The Christian Home

As Christians, our relationship with Christ and His work in our hearts should overflow into every aspect of our lives. As women, one of these aspects is the home. A Christian home should have a different atmosphere from non-Christian homes. Our homes should proclaim Christ to both those who live there and those who visit. But how do we encourage a Christ-centered atmosphere in our homes? Well, there is an opportunity next month that will help us in this area!

On Saturday, May 8, 2010, 8:30am - 4:30pm, Biblical Womanhood Seminars will host their spring seminar at Cedar Springs Christian Conference Center in Sumas Washington. The title of the seminar is Christ in Me … The Heart of the Home. Nine women will be sharing how we, as Christian women, can create a Christ-centered atmosphere in our homes using the fruits of the Spirit. The seminar costs $15 per person, and includes breakfast and lunch.

I have attended three seminars hosted by Biblical Womanhood Seminars and have been greatly encouraged by the teaching and the fellowship. It is a group of godly women striving to live Christ-centered, God-glorifying lives, and encourage other women to do the same.

If you would like information on how to register,
please e-mail me at: brighthope4him@gmail.com!

The Heart of the Home

The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is something that is to be present and evident in every Christian’s life. However, did you ever think that these are characteristics that can and should be found in the Christian home? An up-coming Biblical Womanhood Seminar will teach on this very topic.

Christ in Me …
The Heart of the Home
Saturday, May 8, 2010
8:30 am -- 4:30 pm
Cost: $15 per person
Breakfast and lunch provided

This one-day seminar, open to all ladies age 15 and older, will be held at the beautiful Cedar Springs Christian Conference Center in Sumas, Washington. It will be a wonderful day filled with Biblical encouragement on filling our homes with the fruit of the Spirit.

If you would like more information on registering for this seminar, please leave a comment!

A Milestone Reached

Well, I have now been blogging for a year. I can hardly believe it! It’s been a good year. God has grown me in many ways, and because of the lessons He has taught me, Strength for Today has grown. I honestly believe this blog is what it is today because of what God has been doing in my life. As I pass the 1-year marker of blogging, I would like to take the time to say some “thank you”s.

First and foremost, all thanks and glory belongs to God. He is the One who placed it on my heart to encourage young women through a blog. He is the One who gave me the courage to take the plunge. He is the One who has shaped Strength for Today. All of my posts are a result of the many things He has been teaching me. Ultimately, He is the One writing this blog!

Next, I would like to say a huge thank you to my family, especially my parents. Both my parents have been an encouragement from the time I first mentioned my idea. They have watched me create Strength for Today with enthusiasm and support.

Last, but definitely not least, thank you to all my faithful readers! It’s a lot more fun to write a blog when you know there are people reading it! :) Those of you who leave comments, thank you! They are very much appreciated! To those of you who have never left a comment, please do! I would love to here from you and get to know my readers a little.

In honor of reaching the 1-year milestone, I thought I’d make a slight change to my Saturday Psalms. I will be working through the Psalms posting verses that tell us about who God is. I’ve already begun collecting the Psalms and thinking through them, and I have to say I’m very excited to share them with you!

Thank you for stopping by and reading! May God bless you as you strive to become more like Him! ~ Bright Hope

Mentoring Seminar Update

I had a wonderful time at the Passing the Truth Along mentoring seminar this past weekend. While I went to the seminar to learn how to mentor young women, all weekend I found myself being mentored. I was blessed by Amy Vest’s sweet spirit and her love for the Lord, encouraged in my relationship with Jesus Christ, and inspired to reach out to the young women around me. I would love to share with each of you the truths Amy shared and the things God taught me. However, to tell you everything I learned over the weekend would make for a very long post! Instead, I plan to post a little at a time over the next few weeks. So stay tuned!

Preparing for Battle Together

As Christians, we are soldiers in the army of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:13-17 to put on the armor of God. With these pictures in mind, I began to think about the knights of old. In order to be the best swordsmen, a knight would have to practice his skills with a sword. Some of it he could do by himself, but it worked better if he had another person to work with. The best way for a knight to improve his swordsmanship was to “fight” against someone more experienced than he. He would learn more and become better at it this way. Likewise, Christians can learn about God and grow their faith in Him by reading and studying the Bible on their own and going to church, but there is so much more we can gain learning from other Christians. One of the beautiful things about this I mentioned in an earlier post, you don’t have to be a certain age to help someone in their walk with the Lord. Even as a young woman, there are things I can teach the girls younger than me. I’m not perfect, I don’t have it all figured out, but I can come alongside other young ladies and assist them in preparing for the battle to come. I get excited when I think about this. If we are all striving to help each other become godly women, there is a stronger hope of the future generations being stronger Christians.

If you’re still not sure you could be a mentor and assist young ladies in this way, I would encourage you to remember that “God doesn’t call perfect people to be mentors”, and then consider joining me and many other women on October 2 or 3 for Passing the Truth Along Mentoring Seminar in Sumas, Washington. It will be a day filled with encouragement and teaching on how to mentor young women. Our guest speaker, Amy Vest, is a young woman herself who has been mentoring girls younger than herself for the past 9 years. The link to her website, Loving the Lord Ministries, is on the sidebar.

Join with me in coming alongside the young ladies of today and helping them put on their armor and prepare for battle.

“The goal of the race should not be to win it for yourself,
it should be to help others win.”

Again, if you would like more information please leave a comment.

Mentoring Young Women

Many of us have heard of older women mentoring younger women, but have you ever stopped and thought about the fact that you don’t have to be a certain age to be a mentor? As teens and 20s, we tend to forget that there are girls and young ladies that look up to us and would love to learn from us. You may be thinking, “But, I can’t be a mentor, I haven’t learned or experienced enoughin life!” Let me share with you a tidbit someone shared with me: “God doesn’t call perfect people to mentor”. Even though we are still considered young women, we can walk alongside some of the girls younger than us, helping them grow in their love for the Lord. With that said, I would like to share with you an upcoming opportunity that I am really excited about.


On October 2nd & 3rd 2009, Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center will be hosting a seminar specifically focusing on mentoring young women. Women of all ages are encouraged to attend (I believe they recommend 11 and older).

The speaker willbe Amy Vest, who has been mentoring young ladies since she was about 17. She has founded Loving the Lord Ministries to minister to young women in their walk with the Lord. Amy will be coming to share with us how to minister to young women and will even give us the opportunity to practice mentoring through a role-play exercise.

Both days of the seminar are identical, so you only have to sign up for one day. The seminar runs from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm and includes lunch and dinner. Cost for the seminar is $25 per person. For families it’s $50 for mother and one daughter plus $15 for each additional daughter. (Prices are American currency)

As I said, I am really excited about this seminar. God has worked in the life of a young woman and is using her in the lives of many other young women. He has worked in each of our lives and now we have the opportunity to influence the lives of girls for His glory. God is working. I encourage you to be a part of His amazing work!


If you would like more information about this seminar, please leave a comment.