save the lost and revive hearts with His Word.

If there is something we can pray with you about, please email your prayer request to Stephanie Cole (Priority's Prayer Director). Be assured of our love and prayers for you!

Email your prayer request to Stephanie

Glo-rious News!

Need a new Bible study for the new year? Kathy Howard, a dear friend of ours, has written a glo-rious new Bible study, Before His Throne: Discovering the Wonder of Intimacy with a Holy God. Take a peek into the pages of this fantastic 9-week study – you’re going to LOVE what you see!

Find out more about this study

Find out more about Kathy

A gifted Bible teacher, speaker, and writer, Kathy is a graduate of Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary with a Master’s in Religious Education and a Certificate in Women’s Ministry. She and her family live in Midland , TX where she serves as the Minister of Education in her church. But the thing we love most about Kathy is her heart for evangelism and her desire and ability to reach others for Christ. Get to know Kathy better by visiting her website. Or even better, get to know her in person: invite Kathy to speak at your upcoming women’s event!

Glo-ing in the Kitchen
by Jan Hart, Administrative Support

As much as I love the Christmas season, I am always ready to turn my attention to more simple things like cleaning, reorganizing and cooking “comfort foods”. This month’s recipe is a new twist on one of the most famous (and favorite) comfort foods of all time.  But before I share it, let me give you the “back story” about how I found it.

One of the most enjoyable days during the holidays was spent at our annual Mother-Daughter Luncheon. This gathering includes seven girls who grew up together in our church and have remained extremely close, though many miles, commitments, and responsibilities now separate them. After lunch the moms retreat (usually with grandchildren in tow!), and the girls have a slumber party. It is a beautiful way for them to reconnect.

This year’s luncheon was hosted by Tara Morgan. Tara has a flair for design and entertaining, and we had the pleasure of being in her new home where she served the most fantastic main entrée. I asked Tara ’s permission to share the recipe with all of you glo-girls. It’s a new spin on an old favorite and a wonderful way to serve a great comfort food in a unique way. Enjoy!

Mac and Texas Cheeses with Roasted Chiles

4 Poblano chile peppers
1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
½ cup butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese

Broil chile peppers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet 5 inches from heat about 5 minutes on each side or until chiles look blistered.  Place chiles in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins.  Peel chiles; remove and discard seeds, and cut chiles intro strips. Set aside.

Prepare macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over low heat; whisk in flour until smooth.  Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in cream and milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Stir in 2-3/4 cups Monterey Jack cheese, crumbled goat cheese and salt until smooth.  Stir in roasted chiles and macaroni.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.  Top evenly with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with remaining ¼ cup Monterey Jack cheese.  Broil 5 inches from heat about 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Makes 8 servings

Email Jan

Gotta Glo

We gotta glo for now, but we sure want you to know how grateful we are for your interest and support for Priority. We know your inbox is stacked with stuff, but we’re so thankful for your subscription to this newsletter and for the monthly opportunity to visit with you. It always blesses us to hear from you, too, so feel free to send us an email -- you’re welcome to drop by our inbox anytime.

It’s 2008! A new year to give God priority, and you know how – so you glo girl!

Loving Him most and seeking Him first,

Laurie Cole, Janet Valentine, Pam Henderson, Courtney Hays,
Debbie Todd, Stephanie Cole, Jan Hart, and Shanda Stiles
Priority Ministries Staff