Category: Partnership


Mar
2014

Announcing: Once a month Prayer Nights

categories: Event, Partnership, Prayer

Attention Beautiful Bricklayers!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the spiritual battle going on for your heart and mind as a single Christian woman?  Ever wish you had more prayer support for that fight and a place to come regularly to pray and be prayed for?

We are calling all prayer warriors and women who want to grow in prayerfulness (one of our four ministry pillars: Purpose, Prayer, Partnership, and Preparation)—to come out April 3rd, the first Thursday of the month, and join us for a night of guided prayer and fellowship!

Laura's group

Details:

Date: Thursday, April 3rd

Time: 6:45pm-8:45pm (if you need to leave earlier than that, still come, just slip out quietly)

Where: Woodbridge Community Church, Irvine, California (specific room To Be Announced)

Please eat dinner before you come.  You are welcome to invite a friend!

For updates, please see our Beautiful Bricklayers Facebook page and events.

 

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Mar
2014

Week One Prayer Prompts

categories: Partnership, Prayer

Here we go, ladies! The discipline of praying for our men doesn’t have to be very complicated. It can be quite straightforward. If today is your Day 1 on this Husband Prayer Journey, then your Day 31 will be on Easter (April 20th)!  Look for these weekly prayer prompts on Fridays here on the blog.

May I offer you a few tips?

  1. Listen to the Holy Spirit.  Ask Him how He is leading you to pray.
  2. Pray according to the Bible, the living and active Word of God
  3. To stay focused, it’s helpful to write out or speak out loud your prayers.
  4. Start praying over a certain area and pour out your genuine heart to God.

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We’ll be covering the Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Social aspects of his life. Here are some potential prayer prompts for this next week regarding the Spiritual:

    1. Daily intimacy with Jesus in the Word and in prayer
    2. Involved in a healthy, Bible-believing church where he can give and grow regularly
    3. Conviction of sin and regular confession and repentance in his life
    4. For him to become a Psalm 112 kind of man.
    5. A humble and teachable spirit while also growing in courage and boldness for the Lord
    6. Pray Colossians 1 over him.
    7. Spiritual wisdom and insight to grow as a man of God who loves the Lord with heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Praise the Lord.  Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.  Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Psalm 112:1-2, NIV


Mar
2014

The 31 Day Husband Prayer Journey

categories: Partnership, Prayer

Happy Spring! Coming out of the super cold winter we had this year, I couldn’t be happier to embrace springtime!

To launch this new season, we are announcing a month-long opportunity. Many of you have expressed a desire to get serious about praying for that special man that will be (or is already) your husband.

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I went for years praying here and there for Mr. Cristina, but it wasn’t until about 6 months before I met my husband that I actually took the step to get fervent, persistent, and consistent in my conversations with God about this man who I did not yet know. Whether you are in the same place I was when I started (totally single) or you are dating or engaged – you can still pray daily for your husband. Hopefully, this will be a life-giving discipline that continues after marriage. I will be taking this challenge along with you! There’s always more to bring to God in prayer!

The “Husband Prayer Journey” is a 31-day challenge designed to help you pray a little (or a lot) every day for your life partner (present or future husband). This adventure will help you become disciplined, get better aligned with God’s heart, and ultimately grow as a woman who loves Jesus!

Ready to get this party started?

Guidelines:

Here’s the plan:

  • Pray every day (we’re encouraging at least 5 minutes).
  • Record your progress (we recommend checking in with your calendar and a prayer partner).
  • Join the Beautiful Bricklayers Facebook group for encouragement and inspiration.
  • When your 31 days are up, write to tell us how it went!

Every Friday we will post prayer prompts for the following week. Feel free to use these as launching pads for your daily prayer or comment on these posts to add your own! So are you in?! Grab your Bible, journal, maybe even a trusted girlfriend or mentor, and get started!

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

1 John 5:14-15


Dec
2013

the daily feast

categories: Commissioning, Partnership, Purpose

Every day we sit down at the table of our lives. 24 hours tick by moment by moment and we decide what we’re going to feast on: the people we allow into our lives, the influences we let in, the voices we listen to, what we commit our energy to, and on the list goes.IMG_0779

When you wake up, are you intentional throughout your day about seeking God and listening to His voice or are you in reaction mode since the time the alarm goes off till it’s time to crawl under the covers again? Or do you see yourself as a steward of the resources God’s entrusted to you?  Do you recognize that every moment is a gift?

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When you go through your day, how do you interact with the people around you? The ones who are sitting across from you in your day to day life:  family, friends, co-workers, roommates, significant others?  Is your conversation meaningful and edifying?  Or are you just “shooting the breeze” on a regular basis?  What would happen if you weren’t “at their table” anymore? Let’s say you got a new job or moved to a new house and your routine changed. How would they remember you?  What would they have learned from you or missed about you?

Let’s make an intentional effort today to be a blessing to those “sitting at our tables.”

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What about dessert?  How do you reward yourself in life?  What are some ways you seek comfort or consolation for life’s daily stressors?  Are they healthy, productive, God-honoring incentives?  Are there any destructive outlets that you run to for solace?

Always remember:

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10, NIV

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Dec
2013

Celebrating the women who are Beautiful Bricklayers

categories: Background, Partnership, Prayer, Preparation, Purpose, Support

My favorite thing about being involved with this ministry is simply getting to know some phenomenal women (who are actually featured in this short clip).

One particular friend, Laura Vencill, is one that blesses me on a regular basis.  This ministry actually started in my home when we were both single, yearning to learn what it means to love the Lord with our whole hearts and seeking to prepare on purpose for marriage.  We finished with a prayer get-together with one other girl and the three of us looked up at each other and knew God started something special through that prayer time.  Beautiful Bricklayers was conceived.

Over the past three years, Laura has been a faithful cheerleader of my writing, speaking, and development as a person. I’ve learned a lot about true friendship from this sweet sister in Christ and it’s with joy that I present to you another video you can share with your friends when you are trying to explain a little better what is at the core of this ministry.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8GrprHqpPw&w=560&h=315]

You’re always welcome to contact us here with any prayer requests, questions, or anything else you’d like to share with us.  We’d love to hear from you.


Nov
2013

Beautiful Bricklayers’ Winter Workshop: December 28th

categories: Commissioning, Event, Partnership, Prayer, Preparation, Purpose, Uncategorized

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Come and join us for a Beautiful Bricklayers’ Winter Workshop!

Date: Saturday, December 28, 2013

Time: 9AM-noon

Place: 2700 Amalfi, Newport Beach, Ca 92660

We’ll be discussing principles of becoming “hot and holy” women of purpose, prayer, partnership, and preparation.

You’ll be equipped to start preparing now for a godly marriage, regardless of current relationship status. If you are single, dating, or engaged, join us as we grow in our understanding of what it means to lay a foundation for a Kingdom-building future.

Already a Bricklayer?  Join us for a refresher seminar and receive a discounted rate ($10 not $25 if you have already gone through a previous class)!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyBJdhqtGUY&w=560&h=315]Invite your friends!!

Cost: $25 for new participants (includes materials and light refreshments).$10 for Bricklayers Class alumna who already have a workbook

Partial scholarships are available.

RSVP: email Cassie: bricklayersleadership@gmail.com or use the form below.

In order to save your spot, write a check made out to “Cassie Robertson” and mail it to:

Cassie Robertson
2620 Johnson Ave.
La Habra, Ca 90631

Deadline to register is DECEMBER 13th!

See you in December!!

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Nov
2013

November Spotlight: Dani Taylor

categories: Commissioning, Partnership, Prayer, Preparation, Purpose

daniAre you grateful for your dear friends? Don’t you appreciate those who stand by you to cheer you on to carry out a vision that seems daunting?  Well, I sure am grateful for this very special woman we are featuring this month!  Dani Taylor served behind the scenes for over a year and a half with the leadership team.  She hosted events in her home, spent hours at meetings, donated goods, woke up early to meet with me at a coffee shop before she headed off to work (many times!), and prayed over this ministry.  So much of what Beautiful Bricklayers is today has been directly impacted by Dani’s dedication and service.

Here’s a little glimpse into the lovely heart of this very precious sister in Christ, Dani Taylor:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m 27 and I LOVE Bricklayers!  I’m really close with my family and I love spending time with them; they are a super funny group of people and I love laughing with them.  I’m really into healthy living – home remedies, cooking, working out, conscious living, etc.  I love the ocean and all the animals in it!

This month’s theme is “Gratitude” and you are a person with a very thankful heart.  Would you share some of the ways you have been intentional to foster thankfulness in your life?

I think one way that I try to foster thankfulness is by constantly acknowledging all that the Lord has done for me and the ways in which he has blessed my life.  If I have a hard day at work, the first thing I do when I get in the car to drive home is list things I am I am thankful for.   I never want to do it – it’s so much easier to let the bitterness fester and to claim that I had a bad day at work and get sympathy from others (which I still do, no one is perfect :-).  But, I find that as soon as I start listing what I’m thankful for, everything comes into perspective and my heart is filled with gratitude and praise and then that doesn’t leave any room for bitterness, anger, discontentment, or envy!

Dani with family
Picture perfect with her family!

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve experienced in trying to maintain contentment?

This one is very hard, I feel like this is an area where I often feel a lot of spiritual attack: staying close to the Lord and believing his Word is what keeps my head above the water.   It’s so easy to listen to the world’s lies and think, for example, that I should be married by now and have achieved a certain level at work.  I find social media really stirs up discontentment in me, so I try my best to stay away from it.  The moment I remember that I am not in control and that the Lord is in charge of my life, I can relax and give everything over to him.  It’s funny because it’s so hard to let go of control, but as soon as I do it, I can relax and know that I am fully taken care of and looked after.  He can take care of me far better than I could ever take care of myself! 

Do you have a passage in Scripture that has served as an anchor to your soul to keep you grounded during particularly difficult seasons in your life?

Yes! I memorized Psalm 42:11 (NLT) which says: “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again – my Savior and my God.” This has been such an encouraging verse for me.  It allows me to acknowledge my feelings of sadness and discouragement but to remember that my hope is in the Lord and I should praise Him through every season of life! 
Dani with Grandpa
Dani loves her Grandpa!

In your singleness, what has the Lord been teaching you that you would like to share with other women?

To wait on Him and to use this season of life when I have extra time and devote it to the Lord – to spending time with Him, reading the Word, and memorizing scriptures.  Life is only going to get more busy and hectic from here on out and I want to know that my life is (and always will be) rooted in the Lord and His truth.

How have you been able to “rejoice with those who rejoice” when you yourself would love to have that same kind of rejoicing in your own life?

This is the one area that I feel the Lord has given me His strength.  I so badly want for my friends to be in relationships and I feel such joy and happiness for them when this happens!  It also gives me hope, if it can happen for them, it can certainly happen for me!  It’s also a way that I can see the Lord answering the prayers that I’ve prayed for my friends and their future husbands.  I think it has also helped that both my sisters have been in serious relationships for the past few years; to see them so happy makes me realize I would never want to deprive anyone of that joy!

What advice or words of wisdom do you have to share with other Beautiful Bricklayers as they navigate singleness and dating relationships?

Trust in the Lord and know that He is good! Draw near to Him and let Him take care of the rest!Dani with RH girls
***Would you like to nominate a girlfriend of yours to be interviewed for the Beautiful Bricklayers monthly spotlight?  
Please email us at: beautifulbricklayers@gmail.com with the girl’s name and reason why you think she should be featured on our blog.*** 
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Oct
2013

October Spotlight: Amanda Pinedo

categories: Commissioning, Partnership, Prayer, Preparation, Purpose

Many of you follow us on our Facebook Page and, this month, we wanted to give you a peak into the life of our main contributor to that Page.  She is indeed a Beautiful Bricklayers herself: Amanda Pinedo.Amanda Pinedo headshot

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am 24 and living in Huntington Beach, where I am finishing up my Masters in Social Work at USC. I have a passion for helping people and am so excited to be able to finally start my career as a medical social worker soon!  I am a pretty simple girl who loves good music, warm drinks, and good conversation with friends.  God has really blessed my life even with its ups and downs, and I am so thankful for his patience and love for me.

Being that this month’s theme is “Falling in Love” how did you first fall in love with Jesus?

Growing up attending Christian school since I was 5 years old made it easy to learn about Jesus and accept Him into my heart at a very young age.  However, when I was in high school, I finally began to understand what loving Jesus really looked like.  It was then that I was baptized and really tried to learn how to be a better follower of Him.  My undergrad at Vanguard University also really blessed me with an environment to be poured into and challenged in my faith.  It was at Rock Harbor Church in Costa Mesa that God really stole my heart.  Because of my upbringing and experiences of instability and chaos growing up, it has been a process for me to learn how God could love someone like me and to understand that someone could take care of me.  Falling in love with Jesus is something I believe we never stop doing and knowing that He loves us through it all, is something I believe is the perfect model of what kind of love God wants for us.

You are currently in a dating relationship.  Would you share more about how you met and what made you want to start dating your boyfriend?

Even though it sounds cliche, Max and I met at a mutual friends wedding when we first noticed one another across the room. However, it was not until almost half a year later that we met at Rock Harbor after Max had returned from Ireland where he was helping to start a church.  The “dating” phase of our relationship was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.  I had been use to guys leading relationships in a very quick pace or not leading the relationship at all.

The way that Max led our relationship was nerve-racking but so refreshing to experience.  He prayerfully spent time asking God about our next steps, he took the time to really get to know me, and when the time was right expressed his intentions for moving our relationship forward.  His love for God, his passion for others, and his character are some of the biggest reasons I found for wanting to open my heart to him.  I honestly did not think guys like him existed.  I always figured that I would have to settle in my love life, but God had more for his daughter: a love bigger than I could imagine.  Max is pretty funny too… always a plus. 🙂

What are some helpful boundaries, physical and emotional, that you two have established for a healthy, God-honoring relationship?

Since the beginning of our relationship, Max and I have communicated our intentions for the physical boundaries we wanted to stay strong in and the beautiful things we wanted to look forward to in a potential marriage one day.  We knew that although kissing is fun, we had to be careful that we did not fall into the slippery slope of passion.  We also knew that sleeping in the same bed overnight would be another boundary we would never want to compromise in our relationship.  And although these boundaries have been hard and many friends and family have not understood them, we continue to believe in our hearts that it’s what God wants for us in our relationship.  Emotionally, we have continued to have open communication with our past experiences in relationships and have had discussions with each other about our families and upbringings.  So much of your past will follow you into your present and future.  We knew that if we didn’t stay honest, we couldn’t move forward and build a relationship with a strong spiritual and emotional foundation.

When friends or acquaintances think you are being “too strict” what do you tell them?  Do you have any stories to share?

A lot of our friends have not understood our physical boundaries at times, especially when we have planned trips with other couples.  I honestly think we have even been left out of trips because of friends not wanting to have to plan around the boundaries we have. However, we never compromised our intentions and even with family have had to make conscious decisions to stay true to what we believe.

How has dating helped you to grow as a woman and in your relationship with God and others?

Dating Max has honestly pushed me to newer levels in my relationship with God.  I had dated guys before Max that never pushed me to be a better woman of God.  They were Christian but they weren’t walking with God the way I believe He calls us to be.  I have grown in so many ways in dating Max and seeing His love for God makes me want to love him and God more in so many ways.  God’s Word states that His two most important commandments are to love God and to love one another, and in my relationship with Max I have felt we are able to experience those commandments together.  Through reading our Bibles daily, praying together, doing a devotional together, serving together, tithing together, and more, God has pushed my heart for Him to a whole new level.

If you could list out a few practical tips to help the Beautiful Bricklayers community in their pre-dating and dating seasons, what would you share?

If I could give any advice to those praying for Mr. Bricklayer, there are a few things I would encourage:
1) Never settle for a man that is not in LOVE with God
2) Seek God in your love life always, be patient, and trust that He wants the best for you
3) Be open in your communication with a potential partner (Be honest with who you are and what you need in a partner)
4) Take the time to do some inner work in you before you start dating. If you don’t know God and yourself and love God and yourself, how can you love someone else.
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Oct
2013

three things to share

categories: Background, Commissioning, Event, Partnership, Support

We have three things to share with you today: an invitation to a party, a resource for you, and a little announcement about what’s going on in Cristina’s life out in Arkansas.

So here it is:

FIRST THING: You’re invited to enjoy food and a friendly, feminine gathering tonight:

6:30pm at 2700 Amalfi, Newport Beach, CA

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92660.

Please RSVP on the Facebook Event Page or simply come.

You are welcome to bring a friend… all women are welcome!

SECOND THING: Have you started following Cristina’s Bricklayers Pinterest Board yet? Take a peak!

THIRD (and last) THING for today:

Cristina Alexandroni, has been selected by million-copy best-selling author Shannon Ethridge to participate in an online mentorship program called B.L.A.S.T.: Building Leaders, Authors, Speakers & Teachers.

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Alexandroni’s ultimate goal is to, through Beautiful Bricklayers, bless women who want to proactively prepare for marriage and purposefully draw near to Jesus. She yearns to effectively communicate biblically based principles and practical insights into building a foundation for those two most important relationships. Alexandroni loves to speak to youth groups and at women’s gatherings.

Unlike typical writer’s conferences, B.L.A.S.T. stretches over a 12-month period, providing students focused time to implement what they learn and truly hone their craft. Ethridge explains, “It’s not just lectures. It’s a laboratory. Students like Cristina will be creating videos, critiquing others’ work, and learning to gain the respect of potential publishers and editors.”With two decades of speaking experience and 20 successful books in both the Christian and mainstream markets, Ethridge says, “It’s a delight to coach aspiring writers and speakers. These valuable hands-on learning experiences can make a BIG difference as they pursue their publishing and speaking dreams.”

We wish Cristina the best as she begins the program! For more information about the B.L.A.S.T. mentorship program, go to www.blastmentoring.com.

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Sep
2013

your feminine body

categories: Partnership, Prayer, Preparation

Every month we have a friendly reminder that we were created female.  Our menstrual cycle is obviously much more than just an inconvenience to manage.  It’s an indication that we are, one day, likely going to be able to carry a new little life inside.  Start thinking about your fertility now – even if you are single and not even dating anyone.

I remember being in a mentorship group of women who gathered every month to learn about different aspects of what it meant to be a woman.  One of the questions we came upon was about birth control and determining which methods were healthy and honoring to God.  Most of us in that group twenty-somethings were 100% single at the time, but we were determined to learn more about a subject we had hardly ever heard about from our Christian leaders.

Through research in books and online, I have come to the conclusion that using the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) or Natural Family Planning (NFP) is best for me.

To put it very simply:  I started tracking my cycles before I got married.  More than circling the start and end dates of my period on a calendar (I DO NOT recommend the calendar or rhythm method!!!), I tracked two fertility signs every day.  I recorded my Basal Body Temperature (BBT) upon waking and observed my cervical fluid (or mucus) throughout the day.  The purpose of tracking these signs helped me to become “body literate” and aware of when I was fertile and when I was not.

In marriage, my husband adopted the role of “NFP record taker” so that he is involved and aware of what’s happening in my body.  It’s been a wonderfully unifying experience and we don’t have to worry about unwelcome side effects that can happen when taking “the pill”.  There are many articles and papers written about the oral contraceptive controversy, but you can look in to that further for yourself.

Both books pictured above are books that were helpful for me to learn NFP.  Many people believe myths that NFP is too difficult, that it is not effective, and that it is unromantic.  I have found that although it takes intentionality to learn, it is well worth the effort.  It has been extremely effective for us and those who use it conscientiously.  Also, it’s been very romantic to have my husband interested and aware of what is going on in my body and I love having a teammate in this sphere.

I have listed below some additional resources that offer helpful information.  Be mindful that they are not all “Christian” websites and carry various worldviews.  It’s important to read this with a discerning mind.

Women’s Health & Fertility

(disclaimer: Beautiful Bricklayers doesn’t claim to agree with or support everything on these sites.  The links are listed for you to peruse and use at your discretion.)
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