2 Years Behind Us... An Even Brighter Future Ahead of Us!

At the brink of Summer, 2013, we began a little Bible Study at my kitchen table. There were only two girls, Ashley and I, and we met over breakfast to discuss our need for more of God. We read a few scriptures, had a lot of discussion, ate cinnamon rolls with coffee and smiled at the thought of having personal devotion together during that summer. It was a sweet time for us and for our friendship. Two weeks later, Jessica joined us, followed by Kourtney, and by the end of the month, we had begun our first book with our faithful four!

Fast forward two years later, we are 13 girls strong, with weekly meetings, weekend trips, community outreach, social media interactions and, to celebrate our growth in the Lord, our much anticipated 2nd Annual Ladies Luncheon!!! This year, our Luncheon was held under a beautiful blue sky, in Lindley Park, with the company of God's gorgeous creation! Our mentors/guest speakers traveled all the way from Charlotte to share their love and encouragement with us. It was a lovely success and, I believe, just a sneak peak of what more God has in store for us all!
Pearls of Hope serves as an undeniable blessing in my life. It's a joy for me to witness all that God has done for us and doing within us in only a short amount of time. We are more than just a Bible Study, we are an accountability group, filled with love and commitment toward one another, all for the sake of Christ! There were times when people close to us discouraged us from meeting. They didn't understand the vision God had placed within us. But our faith in the Lord and in each other is the only source from which our success grows! Our friendships are blooming, our confidence is growing, our relationships with Christ, although very individual and specific to each one of us, deepens with each study we complete, each prayer that we pray and each hug and encouragement that we share!

Hebrews 10: 23-25 is the scripture we have dedicated to represent our organization, as well as define our purpose and our friendships with one another:
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day [of Christ's return] approaching".

At our 2nd Annual Luncheon, we were able to celebrate the growth and accountability that we share

together in Christ! We are so thankful for His blessings and look forward to ALL that  God has in store for us as we progress in Him! 2015 is filled with such promise as we endeavor upon our 6th study and plan for ideas that Christ has already begun to lay on our hearts for 2016!

"[Our] 2nd annual luncheon was nothing short of amazinggg!! This Bible study has been such a blessing to me and I can confidently say, all of the other pearls as well! My relationship with Christ grows stronger with each study and I'm so very thankful and grateful for each one of you. It is no coincidence that the things I was missing, the Lord saw fit to provide in and through this group. I love you all and I admire your pursuit of Christ, I pray God continues to grow our love and fellowship with each other and his people. Great things with be birthed from this group, the best is yet to come but God's NOW is pretty amazing"
~Jessica G., Pearls of Hope Member (Facebook Quote)

Pearls of Hope has become, not only a priority in our lives, but a necessity, because within this group, we can be transparent and vulnerable with each other, without fear. We can confess our struggles and short comings, lean on each other for encouragement, strength and forgiveness and hold each other accountable through the Word of God and in prayer. We are not just a club or a "girl's group", we are dynamic, fearless, passionate and unstoppable because we belong to the Lord!

What sets us apart? It's not our looks, or our talents. It's not the measure of our success or our intellect. What makes us phenomenal is our heart's pursuit of Christ! He has taken a group of broken, lost, mistreated and abandoned women and has exchanged our earthly treasures, existence and false senses of security for his eternal love, value, forgiveness and acceptance. We are daughters of the Most High King and it is His LIFE that makes ours BEAUTIFUL!!! 

Thank you Lord for your blessings and our friendships! We celebrate them and we cherish you!

~Pearls

Thanks MOM!!!

Today is the day we set aside to celebrate our moms... those women who have sacrificed for us, supported us, corrected us and loved us through our best and worst of times. There is nothing like a

mother's love and we are so blessed by God that He saw fit to provide us with their love!

Without You

Mom, without you, there would be no me.

Your love, your attention, your guidance,

have made me who I am.

Without you, I would be lost,

wandering aimlessly,

without direction or purpose.

You showed me the way

to serve, to accomplish, to persevere.

Without you, there would be an empty space

I could never fill, no matter how I tried.

Instead, because of you,

I have joy, contentment, satisfaction and peace.

Thank you, mom.

I have always loved you

and I always will.

By Joanna Fuchs

WE LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!!

Growing in our Faith!

After an entire month off, the girls and I jumped right into our first night back with our 6th Bible study! It's been an amazing two years and the thought that we have completed 5 full studies is an accomplishment that testifies to the work and change that God has developed and is continually developing within our hearts!

One by one, 9 girls began to pour into our little living room, smiling and laughing and so excited to start this fresh new series! We enjoyed Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, welcomed a new visitor, hugged and prayed and prepared our hearts for this new adventure! Despite the sacrifices we each make to meet so regularly, once we are all together, it doesn't even seem to matter. Our purpose is beyond just "hanging out". We meet not just to be near friends, but to be near the Lord and encourage each other along the way. In our existence as an organization, each study has prosed a challenge, which we have been able to meet, head on, because we do it together!
This study, different from the last four, takes us back into in depth and personal scripture submersion, just like our first study, which we completed in 2013. Although the studies we experienced in between were very beneficial to our growth in Christ and accountability amongst each other, our current study will be different in that it goes back to the basics and fundamentals of living for Christ and helps us define the imperative question: "Why do we Believe what we believe"?
Last night, several of the girls expressed having a faith in Jesus that they struggle explaining to others. They felt as if they lacked a confidence in articulating what a life in Christ is all about, why they do (or don't do) certain things and how they could help others along the way in their pursuit of God. How brave are they!!! How many of us struggle within our own insecurities and even unbelief or lack of faith when it comes to witnessing, explaining or evangelizing for the Gospel? If we can be honest, there are moments or have been moments for all of us where we have found ourselves in conversations at work or with unsaved friends or family members and feel "stumped" in a conversation or when asked a question about our faith, we struggle to provide an answer.
So what is the solution? How can we equip ourselves to grow stronger in our faith, become more confident in living for the Lord and articulate the relationship we have in Christ with others who are curious? The answer isn't in going to Church more or defining a feeling or extending our opinions. There is no power in that. The solution to the problem of faith, lack of faith or gaining more faith is not positive thinking or the repetition of affirmations; it's only through the influence of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God! That is where faith and power, assurance and confidence, boldness and determination in Christ comes from. We can never do enough, change enough on our own, or know enough information to duplicate the work of the Holy Spirit! His presence and power is manifested through God's word, which we must learn to hide in our hearts, if we ever hope to live a life that is Spirit led and pleasing to God.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of God." ~Romans 10:17

This new study, Growing Strong in God's Family: A Course in Personal Discipleship, is a tool that we will use to submerse ourselves in the Word of God, allowing His Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and strengthen our faith! It is only through Him that we can obtain the power we need to live effective lives for Jesus. Without the influence and leading of the Spirit of God, we are nothing more than librarians with lots of head knowledge. His presence and active working is what moves Truth from our heads and plants it within our hearts! Please join us in prayer for a renewing of our faith and a personal experience in the Lord, as we begin our 11 week adventure!

Stay tuned for more updates and keep the Faith!
~Pearls