“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
No matter how dark it seems in your life or the life of someone you love, take courage. Press on. Have faith. Hold on to hope. Hold on to Jesus. He is your hope. And though you may not always feel like it, He’s holding you. He’s got you. So you’ve got Him.
This is what I believe… it’s what I’ve shared often here and other places. But He keeps putting it on my heart — maybe because of the times we’re living in… maybe because of the things so many of my friends and family are going through… maybe because it’s a message I myself desperately need to hear, over and over and over again!
We’ve got this… we can do this… because He’s got us and we’ve got Him.
Two weeks from today, we start our third annual online summer Bible study, or as we like to call it:
Virtual VBS (Vacation Bible School) for GrownUp Girls!®
Our first year, we celebrated a Summer in the Son. Then Waves of Mercy. This year’s theme is Holding on to Hope… When Life is Hard. Our study runs five weeks, from June 29-July 31, 2015.
How to Participate:
If you’ve been here a while, you know I’m a visionary idealist creative-type, with a realist pragmatic streak a mile wide.
When I host a Virtual VBS, I like to provide as many things as I can think of to make it fun, inviting, and engaging! I’ll be offering weekly devotionals, a reading plan, Scripture memory assignments, journaling and discussion questions, free printables, pinnables, videos, and even a few songs, recipes, and craft ideas. This is VBS, after all :)
Some of us really slow down in the summer — especially with our other ministry and volunteer commitments — and it’s something fun to do, just for us!
But realistically, I know that for others it’s still a super busy time — what with travel and weddings and family reunions and kids’ VBS to organize at church. If you’re in this camp, guess what? You don’t really have to do anything special… just read along with us on the blog.
You can sign up by email to make sure you don’t miss a post, check in and comment when you can. So what if you didn’t print out the printables? It’s okay if you don’t follow the reading plan or do the crafts. No one’s going to quiz you on your memory verse… that is, UNLESS….
… you want to organize a group of real live friends to actually get together once a week or so and pray together and chat about what you’ve been learning! We’ve had a few groups do this in the past — how fun is that? If you do, let me know. I’d love to drop by one week and say “Hi!” to your group by Skype :)
So make sure you’re signed up to get our posts (in which you’ll find all the questions, printables, videos, and other things) by email; I also try to share posts on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
[The sign-up form is in the top right corner of this website! It’s the regular “Sign up to get the latest posts and get a free chapter of my new book” form in teal or turquoise… I had a special form here in this post, but it kept malfunctioning. Sorry about that! After VBS, you can always unsubscribe or update your preferences to receive fewer emails, but this way you won’t miss anything!]
And if you would, please share this (please share them) with your friends. Every year I get at least a few emails from women who say, “I’d never heard of you or Virtual VBS before, but my friend shared it on Facebook or emailed the announcement to me… God knew it was just what I needed.”
That’s why I do what I do… why I share with others in person, at women’s retreats, in books, here on the blog and on social media, and why I know you do, too.
We’re sharing with others the comfort we ourselves have received (2 Cor 1:4), encouraging one another as long as we have the time and the opportunity. (Heb 3:13)
We”re sharing the Reason for the hope that we have. (1 Pet 3:15) Every time we do, it reminds us what we believe, why we believe, Who we believe in.
And it helps us hold on to that hope a little tighter ourselves.
Life is hard. But God is good.
He is the God of Hope, and we’re going to spend this summer together getting to know Him better!
NOTE: Now that VBS has officially started, the lastest posts will always be on the home page. You can also catch up by checking out the Virtual VBS tab in the menu above the posts. It includes an introduction to Virtual VBS for GrownUp Girls ®, a list of current posts, videos, and free downloads, plus links to the previous years’ studies…
