September 10- First Lubbock B.R.I.G.H.T Lights Group Meeting of the Year

The first meeting of the Lubbock Bright Lights group met on September 10th. Our subject was "Being Strong for the LORD in Your Youth". This is the first meeting in our first foundational set of Bright Lights called Being Strong for the LORD in Your Youth. This set focuses on the attitudes, attitudes and actions we need to first serve Christ. The subjects included in Set 1 are:

Being Strong for the LORD in Your Youth

Developing a Close Relationship with Your Parents

Gaining a Clear Conscience

Developing a Disciplined Walk with God

Accepting the Way God Created You

Being Fully Dedicated to God

and....

To end Set 1, we have a Graduation Ceremony for the girls graduating Set 1, and a Coronation Ceremony where the dads crown their daughters as Princesses of the King. 

Using the wonderful whiteboard available!:)

Teaching, listening, learning for all!

For the activity, Janessa had emailed the parents earlier in the week and asked them to partly color a picture of a bouquet of roses that was attached to the email. Then she asked them to bring the pages and give them secretly back to her, marked with their daughter's name so that the girls wouldn't know. When it came time for the activity, Janessa passed out these pages to the girl by name and let them finish coloring it.

Passing out coloring materials

Coloring, coloring, coloring!

Showing off their handiwork:)

While the girls were coloring their pictures, Janessa whipped up a batch of "Sin". 

Recipe Ingredients:

Soy Sauce

Milk

Water

Maple Syrup

Flour

Sugar

Dirt

Leaves

Eggs 

 Egg Shells

Salt

Cinnamon

Cocoa

Peanut Butter

Any leftovers in the back of the refrigerator:)

It stinks really bad:)

Close up!

When all were finished with their respective duties (e.g. coloring, mixing), Janessa told all the girls to close their eyes and to not look. Then she passed the bowl around so everybody could get a whiff. Some thought it smelled "yucky" and others thought it smelled "like chocolate". That was from the cocoa in it:)

"Yucky!"

After everyone had smelled it and eyes were still closed, Janessa went around and plopped a little of the Sin gloop on everyone's beautiful picture. There was lots of gasps, giggles, peeking, exclamations, and even tears for a few minutes.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

The moms are shocked!

All listening attentively to the explanation of the activity...

After ruining each of their pictures, Janessa handed out fresh, blank and beautiful pictures of a single rose for the girls to color with their parents at home and bring to the next meeting to show us!

The roses are to represent us as young ladies. Our parents have poured into us with all their love and might and we do our best to add to our character with our own works. But nothing is good enough, because we are just as sinful and stinky and yucky as we can possibly be. Each of us is different; some think sin is just "yucky" and horrible, but others love the smell of sin and think it might smell "like chocolate". Jesus did what the blank roses did. His blood covers us in the sight of God and our sins are obliterated. He gives us a new slate! He gives a new start! The best part is, He is continually forgiving if we are humble and repent of our sins before Him! It should always be our desire and exercise unto godliness and to avoid evil and sin. Always to think it smells yucky and not like chocolate!

The question is...who wouldn't want to have a God like that as a friend and savior and father?

All in all, the meeting went well, and for those little girls who took it hard, they learned the most and will never forget the sacrifice of our Lord Christ Jesus the Son of God!

September 7 - Birthday Party

It started with opening presents for Alexander Dixon 

The main hit of the party was a Nerf war. The firing wall  1

September 3 - First Brownfield B.R.I.G.H.T. Lights Meeting of the Year

The first meeting of the Brownfield Bright Lights group met on September 3rd. Our subject was "Review of Set 1". It is our routine first meeting at the beginning of each set, so that we can get back in the swing of Bright Lights, and it also is geared to be a more relaxed and getting-to-know-you-again-after-the-summer-break meeting!:) This semester, we will be studying Set 4 on Separating Light from Darkness.

From left: Janessa Pogue (Leader), Abigail Patrick, Savannah Sumners, Cheyanne Constant, Lexi Carroll, Kacy Pogue, Andi Carroll, Emily Fremont, Jenna Carrol, Riley Tatum, Sydney Patrick, Natalie Gerron, and Brittany Fremont. (We have one more girl in our group, Natalie Chandler, who was not able to make it that night.

We took these group photos after our usual singing of a few songs.

 In Set 1, there are 7 subjects: Being Strong for the LORD in Our Youth, Developing a Close Relationship w/ Our Parents, Gaining a Clear Conscience, Developing a Close Relationship w/ God, Accepting the Way God Created You, and Being Fully Dedicated to God. The leader, Janessa, had asked for testimonies from either a mom or daughter for each one of those subjects to tell what they had learned during that particular lesson. Everybody was very gracious in accepting the challenge and we had many wonderful, funny, and moving testimonies to end each subject as we were reviewing it!

Sydney Patrick doing her testimony on "Accepting the Way God Created Her."

Natalie Gerron's testimony on "Gaining a Clear Conscience."

To end the lesson we did a short candlelight ceremony to remind us that our goal is to be bright lights in a world of darkness! So we shut all curtains and doors and turned off the lights, to get as much darkness as possible. Then Janessa handed out little candlesticks and as the light went from one girl to the next, the light lit up the room so nicely! What a great reminder of who we stand for as young ladies!

The start of the bright light...

...Continuing around the room...

...And ending with the last girl!

 Then, we ended the evening with tea and snacks and visiting!:) It was an enjoyable evening for all and next time we are starting into Set 4, studying Holiness!

September 2 - Coming Home

We are on our way home!!! Very sad and joyous time for us. But it was much quieter than the trip to Colorado.

Out of the mountains and trees, into the plains and sky.

September 1 - Baptism

Garrett, Shea, Zach, and Kacy were all baptized today in a river that we have played in for many years. Rossella's youngest sister was also baptized here many years ago.

August 31 - Bar D Chuckwagon

For many years our family has enjoyed listening to a chuckwagon, cowboy band called the Bar D Wranglers. They are located in Durango, CO, about an hours drive from where we used to live. They have been open for 44 years. This year we went to celebrate Janessa's 18th birthday. Rossella's Brother-in-Law was also celebrating his birthday. So we got to spent time with family that we haven't seen in quite a while.

Before each show the wranglers will sit in a podium and play a few songs, sell CD's, and anyone who wants to can come play with them. Which is exactly what our cousins did. they have been playing string instruments for as long as I can remember and where very good.

Rossella's Borther-in-Law with his mother and sister.

"We are going to ride the train."

And they did.

Happy Birthday Janessa and Uncle Dan!!!!!!!!!!

August 30 - More Visiting

We met these very good friends when their dad ran for Colorado's state senate. Even though he lost the race we are still very good friends. We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, so it was really nice to see them again.

One of the things we did there was to play in their canoe. Since there is no water in our area we did this for quite a while. Garrett got out of the canoe and stood on a wire spool in their pond. There must be something special about his toes, because the fish were coming up to see them.

Us Pogues, being novices in the art of canoeing, kept getting water in the canoe.