Issue 26 - December 2007
CHRISTmas Greetings From
Shannon Ethridge Ministries!
Our Christmas Gift To You: Autographs and FREE Shipping!
Looking for the perfect personalized gift this Christmas? Consider giving the gift of wisdom and inspiration to yourself or someone you love! Order any books (or DVDs) from the Loving Jesus Without Limits series or the Every Woman’s Battle series at www.shannonethridge.com, and Shannon will autograph it however and to whomever you specify in the “comments” section of the electronic order form. Plus, take advantage of our FREE STANDARD SHIPPING offer this month only by entering customer code 1225 on the shopping cart page. Not applicable to shipments outside the U.S. Offer expires December 31, 2007.
Encouragement Corner - “Anticipating The BIG DAY ”
Ornaments now decorate our Christmas tree… garlands of evergreen wind around the staircase railing and adorn our cedar mantle… twinkly lights have been strung along the eaves of our log cabin. It’s holiday decorating time again, and as usual, my children have begun monitoring the Advent calendar – moving the wooden star from pocket to pocket each day until Christmas Day finally arrives. This tradition reminds me of what it must have felt like for Mary and Joseph, waiting day after day for the greatly anticipated arrival – not of Santa Clause, but of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The preparations were relatively simple when Jesus arrived the first time. Find shelter, fill a feeding trough with hay, allow those supernaturally called by God to the scene to come and adore Him. But guess what? Jesus’ first debut on earth certainly wasn’t His last. Scripture tells us He’s coming again, and I suspect the preparations will be a little more elaborate this time! You see, Jesus isn’t returning to a lowly manger as an infant. According to Revelation 19, He’s returning in a blaze of glory, ready to usher His pure and spotless bride (the church) to the wedding supper of the Lamb! I’ve seen some pretty elaborate weddings in my day, but I’ll bet the one Jesus is planning for His beloved bride is going to make all other weddings pale in comparison!
Granted, this scenario may sound a little unusual. Unfortunately, many of us grow up hearing sermons about how God is our Master, Savior, Friend, or Father. But a heavenly Bridegroom? Really? Really! As I was writing Completely His, I spent months researching ancient Jewish wedding traditions (since, after all, Jesus was Jewish). So much of what we find in the gospels are indicative of these very traditions. When John the Baptist immersed believers in the Jordan River, his actions were reflective of how a Jewish bride-to-be prepares for her wedding with a ceremonial cleansing called a mikvah. When Jesus offered His disciples the cup at the first “Last Supper,” it was reminiscent of how a Jewish man proposed marriage to the maiden he was smitten with. And when our Lord said, “I am going away, but you can’t come with me now. I am going to prepare a place for you…” (John 14:1-3), He was eluding to the Jewish wedding tradition of the groom building a room onto his father’s house where he and his bride would consummate their love once he returned for her. In case you’ve missed the core message of God’s love letter to you (the Bible), it’s that HE LOVES YOU LAVISHLY AND IS RETURNING FOR YOU SOON!
I’m not trying to romanticize the Bible or fit God into a human box, I assure you. Remember that earthly marriage was designed by God to be a reflection of Christ’s commitment to the church (see Ephesians 5), and there’s no greater love story than God pursuing mankind to enjoy intimate fellowship with him. Of course, if you’re a man (as in a member of the male species), embracing your role as the “bride of Christ” might seem really bizarre! But as C.S. Lewis once said, “God is so masculine, we are all feminine in comparison. We are merely responders to His light and love.” If you’re a woman, perhaps you’ve recognized that a fascination with romance and weddings seems to be woven into the fibers of our DNA. Doesn’t this make a lot more sense as we view Jesus through this “heavenly Bridegroom” lens? God simply designed us to naturally crave intimacy – especially intimacy with Christ.
A few weeks ago at a Completely His Women’s Event in Dallas, I had the honor of spending a weekend with a special group of ladies who long for intimate fellowship with their Creator. These women were from a variety of denominational backgrounds and ranged in ages from 15 to 73. The highlight of the weekend was an actual wedding ceremony and reception, all designed to simply provide a “foretaste” of what we have to look forward to when our Heavenly Bridegroom returns for us. Most admitted that the whole notion of an actual ceremony seemed a little far-fetched at first, but as they learned about these ancient Jewish wedding traditions and made the connection for themselves, they caught on. As the time for the ceremony arrived, I explained that everyone could simply approach the altar as they felt ready. Suddenly the spry 73-year old in the front row exuberantly leaped from her chair exclaiming, “I’m ready! I’m ready!” We all erupted in laughter, and shed tears of joy in anticipation of what that BIG DAY is really going to be like when Jesus returns for His bride.
So as you make holiday preparations, I ask you, “Are you eagerly anticipating the big day?” Not just December 25 th with all of the food, family, and presents. Let us certainly rejoice and celebrate the fact that our Savior has come to earth once before, but let us also eagerly anticipate that BIG DAY – that holy moment -- when Christ will come again!
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Host Your Own Completely His Women’s Event
Using our newly released Completely His DVDs and ancillary products, churches everywhere can host their own Completely His Women’s Event! Click here to download our special “Host Your Own” Information Packet.
Or if you’d like to inquire about having Shannon speak LIVE at your event rather than using a DVD, click here.
NEW For Group Leaders!
Are you interested in leading a group of women through Shannon’s newest book, Completely His? Click here for our free gift to you – a list of Group Discussion Questions for each of the twelve chapters in the book! Enjoy! And let us know how your groups are enjoying the experience!
Special Thanks To...
- INJOY, Church Communication Network (CCN), and Gary Smalley’s church in Branson, MO for hosting a phenomenal THRiVE! Women’s Conference last month! What a blessing to minister to churches all across the nation from one location.
- Teen Mania’s Honor Academy interns who’ve soaked up almost 12 weeks of the Women at the Well class. I’m praying for you as you prepare to pour out all that you’ve soaked up this semester.
LAST MONTH in our “Books for Zimbabwe” Program!
We continue to experience a tremendous burden for the youth of Zimbabwe after our two-week mission trip last fall. At the invitation of Youth for Christ, we traveled to 16 different high schools, churches, and orphanages and spoke to over 6,000 teen girls and boys. Many approached with tears in their eyes saying, “Both my parents have already died of AIDS, and I assumed my life would end the same way. But you gave me hope that I can choose not to get this disease by saving sex for marriage!” (for our complete update, click here)
Thanks to the generosity of those who’ve responded to our “matching funds” offer, several small shipments of books have been sent, but would you please pray about helping us send more? We will continue to match your donations dollar-for-dollar throughout 2007. Please click here to donate online.
Mark Your Calendars - Shannon Is Coming To...
Atlanta, GA – January 3-5, 2008 – Shannon speaks multiple times at the Church of Christ’s National Conference for Youth Ministries. For more information, contact Melissa Kitchens at mkitchens@cablelynx.com.
Sulphur Springs, TX – January 12, 2008 – Join us for a Mother/Daughter event from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Dixon Road Baptist Church.
For more info, contact Cris Millsap at millsapc@verizon.net.
Memphis, TN – February 1-2, 2008 – Women’s Retreat for Central Church of Collierville at the Holiday Inn at Memphis. Contact Carol Anderson for more information at carolanderson@centralchurch.com.
Tyler, TX – February 29 – March 2, 2008 – Completely His Women’s Event at Pine Cove Christian Camp, Tyler, TX. For more information, click here!
Langley, British Columbia – March 10-11, 2008 – Shannon addresses the student body of Trinity Western University at their chapel services.
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada – March 14-16, 2008 – Sunnyside Christian Retreat Center, Shannon speaks at a women’s retreat Friday evening – Sunday morning. For more information, contact Kendra LaPorte at kendralaporte@shaw.ca.
Sulphur Springs, TX – March 28-29, 2008 - The staff of Women Offering Women Support will be hosting a Completely His Women’s event benefiting the Chrysalis House, a local ministry providing assistance to women in need. For more information, email Tammy Pearson at tammy@chrysalishousetexas.com.
Charlotte, NC - April 8, 2008 – Young Adults & Singles Worship Gathering sponsored by CHARLOTTE ONE at First United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Contact David Hickman at 704-650-0595 for more info.
Wichita Falls, TX – April 11-12, 2008 - Shannon address military wives Friday evening – Saturday afternoon at Camp Chaparral Baptist Center. For more info. contact Mimi Barr at gal4god@aol.com.
Tyler, TX – Green Acres Baptist Church – April 14, 2008 – Shannon speaks at the Celebrate Recovery Support Group. Contact Marty at martyK64@aol.com for more information.
London, Ontario, Canada – May 2-3, 2008 – Girls’ Heart Point Ministry Conference at the University of Waterloo, 7-10 p.m. Friday, 9 am – 4 pm Saturday. For more information, contact Mike Mitchell at ghp@girlsheartpoint.ca.
Colorado Springs, CO – May 16-18, 2008 - Join Shannon and husband, Greg, for their “Taking Your Marriage Over the Top” conference at the magnificent Gleneyrie Conference Center. For more information, contact Hannah Larson at hannah.larson@navigators.com.
Big Bear, CA – May 30 – June 1, 2008 - Shannon will be speaking at a Ladies’ Retreat at Pine Summit Christian Conference Center for the Church at Rocky Peak Women’s Group. For more information visit www.rockypeak.org.
“Land Down Under” Speaking Tour – August 1 – 15, 2008 - Shannon and family will be touring the Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast area on a mission to impact Australian teens and adults! If you are interested in having her speak at your church or school, please contact John & Judy Bradford at jjbradford@westnet.com.au.
Sterling Heights, MI – October 16, 2008 – Ladies Banquet at Community Christian Church. For more info. contact terese.rea@cccsterling.org.
Saskatoon, SK– October 31 – November 1, 2008 – Women’s Journey of Faith Conference at TCU Place. For more info. contact terese.rea@cccsterling.org.
Testimonies Of Praise
“I found Every Woman’s Battle so helpful! I could really see God pointing out issues in my own life that I needed to think about. It’s wonderful to know I’m not the only woman dealing with this stuff! This book calls it as it is and exposed some things I thought were safely hidden – like thinking it’s harmless to flirt with another man. It was great to have such a clear guide to measure my actions by. I’ve also been reading bits to my boyfriend, helping him understand how women work. Thanks for writing it! You give women so much to ponder and pray about!” - S.B.
“I just finished reading Completely His and I literally felt changed after presenting a lesson on it to my small group. I have never read a book for women that is so relevant, so thorough, so interesting and so necessary. This book is phenomenal! My self esteem has been lifted and I am now pursuing God like never before. I thank God for loving me so, for His tender mercy, and for the great call on my life that He is slowly revealing to me. I also thank you for being a mighty woman of God to accept the call He’s given you to minister to the nations. You have a beautiful family, and I pray God’s richest blessings on you all.” - T. A.
How Can We Pray For You?
We are so blessed to have a group of prayer warriors who read every request submitted and personally respond via email to those seeking the Lord’s guidance for their unique situations. If you have a prayer request we can lift to God on your behalf, please let us know by clicking here.
You can also click here to post prayer requests or connect with other readers on the Every Woman’s Battle Message Board.
We appreciate your prayers and encouraging support
for the staff and volunteers of Shannon Ethridge Ministries! |
