CBS: Letting your little light shine....

I have the joyous pleasure every Tuesday to participate in something so wonderful, so heart warming, so uplifting and so beautiful it makes my heart smile from here to Kalamazoo.  CBS.  No, NOT the tv station (heaven forbid, lol!), Community Bible Study.  I joined CBS almost 8yrs ago.  I started because my life was falling apart.  My dad had just died suddenly of a massive heart attack (2wks before they were going to be here for Christmas). We were trying to sell the house (9/11 had just happened), my husband was living an hour away (we only saw him one day a week) and I was raising 3 little kids (two babies) all by myself.  Life was a living hell.

I needed help.  I needed "Him", God, Jesus.  Him.  The only way I knew how to survive was to find Him.  The only way I knew how to find Him was to attend a Bible study.  There had to be answers there, right?  Right :D  Not only did I find Him, I found an unbelievable support group in women that loved the Lord and sought after Him with their whole hearts.  Women that went through even greater tragedy than I had but continued to serve Him with their entire being.  Woman who can cut a joke and roll on the floor laughing one minute and then turn around and speak immeasurable praises and thanksgiving to Him, praying for the deepest needs of loved ones, crying out to Him for each other.  This is where I was meant to be.  Always, every year.  This is where EVERYONE needs to be.

I joined the leadership part of CBS I guess about 6yrs ago.  This is my "core group".  And I have the best one ;) (insert inside joke here).  CBS runs during the school year and breaks when public schools break, all holidays and during summer.  Even though we "officially" take breaks, we still get to see each other in the summer with a luncheon once a month, we get to have a beautiful Christmas dinner with each other every year, and this year we even did something extra special.  We had a fall fellowship.  We made special designs in pumpkins, baked and decorated cookies and played games.

The goal of this was to celebrate friendship and God's changing of the season. Since my family doesn't set up for Halloween, I wasn't too certain if I wanted to carve anything and if I did, what in the world would I do, lol!  He reminded me that He is the light of the world and that others needed to know that.  I decided to google scriptures on "light".  When I read John 8:12, I knew what I would do.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,

“I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

These women are such a testimony to me.  They love with a love that is so deep and so real.  They love, sharing in each others joy or sadness, making it their own.  What a beautiful gift He gave me.  Not just in His word, but in His women.  I love you all from the deepest depths of my heart.  Thank you for all you have been for me over the years.  Thank you for being willing vessels and "letting your little lights shine"!

Even the dog had fun, lol!!!

Cookies.... YUM!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVED the collaborated efforts on this fairytale/cinderella pumpkin!  Sooooo cute!!!  She used an apple corer and melon baller to make the polka dots.

Unfortunately my design didn't hold up to the test of time.  It ended up full of toothpicks holding it together, lol!  I tried :(

What a cute idea!  Just carving a design on the outside layer.  I think this would have been a better idea for mine.

"Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin.

God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes

All the dirt off of you.

He opens you up, touches you deep inside.

He scoops out all of the yucky stuff, including

The seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.

Then He carves you a new smiling face and

Puts his light inside you

For all the world to see."