The May issue of Heart Talk has just been mailed!  If you don't receive it by email or snail mail, you can read it here.  Enjoy!

Summer Quiet Time Bible Study!

Ladies, It is almost that time to get signed up for our Summer Quiet Time Bible Study.  This is a study of Women of the Bible to do on your own throughout the summer months.  Each week you will study the appointed woman and you will also receive a weekly email with encouragement and study ideas for that week.  


Be sure to sign up and purchase your book if you don't already have one.  You will receive your bookmark with the schedule as well.


In August, we will have a End of the Study Celebration!  You won't want to miss it!


Sign ups begin on Sunday, May13th.

This is our bookmark.  A little fuzzy here, but very clear in person! :)

A Royal-Tea!

There are tickets still available for the Royal-Tea!  You don't want to miss this, trust me!

April Issue of Heart Talk Is Ready!

A Note from Beverly: 

S pring is always a great time of year. Everything is fresh and new! Special Easter services and family times make it even better. As a young girl, we would put an Easter outfit on layaway as soon as the new clothes came out. Sears was about as fancy as we got and they had a great layaway plan. :) One Easter Sunday, a lady came up to me, (a lady that I loved and admired greatly), and told me that she didn't believe in new clothes on Easter because there were so many people that couldn't afford new outfits for Easter. I remember feeling really bad about my new dress all of the sudden. To this day, I still have a hard time wearing a new dress on Easter Sunday. If I ever do, trust me, I will be feeling guilty! In those days, I was a little too naive to know the real story, that she and her family were usually wearing new outfits every other Sunday of the entire year, just not on Easter. I am now wiser and not so naive anymore, but her voice will forever ring in my ears if I wear something new on Easter. 

Note to self: If I choose to spread my words of wisdom with others, I better make sure it isn't to put a guilt trip on others. May the law of kindness and wisdom always be on my tongue when I share words of what I think are wisdom. 

Proverbs 31:26 "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." 

Read the rest of the newsletter here: April Heart Talk

A Royal-Tea!

Ladies!  You don't want to miss this event that is coming soon!  Get your ticket and mark your calendar!

The Cleavage Gap

I read this article in the recent newsletter of Full-Fill Magazine, a magazine for leaders in women's ministry.

 
 

    

The Cleavage Gap         
 By Sue Edwards

 I was teaching a class of high-octane Christian women leaders on how to work with men in ministry. When the topic of appropriate attire surfaced, I could hardly keep from breaking out in laughter at the irony. Before me were women bemoaning the provocative way women dress these days, but four, yes, four, of them were showing enough cleavage to distract any man in our midst. I don't get the disconnect - the gap. Please know that I love these women dearly, and my intent is not to cause any sister to slink away in shame, but I love our brothers too.
     I know good men are bothered by cleavage because, for our book Mixed Ministry, we interviewed many Christian men who told us how much any cleavage distracted them, that when just a bit of a woman is showing, a man's mind immediately goes to the whole thing. Not one man said, "It's ok, I'm used to it--no big deal." The men we interviewed were the men who will ultimately give women a place at the ministry table, or not. They are godly men who want to be faithful to their wives and to treat women as sisters in the workplace. And their united plea was for us to ask women to stop...and I've tried. But to little avail. About all I've accomplished is that guilty women, in my presence, keep grabbing the fabric of their blouses at the shoulders and pulling up, as if that would alleviate the issue. This tells me, on some level, they know, but not enough to purchase a tee or throw the offensive garment in the trash.
     I don't expect immature believers, and certainly non believers, to dress modestly. But these are leaders, the ones who set the standard for others. I'm trying to get into the heads of these leaders who don't get the cleavage gap. What are they thinking? Maybe...

• It's impossible to buy stylish clothes today without showing cleavage, so I'm giving in.
• I've worked hard and long on this body, and, by golly, I'm going to show it off.
• My husband might secretly be drawn to other women if they show theirs, so I better show mine.
• I want to be loved and I'll never get a man's attention any other way.
• It's hot and I want to wear something cool.
• It's not my fault if men can't handle it. Women have been blamed too long for men's lust. I'll flaunt it just to show them, a similar attitude to feminist's bra burning back in the sixties.
• I'm too busy to be bothered by this issue. Men need to get over it.

I wonder if these women realize how much their insensitivity hurts our chances of being taken seriously by men. Seems to me when we show cleavage, we back up what men have said and thought about women for centuries. We care more about the power of our sexuality than we do about its effect on our brothers. We aren't thinking about the long term impact of our choices, just about how cute we look today. Or maybe it's too much trouble for busy women to assess the effect of the gap. That's understandable for immature women who don't know better. But not for leaders with far-reaching influence.
   I thought about creating a workshop on "the gap", but women who attend would not be gappers. Confrontation embarrasses some offenders but I don't want to resort to storming around as the dress police. Rules are not the answer. Somehow we must find the root cause and help women uncover the reason for the gap in their personal thinking and actions. I'm befuddled when leaders flaunt the gap and then wonder why the glass ceiling hasn't shattered. I want to say, "Get a mirror."
 I know most gappers would never cause a man to lust on purpose. I know they love Jesus with all their hearts. I guess they don't know how much they influence others, or maybe they just don't think through these issues. Whatever the reason, I have no solutions. It reminds me of the millions of messages that we taught on materialism through the years, and Christians simply ignored us. Materialism will be the indictment on the Baby-Boomer generation, but you can't blame preachers. They tried. I wonder what indictment will sadden leaders of this generation?

 Dr. Sue Edwards specializes in ministry to women as Assistant Professor of Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. Her books include Leading Women Who Wound, Mixed Ministry: Working Together as Brothers and Sisters in a Damaged Society. 

March Newsletter is Ready!

Enjoy the latest issue of Heart Talk!

Chocolate Time......

Hi Ladies!

You don't want to miss our yearly event of, A Woman's Heart Cares for Missions and Chocolate!

This year, our own Amy Rydell will share her story with us.

We will also have some fun door prizes along with special music by Simply Grace.

Don't forget to bring your special chocolate treat for our Chocolate Extravaganza!  *My pickles dipped in chocolate didn't go over last year, so I will try something else this time.  :)  Have you seen the Little Debbie Cherry Cordial Cakes for Valentines?  (If I take them out of their wrapper, put them on a cute plate, no one will ever know.  Shhhhhh.....don't tell!)

See you there!

True Woman Ladies Luncheon

Life Action Ministries will be hosting a luncheon on Tuesday, January 31st.  There is not a charge for this event and you will need to make reservations so we will know how many to plan for.  A sign up list is in the lobby or you can email me, Beverly, at bevdill@suddenlink.net, to make your reservations.

A nursery will be available plus a study room for homeschool children.  You will want to bring a lunch for them and their schoolwork.

I look forward to seeing you there and I'm excited to hear these two ladies, Maryann Loveing and Jennifer Slenk of Life Action.

Maryann Loveing is described as a God-centered, fun-loving wife by her husband, Ryan; and a joyful, sweet, interactive mother by her six children. Formerly focused on her career and success, and bound with hidden secrets that kept her discontented, Maryann has learned contentment and joy as she has served in ministry for ten years with her family. She now shares with women the freedom found in seeking and following God.

Jennifer Slenk God began a radical transformation in Jennifer’s life during a Life Action conference. As a result of personal revival, she has a passion to pursue God with a broken and surrendered heart. She shares regularly with women, out of a desire to see them meet with God in a life-transforming way. Jennifer and Ben and their children travel with Life Action throughout America, seeking the Lord for revival in individual lives, local churches, and the nation.

Hope to see you soon!

Heart Talk, January/February 2012

The newsletter has been mailed to all those on our mailing list over snail mail and email.  If you aren't on the mailing list, you are invited to read all the latest happenings within the Women's Ministry of Kelview Heights Baptist Church here in Midland, Texas.  Enjoy the latest issue of Heart Talk!

Be sure to make note of all the upcoming events listed in the newsletter!

Buckner Family Home Christmas

The ladies of Kelview came through again.  With the leadership of Susan Lilly and the Wednesday evening Bible study of Kelview University, the ladies provided a Christmas party for the moms and children of Buckner Family Homes.  Everyone got to decorate a frame for the family picture that was taken that evening and then delicious snacks were served.  A dramatization of Mary was the highlight of the afternoon.  The Christmas story was told in a beautiful way.  Then each child plus their mom was given a Christmas stocking filled with all kinds of special items.  It was a special afternoon for some special families.  

Thank you to everyone that worked so hard to put this together!  It couldn't have been done without Susan and her heart for these moms and their children.

2011 Tour of Homes

You don't want to miss this!  It's going to be a great evening...

Merry Christmas!

The December issue of Heart Talk is now online.  Enjoy!

Heart Talk, December 2011

Heart Talk; November Issue Is Ready!

Enjoy the November issue of Heart Talk!

Holiday In Style

Holiday In Style 2011...

You don't want to miss our annual Holiday In Style!


It will be a great evening!


Guests are always welcome!


*Teen girls and younger tickets are 1/2 price, $10.00.

October Newsletter

The October issue of, Heart Talk, is here.

Enjoy!

Heart Talk - September 2011

Lysa Terkeurst was our guest speaker for our Fall Women's Conference, Becoming More!

What an exciting month August was in women's ministry!  The September issue of, Heart Talk, which is our newsletter that began 8 years ago, when our women's ministry began, was just mailed and emailed to the subscribers.  


If you don't receive this newsletter or it didn't make it to your mailbox, you can read it online here.

A Note from Beverly!

A Special Note From Beverly! Ladies, I remember as a 17 year old, a lady came to our church to speak to the women here at Kelview.  Her name was Verna Birkey.  I was planning on going with my mom.  I had a friend who I asked if she were going and I will never forget what she told me.  She said "No, I'm busy and besides, I've heard everything there is to hear anyway."  Remember, we were teenagers at the time.  :) I went and I still remember to this day some things that she said that day. I believe the message I heard from that lady all those years ago impacted me in a great way.  Since that day, I have made it a point to listen and read after godly women who have a message for the women of the church. I'm so thankful for a mom, who as a single mother, knew that in order for me to learn how to have a godly home as a wife and mother someday, I needed to sit under women who taught what a godly woman was.  Mom wanted me to learn the things that she had never been taught.   I am thrilled that Pastor Berry and the staff support the idea of having women who are accomplished writers and speakers come share their message to the women of Kelview and the surrounding community.  We have been so blessed to have some of the most popular speakers and authors come for our conferences and events over the last 8 years. This year is no exception!  Lysa Terkeurst speaks to sold out events all across our country.  I truly hope that you plan on being there.   We have ladies coming from all over West Texas; Lubbock, Amarillo, San Angelo, Odessa, towns I've never heard of and even Roswell, New Mexico.  We have one lady driving from Round Rock and a group from Austin. Our Praise and Worship will be lead by Sisters.  This is a group of three Sisters who travel and sing across the country.  This is a great blessing to have this group take their time and come for our conference.   Moms if you have teenage daughters, I would make sure they were at the conference.  How thankful I am, that my mom always included me in on teaching from godly women. I did the same for my daughter.  She has sat under some amazing women and listened to their teachings.   If you are an older woman, please don't miss out because you think you've heard it all and you are doing just fine.  There are a lot of younger women that need to see you and fellowship with you. If you are a younger woman, please don't think, "oh, that is for older women, I have too much to do to go and sit and listen to someone else."  I promise you, you won't be sorry when you sit under a woman who has  a message to the women of the church.  And, guess what, the older women need to see you there and fellowship with you. I love being around women of God who have realized that, it's not just about them.  They realize that until the Lord returns, we are to care and encourage our sisters in Christ and to be constantly growing in Christ.  The theme of our conference is "Becoming More."  If you are like me, you strive everyday to become more of a godly woman each and every day.  It isn't easy sometimes in a sin filled world.  That is why we need each other, to encourage one another in our walk with Christ.  Women's lives affect so many others, when a woman's heart is changed and encouraged, she can make a difference in her world. I do hope I see you at the conference this coming weekend! His Heart, My Desire, Beverly Dillow

Lysa Terkeurst Is Coming to Midland!

You may purchase your tickets online at www.kelview.com or during service times in the lobby at Kelview.  For more info, contact Beverly at bevdill@suddenlink.net