JANUARY

With the Christmas season fading away, comes the opportunity to look ahead at what 2017 will bring. New Year’s Eve celebrations remind us to think about making resolutions. January is certainly the time of the year to re-evaluate where you’ve come from and where you are going with the help of the Holy Spirit. Setting some goals for improvement is necessary for making changes. If you don’t, you will end up repeating life in the same old, worn out ruts once again. Growth and success happens– when you purpose to do it!  

Would you like to make some significant changes in 2017? We have two suggestions for you. The first way you can do that– is to take some time to discover your God-given purpose in life. Do you know for sure what God created you to accomplish in His kingdom? Do you know what your purpose in life is? Without knowing what your purpose is– how will you know if you’re in God’s will or not? Without knowing your purpose, you could simply be doing a good thing, instead of the right thing for which you were created to do. If one day you want to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” you have to know… your God-given purpose. Read later on to see another great way to bring about changes in your spirit, soul and body in January.

Our January speaker is Angela Byers who serves with Aglow International on the Western North Carolina Area Team as Vice President of Lighthouse Development. Angela’s message for us is entitled– “Discovering Your Purpose.” We will take a look at the story of Ester to understand how she discovered her purpose through the trials and challenges in her life. Ester was a beautiful, young Jewish woman created by God with the purpose of saving her people from being exterminated by King Xerxes around 460 B.C. God sovereignly placed her in the king’s harem and then made her Queen Ester “for such a time as this.”

Angela is currently serving the Lord as a social worker with the Salvation Army of Iredell County. She has served with Aglow International for over ten years and was President of the Statesville Lighthouse for a number of years. She has traveled around the world on mission trips to India, Ghana, West Africa and Mexico. “Beauty for Ashes” is the ministry she founded to help women discover their new identity in Christ and to fulfill their destiny in the kingdom of God. Angela can be contacted by email at: angelabyers57@yahoo.com.

A New Year’s Fast! Here’s the second way you can achieve some remarkable changes in 2017. Have you ever considered going on a 21-day fast to help you get victory over food cravings such as sugar, caffeine or soft drinks? We can highly recommend you try The Daniel Fast which provides you with all the nutrition, protein and carbohydrates you need, without the sugar, fat, starches and meat. Why not take January 8- 28 to detox your body, break the addictions controlling your food choices, and draw closer to God?!

To learn how to join hundreds of thousands of other Christians in a 21-day partial fast, go to: http://daniel-fast.com/ . They will provide you with encouraging email devotionals, recipes, a free fasting kit, and guidelines for how to be successful.

To Draw Closer to God. Entering into a period of extended prayer and fasting is like pushing the “pause button” on life so you can draw nearer to God. The Holy Spirit joins you in this experience as you open your heart to receive from the Lord. The Daniel Fast will provide you with a plan and resources to help you be successful. Take 21 days to do a partial fast and pray for the Lord to show you your personal purpose in life. Then ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to fulfill your purpose in the kingdom of God.

New Developments for 2017! We have two new officers serving on our lighthouse Executive Board. Jeanette Gilbert is our Vice President of Finances. Jeanette served the Lord as church secretary with Hickory First Assembly for over 18 years. She holds Bible study classes in her home and is actively involved with Living Word Church in Maiden.

Debra Thomas is our Vice President of Administration. She served as President of the Mount Vernon, Ohio, Women’s Aglow Lighthouse in the 1980s and with Christian Believers United in Black Mountain, NC in 1995 for about eight years. Debra attends Faith Baptist Church, teaches Bible study classes and lives in Statesville.

Go to our “About Us” section and the “Hickory NC Leadership” page for photos of our officers and leadership team. If you are interested in joining our lighthouse leadership team, contact Pat James at: hickoryaglow2015@gmail.com to discuss your ministry experience and qualifications for leadership.