Valentine's Contest: Finalist #3
Valentine's Contest Finalist #3 - Stephanie:
I am nearly 21 and I'm still enjoying the blessings of living in my father's household. My days are spent helping my mother, and learning to be a keeper at home.
I have not always been a single young lady in desire of God's best. A year ago God began to do a great work in my heart. I was dating a young man, and after having dated two and-a-half years, we had informally decided to get married.
At this time God began to bestow on me His mercy and wisdom revealing to me that the relationship was not honoring to Him, He asked me to come back under my father's authority and trust that He would supply all my needs. My God has never failed me and I praise Him that He protected me in those years of dating!
Though I emerged from the relationship physically pure, I was grieved that I had given my heart so openly to one that God did not have for me. It has been such a blessing to see how God has used my mistakes to bring me to a place where I fully appreciate the joy of submitting to my father, and given my father the desire to lead me and guard my heart.
It is because of our desire to encourage single young women in the Lord, that my sister Hannah and I are planning a Valentine's dinner for fourteen young ladies. It's going to be held on Thursday, and I'm looking forward to seeing what God's going to do through the time of fellowship.
My plans for the evening are as follows: The girls have been instructed to dress as formally as they desire. When the girls arrive I have planned an icebreaker game since few of the girls know each other. Since my theme for the evening is focusing on Godly women in the Bible or History, I will tape names on the back of each girl as she arrives, instructing her that she must find out who she is. When she discovers her identity, she will read about the history of the woman.
We will then proceed to an elegant candle-lit dinner of lasagna, salad and bread; followed by a dessert of chocolate truffle cheesecake and peanut butter pie.
After dinner I plan to share my testimony with the girls, and give them an opportunity to tell us what God's doing in their life at this time. Then we will let the girls that wish to, take part in blessing us with their talent on the piano, followed by a time of praise and worship.
To conclude the night, we plan to watch segments from Return of the Daughters. It is my prayer that as each girl leaves with a rose in her hand, she will also leave with a love in her heart towards our loving Savior, and embrace Him as the Prince of her life!
-Stephanie Johnson
Labels: For the unmarried
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:55 AM
10 Comments:
I am sure that God is so pleased with you and how you are encouraging other young women to entrust their hearts into God's almighty, gentle hands.
Phebe
I love it!!! Keep up the good work ladies.
Sounds like a great evening keeping the focus on Godly womanhood, and a lot of fun, too!
Christy W.
Your testimony of service has brought tears to my eyes. What a blessing you are being now for the Kingdom, for the King of Kings, and for His Princesses and, yes, for the Princes too.
That is simply delightful and I know it will be used to bless and encourage the young ladies who will attend! It sounds like you are certainly a blessing to them!
What a wonderful evening you have planned to minister to your friends. I am sure that this will be an encouragement to them!
What a blessing!
God bless you, Stephanie, to reach outside of yourself to encourage others. I admire your strength & courage to seek God's will in your life.
What a wonderful and God honoring way to spend Valentines Day in the encouragement of other young ladies!
I love this idea! Bless your heart for desiring to reach out and encourage other young women in the Lord!
Wow....
In as much as your planned evening must have been a tremendously glorifying, uplifting, heart-touching and soul-winning time of ministering, I am even more in awe of the attitude God has filled your heart with and the courage you have thru the Spirit to hear it, respond to it and live it! How absolutely encouraging and amazing. I wasn't one of the ladies at your home that evening, but yet I feel that simply by reading the words God put on your heart in this post have I been challenged in my own different circumstances to "go for it!" and live out God's best.
Thank you, Stephanie! I'm sure a year ago you wouldn't have believed you would be ministering to an entire blog world with your testimony, yet God has used you mightily!!
I have no doubt that the path you are on now is going to lead you to nothing short of pure joy.
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