This Thanksgiving issue of You Glo Girl! is dedicated to all of our precious
California
glo girlfriends – especially those in
San Diego
and
Simi Valley
. Our hearts and prayers are with you as you recover from the devastating fires of October. May God’s supernatural power and presence enable you to glo – to glorify Him – with praise and thanksgiving even in the midst of these difficult days.
Basking in His Blessings
by Laurie Cole, Founder & President
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My desk overflow-eth, my to-do list overwhelm-eth, and the remaining days on my November and December calendar disappear-eth. A pre-holiday scenario like this usually makes me prone to panicking, but instead I’m praising. Why? Because (thank you, Lord) as the pre-holiday stress season arrives, an old song – Count Your Blessings – is stuck in my brain replaying and repeating itself. So, instead of stressing, I’m basking in God’s blessings, and here are just a few reasons why:
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- My husband, Bill, and I just celebrated his 50th birthday by thoroughly enjoying a few quiet days together. I had planned a bigger celebration, but relented at his request for a more laid back birthday – now I know it was just what we both needed. I’m basking in God’s blessings because I’m still crazy in love with my beloved Bill, and we still prefer the pleasure of one another’s company more than anyone else on earth.
- I’m going to be a grandmother again, and there’s more: IT’S A GIRL! As someone who has four brothers, three sons, and one grandson, I am basking big time in this precious pink blessing from God due in late March.
- On November 17, my son, Kevin, will complete his commitment with the U.S. Navy. I’m basking in the blessing of his safe return home and in the new appreciation I now have for those who courageously serve our country.
- God graciously enabled me to write a new Bible study, Beauty by The Book, and pilot it with the M&M women’s Bible study group at
Sagemont
Church
this fall. I’m basking in God’s blessings because of the way He moved in our midst and changed our lives as we studied His Word together. Only God can birth a Bible study and change hearts!
- Friends like Mike & Patricia Hamilton, Christy Simmons, Robin Cook, Katia Banfield, Kathy Perry, and of course, my friends Janet, Pam, Shanda, Jan, Courtney, Debbie, and Stephanie who serve with me at Priority. These are just a few of the friends who have blessed both Bill and me in recent weeks, but I’m basking in the blessings of so many more of you who are faithful friends and Godsends in my life.
As I count my blessings, I could go on and on . . . but so can you. Yes, the holidays are coming and, yes, it can be a very stressful time of the year, but here’s a pre-holiday, stress-less, bask-in-His-blessings-more verse for all of us:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.
Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand.”
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
Read and re-read that passage – let it get stuck in your brain. Replay and obey it over and over again as your holiday to-do list grows and your calendar shrinks. And take it from a first-class, pre-holiday, panic-prone person like me, basking in God’s blessings will bring you the best holiday gift ever: peace.
Priority Passage of the Month
Start your Thanksgiving celebration today by using the following scriptures to thank God:
“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians
15:57
NLT
“Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.”
Romans
6:17
NLT
“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.”
1 Corinthians
2:14
NLT
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Glo-ing in the Kitchen
by Jan Hart, Administrative Support
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| Because the holidays are coming (and because so many of you rave about her recipes), we’re moving Jan’s column a little closer to the top in this month and next month’s newsletters. Get your holiday kitchen glo on, and find inspiration galore for your Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings from Jan – your holiday hostess with the mostest! |
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My first thought, “It can’t be November!” But my friends are quick to tell me that not only is it November, it’s the month before Christmas.
One of the joys of growing older (and hopefully wiser) is that I have learned not to panic and try to be perfect (that will never happen) as the holiday season approaches. Instead, I look so forward to this beautiful time of the year when we can celebrate with those we love. Isn’t it a joy to serve our family and friends?!
As I think about the holidays, my thoughts turn to those special people that will be coming to our homes and the wonderful food we all want to prepare for them. The key to truly enjoying our guests is to keep it simple. Plan fun activities, simple meals, and cook ahead. Start menu planning right now, cook dishes that freeze well, and be ready to sit down and enjoy those wonderful times with your guests.
This month I want to share three recipes with you. These are tried and true favorites and promise to be big hits (with minimal effort on your part . . . but your family and guests will never know). Here’s to glo-ing in the kitchen and having a simple and glorious Thanksgiving and Christmas season!
COMPANY FOR BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
6 eggs
2 cups milk
6 slices dry bread, cubed
1 lb. bulk sausage
4 oz. cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
Brown sausage and drain. Beat eggs; add mustard, milk and salt. Mix in cubed bread, cheese and sausage. Refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let set a few minutes before cutting into squares. Serves 6-8.
BANANA BREAD
No electric mixer needed here – just mix in a bowl by hand.
½ cup (1 stick) butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup chopped walnuts (more if desired)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar; mix well. Add salt, eggs vanilla, flour baking soda, baking powder, and bananas – mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.
Note: This bread freezes great – just wrap in foil and place in plastic freezer bags. I also love to make this in mini-loaf pans and share!
SAUSAGE-CHEESE MUFFINS
7.5 ounces Old English Cheese Spread *
1 lb. bulk sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Regular)
6 whole English Muffins (split to make 12 halves)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Saute sausage in skillet until browned; drain. Add cheese spread and stir until thoroughly melted. Place one heaping tablespoon of sausage mixture on each muffin half. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and brown in preheated oven until crisp around the edges.
To freeze: Place muffins on cookie sheet and place in freezer (do not cook). Once muffins are frozen, place in plastic freezer bag or wrap in foil. When stacking muffins, place wax paper or parchment paper between muffin layers. When ready to cook, thaw for 20-30 minutes, place on cookie sheet in the oven and bake as directed.
*This cheese spread is made by Kraft and comes in the little “juice” glasses that some of us grew up with.
Email Jan
Partner with Priority
by Debbie Todd, Director of Stewardship & Support
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Having a hard time finding gold, frankincense or myrrh this holiday season?
Then, give the gift that is always in stock: GOD’S BLESSINGS!
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The end of the year is an ideal time to prayerfully consider a tax-wise donation that will help spread God’s love and the Gospel. We’d like to ask you to prayerfully consider
Priority Ministries
as a possible recipient of this kind of gift. Our mission is to encourage and equip women to love God most and seek Him first. All your contributions are tax-deductible.
Laurie just finished piloting our third Bible study, Beauty by The Book. The videotaping of this study is scheduled for February 2008, and the estimated cost to produce the videos, workbooks, leader guides, and CDs is $44,000.00. God provided funding for all of our previous studies, and we’re trusting Him for the finances we need for this new study as well. Might He want to use you in funding this project? Please take this question before the Lord and, if you feel led to give, our promise is to be a good steward of the funds He provides through your gift to this ministry.
To make a donation now, click here to give online.
Or, mail your gift to Priority Ministries,
P. O. Box 590663
,
Houston
,
TX
77259-0663
. You may also make a gift to Priority by phoning us toll-free at 1/866-968-4564.
On behalf of the women all over the country who are being blessed through this ministry, thank you so much for your consideration, prayers, and support.
Email Debbie
Surfin' with Shanda
by Shanda Stiles, IT Director
This month, let’s glo surf two websites that will prepare and (possibly) inspire us for all the cooking and cleaning that goes along with this time of year. Plus, find out who won this month’s Surfin’ with Shanda contest AND how you can share your favorite sites and enter to win next month’s contest.
My very favorite website for recipes is allrecipes.com. Not only does this site have tons of great recipes, it has some very useful tools, like the Ingredient Search, which I use to find recipes that have (and don’t have) specific ingredients. Each recipe has a rating and comments from others who have tried the recipe. If a recipe has lots of users who rated it with 4 or 5 stars, you can be sure it’s a good one!
Our November Surfin’ with Shanda winner is Michella Thompson (
Fort Worth
,
TX
) who sent us one of her favorite websites, flylady.net. Michella says: “This site has been such a blessing to me and gave me a system for ‘blessing my home’ and has great plans for women with preschool, school age and teenage kids as well as those who are pregnant. Lots of encouragement for women of all ages.” There are tons of cleaning tips and even some ideas specifically about Cruising Through the Holidays (about half-way down on the home page). As this month’s winner, Michella will receive Laurie's 3-CD teaching series, “Who is Grace? And How Do I Find Her?” for sending us her favorite website.
| You could be our December Surfin’ with Shanda winner! Just send me your “favorite” Christmas websites – sites with creative gift ideas, ways to make Christmas meaningful, or any other helpful or inspirational tidbits for the Christmas season. If your favorite shows up in my column next month, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Laurie’s 3-CD teaching series, First Love. I look forward to surfing some of your favorite sites! |
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Home sweet home. Home is where the heart is. Do you sense a theme? The anticipation of a trip to the “familiar” is always the best. Since I last reported, Laurie and I traveled to three locations we consider home. Not to mention that each time we pack our suitcases to attend a retreat or event, we will eventually wind up back at our own homes. Let me explain…
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The last weekend in September, Laurie and I, along with Laurie’s husband, Bill, went to
Amarillo
,
Texas
for an Evangelism Conference. The Church at Quail Creek was Laurie and Bill’s home church before coming to Sagemont 19 years ago.
| The congregation and old friends were so excited to welcome them back home for this exciting event. Their hearts were knit with this family of God many years ago, and the relationships were easily rekindled with stories of the past and much reminiscing. |
The Church at Quail Creek women's leadership team: Marsha Stagner, Tanya Rogers,
Janice Jeter, Connie Hodges,
Brenda Fry,Erin Norris,
and Sarah Hodges
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Laurie teaching in Amarillo |
Laurie taught Who is Grace and HowDo I Find Her? to a room filled with expectant women of all ages.
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The tables were decorated with hats, shoes, jewelry, etc., and there was great fun, food and fellowship. Many accepted Christ and many were renewed in their walk with the Lord at this wonderful event. Plus, we want to welcome 31 new You Glo Girl! subscribers from
Amarillo
– we pray this newsletter will bless you as much as you blessed us.
The very next weekend (Oct. 6) we headed to Laurie’s literal home turf. We stayed with her sweet parents in their beautiful home in
Weatherford
,
TX
. Laurie taught Beauty By The Book at Northside Baptist Church in Weatherford – the church home of Laurie’s parents, grandmother and two of her brothers and sisters in law.
| We enjoyed another “home week” experience as this sweet church family welcomed us home. We hugged the necks of many dear “old” friends, and met many new ones, too. The front table was comprised of Laurie’s mother, grandmother, sister-in-law and aunt which made Laurie feel right at home! |
Laurie's family
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And we’d like to welcome 51 new glo girlfriends to our newsletter from Weatherford. As we made our way back to the airport that weekend, I actually flew to my home state (
Oklahoma
) and stayed with my parents for a week.
On October 23, Laurie finished piloting the Beauty by The Book Bible study with the M&M women’s Bible study group at our home church,
Sagemont
Church,
in
Houston
,
TX
.
Laurie teaching Beauty
by the Book |
Teaching this new study to her “home girls” was a true blessing and their weekly feedback and evaluations will help to make this exciting and relevant study even better as she incorporates many of their insights into the final version of this study. We love all of you M&M girls and appreciate so much the opportunity to share this experience with you.
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| The last evening Laurie was presented with a gift certificate from Katia Banfield and the Sagemont Women’s Ministry for a spa day – can you tell she’s excited about that?! |
Katia Banfield presents Laurie a day at the spa
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Dorothy and Toto were right: There’s no place like home!
Simplify your Christmas shopping (you don’t even have to put on make-up or make a trip to the mall) by visiting Priority’s online store. Find inspirational CDs, DVDs and Bible studies by Laurie Cole to encourage every female on your Christmas gift list. Here’s a sample of some of the great gifts you’ll find online:
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And here’s the double blessing of shopping online with Priority: your purchases will bless those who receive them AND this ministry because each and every online purchase supports Priority’s mission. Thanks for helping us encourage and equip women to give God priority as you shop online with us!
Visit Priority’s online store.
Stress Less & Celebrate More
by Stephanie Cole, Administrative & Prayer Director
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Emergency operators must dread it – it's time for the holidays! Did you know that domestic dispute calls are at their highest volumes on Thanksgiving Day? Are you really surprised? I’m pretty sure you can recall that one awful year when your great aunt Gertrude pulled skeletons out of the closet over a bowl of sweet potatoes. We’ve all (likely) experienced the stress and frustration of relatives who say too much, or (very likely) the disappointment of a charred turkey, or (even more likely) the lack of recognition for all of our labor in the kitchen. So before you develop your annual holiday twitch, let’s get a biblical perspective about how to stress less and celebrate more this holiday season.
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“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”
Psalm 145:3-7 NIV
This passage gives us the biblical perspective and true meaning of the holidays. It's a celebration of God's goodness in our lives and a time to share those blessings with the ones we love. And notice the words I underlined in those scriptures. Think about the energy and excitement the younger generation has to share and the steadfast wisdom and knowledge of the Lord the elder generation has to impart. What a blessing the holidays can be for both generations to meet and rejoice in the abundant goodness of the Lord!
Now, let me give you some great, practical tips to help you stress less and celebrate more:
- Plan ahead. Have your menu planned a week or two before the holiday, and get your grocery shopping done early to avoid the crowds. Take an inventory to make sure you've got enough plates, cups and places for everyone to sit.
- Pray. Make a list of your family, and pray specifically for God's blessing on their lives. If you are in conflict with certain ones, release it before the Lord and ask God to renew your love for that person.
- Don't be afraid to accept offers of help. So what if cousin Myrtle's casserole doesn't taste like yours. Variety is the spice of life right?
- Listen to inspiring praise and worship music while you work. This will help keep your mind on Christ while you peel those 10 pounds of potatoes.
If past hurts and heartache make you dread Thanksgiving and Christmas, commit to find something to praise the Lord for every day leading up to the holidays – praise opens the door for God to heal your heart and change your attitude. And here’s a prayer that also may help you:
“Merciful God, I thank you that you are so compassionate and patient with me, especially when I fail. Help me to forgive my loved ones with the same swift grace that you have forgiven me. Help me to see your blessings in my life and anticipate the celebration of your goodness. Let me prepare every meal and every gift as if I were making it just for you. May you receive all the praise and glory from my words as well as my actions.”
Finally, I'll leave you with some wise instruction from 1 Peter (you may even want to post this on your ‘fridge for the holidays) to help you stress less and celebrate more this holiday season:
“To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;
not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.”
1 Peter 3:8-9 NIV
Read & Intercede
God is so good! We have seen Him moving in our lives and in this ministry over the last month, and we are so thankful for you and your prayers. Please join us again this month as you read and intercede for the following requests:
- Please pray for continued provision as we move towards the production phase of the Beauty by The Book Bible study. The Lord has already provided a portion of the $44,000 needed to print the initial batch of study books and to tape, edit and produce the companion DVD sets and leader guides. Hallelujah!
- Pray for Laurie as she travels to Northwest Bible church in Spring TX to speak at their Christmas Brunch. Ask God to speak through her to these precious women that they would walk away blessed and encouraged in their relationship with Christ.
- Please pray for Laurie and all the Priority staff. Ask that the Lord would continue to speak His wisdom and guidance to us, and that He would equip us with fresh ideas and His insights.
If you have a need, we sure want to pray for you. Email your prayer request to Stephanie Cole (Priority's Prayer Director), and be assured of our prayers for you.
Email Stephanie
Gotta Glo
We gotta glo for now, but as we begin the Thanksgiving season, we want you how much we thank God for you. We met many of you in person at retreats and events. We “met” others of you through our Bible studies and resources. And some of you “met” us when you dropped by our website and became a subscriber to this newsletter. Whatever our connection may be, we’re so grateful God led us together. Your subscription is a true source of encouragement to us, and we trust this newsletter is an ongoing source of spiritual encouragement to you, our glo girlfriend.
The holidays are coming! As you cook and clean, plan and prepare, travel and visit, give God priority and you’ll 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
“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
P. O. Box 590663
Houston, TX 77259-0663
Priority Ministries is a 501(C)3 non-profit ministry.
