Hello, Friends! I was talking with a friend of mine over coffee today. She shared a story about how several years ago she felt the Holy Spirit nudging her to crochet prayer shawls for charity. She ignored it at first thinking she really did not want to take on this task. But the nudge kept returning and she decided to go for it. She focused her first efforts to provide shawls for our church’s care center. But then she realized that she felt more strongly about making them for family, friends, and neighbors who could use a bit of comfort and encouragement. One dear friend of hers who was in a nursing home due to the side effects of her cancer was a blessed recipient. During one of their visits, her friend shared why she felt blessed to have received this shawl. She shared that whenever she felt discouraged or alone or hurting in her circumstances, she would wrap that shawl around herself and it reminded her that Jesus is with her and also wrapping her with His love. She felt the love of my friend whose hands made the shawl and the love of her Savior whose hands made her.
Our Lord and God has called us to encourage one another. This may look differently for each of us depending on our gifts, talents and relationships. It may be making a prayer shawl for a friend, or praying over them in a difficult time, or showing up at their home to say HELLO and that you missed them, or sending a cheerful note, or picking up the phone to tell someone how loved they are just the way they are…that they are never alone…that you want to walk life with them.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Jesus modeled for us how we are able to help and show encouragement to one another. Three of the areas that He modeled are as follows:
He showed us to be other-centered and not self-centered. Throughout scripture, Jesus focused on the soul health, physical health, and deep love of those around Him. He was in the moment with His followers and all the people He met. He looked people in the eye, touched those who were not to be touched, and spoke to those with whom no one else would speak to provide them with encouragement and hope. (See examples, “Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery”, John 7:53-8:11 NIV; “Jesus heals a Man with Leprosy”, Matthew 8:1-4 NIV; “Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman”, John 4:1-42 NIV).
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
He pointed us the power and love of God. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. Jesus experienced the death that belonged to each of us due to our sin which separated us from God. God also told us to love others the way He loved us (John 15:12 ESV). Jesus was our example of what love looked like. Jesus showed us that love was to serve others, not be served.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. “
He demonstrated the power of faith. Before Jesus was arrested, he went to a place called Gethsemane to pray. He was deeply distressed about his upcoming arrest and death for He knew what was coming. He asked God to spare him yet He submitted to God’s will. Jesus believed and knew that God’s plan will be fulfilled. Jesus demonstrated that when we have faith in God and submit to His plan, all things are possible! Just as Jesus was raised from the dead to overcome sin, God can and will do great things in us when we are faithful to Him.
“His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. enter into the joy of your master.”
We all need support and encouragement from our Circle of Friends and family. We often lose perspective on the abilities, strengths, and uniqueness that we have been given by our Creator God. Or we become too busy and overwhelmed to live intentionally but function in a state of frenzy by reacting day-to-day to whatever comes our way. When we lose sight of ourselves and who God made us to be as well as the purpose He made us to serve, the words of encouragement and support from others help us to slow down and refocus. Encouragement from others boosts our confidence to continue to lean into our calling or face our circumstances with a renewed perspective…a reminder that we are not alone. Not only do we have a Circle of Friends to support us when we are weak, but our Holy God is also with us.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
How does it make you feel when someone does something unexpected for you?
When was the last time you provided support or encouragement to a friend, neighbor or family member? How did they respond?
Who do you know who needs encouragement or support right now? Take a moment to reach out to them. You may change the course of their life by showing them they are not alone!
I heard it said once that we are denying others the ability to serve when we say, “No,” to their offer to help us. We do not have to live alone. We may ask for and accept the support of others in whatever form. And we may give the same blessing to those around us who also need help and encouragement.
PRAYER:
Abba, Father. Your love for us is amazingly beautiful and unconditional. Thank you for demonstrating that love in your Son Jesus, our Savior. You have asked us to encourage one another. Help us to keep our eyes open for the needs of others. Help us to take our attention off of ourselves and our own circumstances to see and react to the needs of those around us. Help us to trust in you and have faith in you that we too will be served in our time of need. Thank you Jesus for your example of service and encouragement and love. Amen.
Hi, Sweet Circle. I love sharing this part of my journey with you regarding the website. I know why I picked the things that I did, but you do not. I can’t speak for other websites, but every single decision from font choices to color schemes to pictures, had specific meanings for me. Let me explain so you can see the God-things in the visual elements. I hope you feel more connected to me after reading the posts on the Design Elements. This is Part 2: the “circles” of the logo and the pictures I chose. I hope you look at the site differently now when you go to stacyturley.com. I hope the visual elements allow you to see the community we have with our Lord in a new and exciting way.
THE CIRCLES OF THE LOGO
Why are there circles in the logo? Why Circle of Friends as the group name that connects us? Why are the circles imperfect? Well, let’s start with the meaning of a circle. According to Webster’s Dictionary, two of the meanings of a circle are “a group of persons sharing a common interest or revolving about a common center” and also “to move or revolve around”. This idea formed the central theme of what I wanted women to feel when they connect with each other through this website and with the Word of Jesus. The words that came to mind for me when I was brainstorming a logo were: connected, imperfect beings, wholeness together, bound, complete, surrounding, and revolving. I wanted a word that would encompass these ideas. For example, we support each other; we are connected together; and we are complete together. (Romans 12:4-6a) Where one is weak, the others in the circle encourage, support, and strengthen. (Romans 15:1) We are bound together in love as Christ loved us. (Colossians 3:14) I also love the idea that we are all revolving around our Savior Jesus. He is our center…our nucleus. We all have a shared sisterhood as followers of Jesus.
A CIRCLE seemed perfect. Yet I wanted the shape of the circles to be imperfect and I wanted many circles overlapping. None of us are perfect and we never will be this side of heaven. This idea is represented by the imperfect shape. We all have different experiences and challenges and triumphs. This idea is represented by the many circles of the logo which represents all our individual lives. And the intersections represent how our lives impact and interact with each other. We may not even know how we have touched the lives of others, but it is happening all the time. We are the circles bound together, intersecting each other, and revolving our Lord and Savior.
As the Circle of Friends, I hope that we recognize our Savior as the Center. I hope we recognize the we are better and stronger together. We learn so much about how we are to support and encourage each other when we study the One Another statements of the Bible. Click HERE for a post on In The Word #5: One Another… coming soon. Also, you may join the Circle of Friends to have access to our weekly newsletter and get a free download of the these One Another verses that you may use for Scripture journaling or topical Bible Study.
THE PICTURES
We all love pretty pictures. The colors and content draw us into the scene. A still picture may even portray movement and emotions just by looking at it and allowing the content to speak to us. I chose some of the pictures to expand on the theme of “the sand and the sea” that is also represented by the colors of the website. I also wanted to use as many personal photos as possible in order for you to feel more connected to me and what is important to me. Below are some descriptions of the photos that appear on the site:
The picture of the ocean at the top of the Home Page – This photo was taken on the coast of Oregon while my husband and I were visiting our daughter Madi. We drove from the southern coast of Washington to the southern coast of Oregon. We stopped at a variety of locations and witnessed the beauty of the West coast in the powerful waves and rock formations. The picture shown was one of my favorite locations. I loved how the huge rocks shaped and funneled the water into submission as it rolled onto the shore. Gorgeous!
The picture of hands knitting on the Gallery page – This is a photo of me working on a shawl for my daughter-in-law Shannon for her wedding gift. You may read more on the story is on the Gallery page found HERE. Whenever I am knitting, crocheting or using my hands to make things, I am always reminded of how God made me….how He created and crafted me for purpose. I hope to include more stories from you all in the Gallery under Inspirations. Please share with me what you like to create and why. Feel free to email me at gallary@stacyturley.com and complete the Permission Form found HERE.
Pictures of me on the Home page and About page – Photos of me were taken by Abby Chikkala, a classmate of my son Mitch. She is so talented and spent a couple of hours with me walking around downtown Noblesville, where I live, to capture some shots for this website. She even helped me pick out my clothes!
The picture of me at the ocean on the About page at the section called About Me – Another picture taken by my husband on the trip to Oregon. I was actually taking a photo of the waves, while unknown to me, he was taking my picture! This is one of his favorites!! So I had to include it.
And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
COLOSSIANS 3:14 (ESV)
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
What situations make you feel most connected to those around you?
Who has impacted your life the most? Does he/she know it? Consider writing them a note to tell them!
What are some of your favorite pictures? Why?
Do you find meaning in creating things? What is your hobby? Would you be willing to share your creative inspiration with others on this site? If so, feel free to email me and I will tell you how at gallary@stacyturley.com.
I remember one time my husband was telling a story to some friends of ours about how a complete stranger allowed me to drive his remote control plane at a campsite where we stayed in Texas. Mind you, this was not an inexpensive device back in the 1990’s! I was so embarrassed because I was convinced it was not me who flew the plane, but must have been another girl he dated before we got married. I pulled on his arm and whispered quickly in his ear, “Babe! That was not me. It must have been someone else you dated.” Of course, our friends overheard my exclamation and laughed. My husband laughed the most as he remembered every detail of our trip from where we stayed to what we did. If he tried hard enough he would likely remember what we were wearing that day! Not me. That memory was long gone!
Isn’t it funny how so many of our memories from great times and new adventures, slowly fade away over time? At least that seems to be what happens to me. However, I have memories from some of the more challenging times of my life that I am able to recall as if they happened yesterday. I remember the details of the events and even the emotions that I felt. I can bring back the pain and hurt if I think on it for too long.
As I mentioned in Behind The Scenes #5, when I was younger, I experienced an abusive relationship. It was a very painful and confusing time for me. It occurred during a time when I was still trying to figure out who I was and where I belonged. This relationship changed what I thought of myself. I felt shame and blame for what happened to me. I thought I brought it on myself and that I deserved the way I was treated. This lie changed how I was able to deal with other people for many years. It impacted future relationships with trust and control issues. I struggled with barriers and walls that kept me from being known by others for fear of judgement and abandonment. I did not like myself and felt that others would not like me either if they knew who I was and what happened in my past. So…I buried this part of my life and stuffed it in a closet that I never planned to open again.
With the trauma locked up, I tried to move on with life as if nothing happened. I lied to myself that everything was “fine” and no one would know that anything had changed. But people knew I was behaving differently. I was pushing people away who cared about me. I was keeping secrets and avoiding conversations. I was sabotaging relationships out of fear of getting hurt again. I feared making new friends, dating, being authentic in who I was. I tried to act the way I thought other people wanted me to act and look how other people wanted me to look. I struggled with eating disorders along my journey at times in order to bring control to my life when my emotions and life seemed out of control. I began to lose sight of who I was, what I needed, and even if God actually loved me. I felt unlovable. I was hurting others and myself by keeping my pain and experiences a secret and letting them fester in the dark.
“‘Hurt people hurt people’ is more than a clever phrase….As that damage causes us to become defensive and self-protective, we lash out at others. Hurting becomes a vicious cycle.” – from Dr. Sandra D. Wilson, Hurt People Hurt People
Thankfully, God did not let me stay in the dark, where the enemy thrives to ruin our lives and our hope. God placed people in my life who loved me unconditionally. I eventually was able to bring into the light what had happened. I had people who stood by me and spoke Truth to me. The more I talked about it and recognized who I was in Jesus, the easier it became to release the chains that it had wrapped around my heart, my relationships, and my mind. I began to heal and find hope again. I recognized that even in these areas of great pain and self-harm in my life, God was molding me to grow in character, wisdom and compassion for others who have struggled with pain, abuse and addictions of all kinds.
My, Sweet Circle. We are not perfect, nor have we ever been called to be. We will still sin. We will still behave poorly. We will be hurt and hurt others. We will still have to face the consequences of our actions. BUT…oh, how I LOVE the “but”!! BUT, we are worthy and valuable, fully known, completely loved exactly how we are through the blood of Jesus and His victory over sin. HIS victory becomes OUR victory. We do not have to be a victim any longer. And we do not have to seek perfection or “get better” before we can come to Jesus for help. Our freedom from the chains of sin is easy. We believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus. And we are forgiven by our faith in Him. That’s it.
Our journeys may still be difficult and we may still stumbled BUT we rise again with a clean slate of forgiveness through our faith in Jesus when we confess and repent of our sin.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I may not remember all the good stories. BUT, I am celebrating how God is working in my life every day to redeem the places of pain. God transforms our pain to beauty through His mercy, healing, and love. Thank you, Jesus! Amen! Amen!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
Where are you hurting?
Is your hurt impacting your relationships and your behavior?
What is one step you can take today to walk towards getting help and finding healing?
PRAYER: Abba, Father. we are hurting and we need your love and your salvation. We do not need to hide from you for you already know us fully and created us with intention. Please help us to see the value and worth we have in your eyes and not rely on the world to define and judge who we are. We are already treasured by you and crafted for purpose by you. You are love. And you promise that if we live in love we live in you, and you in us. (1 John 4:16) You will never leave us alone. (Deuteronomy 31:6) If we call your name, believe in Jesus as our Savior, and accept your forgiveness through faith, we will be saved. (Romans 4:5) Thank you, Lord, for your love, healing power and forgiveness. Amen.
Hi, Sweet Circle. I love sharing this part of my journey with you regarding the website. I know why I picked the things that I did, but you do not. I can’t speak for other websites, but every single decision from font choices to color schemes to pictures, had specific meanings for me. Let me explain so you can see the God-things in the visual elements. I hope you feel more connected to me after reading the posts on the Design Elements. (I will break them up into several Parts to keep each post short and sweet.) I hope you look at the site differently now when you go to stacyturley.com. I hope the visual elements allow you to see the community we have with our Lord in a new and exciting way.
THE ONE-LINE FLOWER
This element is extremely important to me. I am drawn to the one-line flower every time I see it. Mostly because it reminds me of my life’s journey. I feel that my life has been filled with many ups and downs, turns and twists…just as you may feel about yours. For example, when I was younger, I was greatly impacted by an abusive relationship. It formed and impacted many of my relationships from that point forward regarding trust, control, connection and barriers. I also experienced some very deep friendships while I was healing from this experience that brought me great comfort and hope. In my 30’s, I spent several years struggling with eating disorders due to a time when my life seemed out of control. My husband, friends, and counselor helped me see my worth and value in Jesus during this struggle. They helped me feel loved and cherished at a time when I did not really love myself. And most recently, I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease. It has brought me physical pain and anxiety for my future, but also a sensitivity and compassion for those who are living with long-term, sometimes invisible, illnesses.
All of these twists and turns shaped who I am today. At the time they appeared to be leading me to unknown and unwanted places. But when I step back and look at my life as a whole, I see how beautiful these experiences have been to shape me, mold me and reform me into God’s beautiful creation…like the flower. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me see how every experience can be used by you to help others and myself see the wisdom and your glory born out of our journeys.
THE COLORS
I chose these colors around the theme of “the sand and the sea”. The sea, the sand, the sunrise and sunset are elements of the place where I feel the closest and most intimate with God. I wanted the colors to reflect the colors that I see when I am in this place of contentment, serenity, and peace with Jesus.
Shades of brown and tan – THE SAND. The sand reminds me of Genesis 22:17, when God promised Abraham, “I will bless you with every blessing and I will make your descendants very numerous, like the stars of the heavens or the sand on the shore of the sea.” It also reminds me of how God created each one of us uniquely. We are all different, special, and cherished by our Creator. And there are SO MANY OF US!!
Shades of blues – THE SEA. I love the sound of the sea. I love the crashing power and violence of the waves. I am mesmerized by the infinite shades of blue that exist when I gaze at the water from above. I love the mystery of the sea which is thousands of feet deep in places and filled with mammals, fish, and vegetation of all kinds. So much of these deep, dark places of the sea are yet to be discovered. That amazes me!! It reminds me of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
the mystery of God
the unseen and unknown characteristics of God
the power of God,
the rhythm of God in our lives
the beauty of who He is and how He loves us.
Shades of pinks and orange – THE SUNRISE AND SUNSET. The sunrises and sunsets remind me of the beginnings and endings of our lives, and that there is beauty in both. And also the chance to start each day anew as well as put the challenges of the past to rest.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 (NIV)
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
Where do you see God in your life?
What places make you feel closest to God?
Are there creative designs that have special meaning to you? If so, what are they and why?
Have you used these designs in some way to help you remember how God been with you in times of joy and struggle?
I heard this song You’re Worth It by Cimorelli for the first time yesterday, May 24, 2022. (Thank you, Spotify playlist Happy Mix!) It brought both tears to my eyes and joy in my heart. The songs states so many areas where we have allowed our value and worth to be defined and degraded by lies from the enemy. Here is a sample of the lyrics:
“You are not your makeup, not your clothes,
an anonymous face that no one knows.
You’re not a skin color, a pretty face,
The number of inches around your waist.
There’s so much that you’ve been through that nobody knows.
So many things you never show.
You are more than labels,
More than pain.
Baby, you’re more than your mistakes
And you’ve got something to say…”
I struggled for years with feeling “not enough”, regretting my mistakes and comparing myself to others. I remember in elementary school comparing my hair and body type to other girls as we gradually and unevenly reached puberty. I remember in junior high comparing myself to other girls regarding body weight, athleticism and whether or not we had had our first kiss. I remember in high school and college comparing myself to others regarding boyfriend status, academics, sports, body weight, personality, number of friends, and more. For too many years I wasted time and tears on these comparisons. It seemed the older I got the more qualities I found to compare.
So why do we feel we are not worthy?
Body image issues
“Not enough” syndrome
Defined by past mistakes or regrets
Unforgiveness towards ourselves and others
Low self esteem and self doubt
Past trauma or abuse
Defined by our stuff
We feel unknown, invisible
Defined by our physical appearance or performance – skin color, hair, height, weight, abilities, ranking, score contributor, grades, etc.
Feel free to add to this list!
The self doubt and low self-esteem lead me to doubt the value of myself and my worth in all the areas above. I would say to myself, “Why am I here?”; “What do I have to offer?”; “She is so much better.”; “I cannot compare.”; “No one will like me like they like her.”; etc. And the crazy thing is that it likely other girls and women were saying the same thing about me. It was a dialogue that the enemy loves for us to have on repeat. The enemy wants us to live in this area of “not enough”. For if we feel we are “not enough” then we will never see ourselves as capable of anything profound and we especially will not see ourselves as warriors for God’s Kingdom. Do I hear an AMEN? Does anyone resonate with this thinking?
My, Sweet Friends. The next lyrics in this song are so powerful and so true. This is what made me feel joy!! Our Savior Jesus is shouting these words to us too and celebrating us in them. Read and HEAR them now:
“When will you realize?
Baby, you’re worth it.
You don’t have to do anything to earn it.
Baby, you’re perfect.
You deserve it.
When will you see what I see
And realize you’re worth it?”
We ARE enough. We ARE worthy. We DO have value. We ARE known. WE ARE LOVED beyond anything we can imagine. When you feel doubt of your own value, when you hear the lies of the enemy whispering in your ear, I urge you to rebuke him with the Truth of God’s Word. To shout out loud, if it helps, to silence the lies and rest in the light of the Truth.
You do not have to stay in the pit, my Friends. Let’s crawl out together! Arm in arm! Let’s help ourselves, our sisters, our friends, our daughters, our tweens and teens, and anyone struggling with their value and worth. This is not just a girl-thing. This is a humanity-thing. Our boys and men struggle too and we need the Truth of Jesus to set us free!! We are stronger together. The enemy has already been defeated by the blood of Christ so let’s not give him any ground to slow us down.
Amen, Sweet Circle of Friends!! And, “YES!!! WE ARE WORTH IT!” Thank you, Jesus.
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