Soul Sisters Summer - Serve, Share, and Shine

As we "weave" our way through our summer book WOVEN, we'd like to "weave in" a handful of opportunities for Soul Sisters to serve, share and shine throughout the summer. As the second part of our mission statement reads, "*Our hope is that every women in this group will come to know Christ in such a way that His light will shine in them and through them for all the world to see!" *

With that being said, every few weeks, there will be a weekend post/blog that will give you ideas to...**SERVE, SHARE and SHINE **in your community. We want to encourage you to team up and do this with another Soul Sister in your town. If you don't have a local Soul Sister near you, this is an opportunity to invite a friend to join you! (SHARE)

Then, post a comment or email us with a video/photo of you "in action" serving, sharing or shining! Our first "idea post" was announced on June 12th. (We are sorry for it not making it to the blog. But it's not too late. You've still got a week to participate.)

ACT 1 - I have two friends that recently shared with me that they have been regularly visiting another friend who became a widow almost five years ago. My friends are full of compassion, they simply make a visit and listen to her, being fully present. I didn't know they did this but it really warmed my heart to hear that they do this. What they do is quiet and "under the radar" yet a very powerful kind of work....for God.

For our first SERVE SHARE & SHINE opportunity, let's focus on the widow. Widows are amongst us everywhere. She might be a family member, friend, co-worker or connection from church. She might be a recent widow still grieving or she may have walked this path alone for years now.

The Bible has MUCH to say about how God views widows and how His people are to treat this vulnerable group. Psalm 146:9 says, "The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin."

God views widows not only as a vulnerable group in need of compassion but also as important members of the community capable of ministry. Anna's story in Luke 2:36-38 is a beautiful example of a widow whose life was dedicated and devoted to God after her husband died only seven years into her marriage. She was a faithful prayer warrior who lived just outside the Temple and devoted her life to God for her remaining years. In fact, she was there when baby Jesus arrived at the Temple for his purification and his "first born' dedication ceremony. She knew and proclaimed that he was the long awaited Savior. Based on God's view of widows, He also included in the Bible some instructions for how His people should treat them. James 1:27 makes it clear, "The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good."

Soul Sisters, let's lift up and serve this group of women! How can we support, serve or share the love of Jesus with them? Here a few ideas to get you thinking...

1-check with your church, most have an active ministry to help widows, see how you can help.

2-bake a loaf of banana bread, while baking pray for her. Include a sweet note of encouragement and deliver to a widow's home.

3-buy a bouquet of flowers, divide up into 3 smaller vases and attach a note, "Thinking of you today, I hope these flowers put a smile on your face" or "God loves you!" Take to a retirement community and let the manager determine the widows to receive the flowers.

4-many "around the yard" duties will be neglected after a husband's passing. Offer to do this or recruit someone who can, this will be a blessing to her.

5-check out Hope for Widows Foundation. It was developed by widowed women and they help offset the financial challenges and build community among widowed women worldwide. https://hopeforwidows.org

Ladies we have a this week before our next SERVE, SHARE & SHINE opportunity. So make a date with a friend now (if you choose) and go out to serve the widow in however God leads you. Please leave a comment on facebook or email Soul Sisters and share a picture/video of you in action as you reach out to to SERVE, SHARE & SHINE!

As the summer sun shines brightly above, let's let the sweet SON shine brightly within... all for the world to see!