Christine Caine, Lisa Harper, Lisa Bevere, Rosilyn Houston and Bianca Juarez Olthoff
Growth
welcome
Copyright © 2016 by Propel Women, part of Equip & Empower Ministries ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published by Propel Women Copyright and use of the curriculum template is retained by Brett Eastman. Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 and 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Photos by Kat Harris Photography and Sidney Morgan Photography, used with permission. ISBN: 978-1-945589-04-1 Printed in the United States of America
contents
intro 6
Introduction by Christine Caine
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Your Hosts
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Outline for Each Session
sessions
appendix
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60
Propel Chapter and Group Values
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Chapter and Group Calendar
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A Few Tips from the Wise
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Leader Guide
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SESSION ONE
ELBOW ROOM SESSION TWO
ENLARGE
65 Acknowledgements SESSION THREE
STRETCH
SESSION FOUR
LENGTHEN SESSION FIVE
STRENGTHEN SESSION SIX
GROWTH
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welcome!
My purpose in founding Propel Women is to help Christian women realize that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are all called to lead people to Him. Therefore, we are all leaders. We are all in different seasons, circumstances, places, have different gifts, talents, and callings, but we all have a responsibility to keep moving forward as we follow Jesus, and to lead others to Him along the way. Leadership isn’t made by position, corner office, or title. God plucked you out of eternity, He positioned you in time and He gave you gifts and talents to use for His purpose and glory. As His daughters, we cannot ignore our calling to follow this great Leader in His mission. My prayer is that you will be propelled, pushed out and thrust forward into His word and His world through this workbook. No matter if you are coming from the boardroom or playroom, I want you to know that we are joining together on this fact alone: He has called us to join Him in mission to lead others to Christ. This new curriculum invites you into the conversation, to explore and discuss the principles and issues we encounter in leadership roles in the home, community, and workplace. My hope is that Propel Women will help thrust those of us who are operating in the full throttle of our leadership gifting even further than we have ever been, and that women who never thought they were leaders will begin to see themselves as leaders and step into their passion, purpose, and potential. I hope you’ll laugh and learn from them as much as I have! The conversation is about to begin…pull up a chair and join us. Love,
CHRISTINE CAINE
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hosts Y O U
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CHRISTINE CAINE Christine is a lover of Jesus, wife to Nick, and mum to Catie and Sophia. Powered by hot, extra-dry, skinny cappuccinos, Christine is a lover of words who speaks too fast, talks too much, and occasionally pauses long enough to write down her words and turn them into books, including her most recent release Unashamed: Drop your baggage, find freedom, fulfill
your destiny. Originally from Australia, Christine travels the globe teaching and advocating for justice. In addition to Propel, Christine and her husband Nick also founded The A21 Campaign, an anti-human trafficking organization that fights slavery around the globe. @ChristineCaine
LISA HARPER Lisa Harper is a hilarious storyteller and theological scholar. She spent six years as the director of Focus on the Family’s national women’s ministry, has a masters in theological studies from Covenant Seminary, and has written fourteen books and Bible study curriculums including her latest, Believing Jesus: Are You Willing to Risk Everything? She speaks all over the world but considers motherhood (she recently adopted her daughter Missy from Haiti) her greatest accomplishment. Oh and she rides a motorcycle in her spare time. @LisaDHarper
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ROSILYN HOUSTON Rosilyn Houston began her banking career 29 years ago as a parttime teller while attending college. Rosilyn has experience managing in the complex and dynamic environments of North Texas, California, Alabama, and Florida. She is currently the head of U.S. Human Resource Operations. Rosilyn is the highest ranking female in the U.S., and the first African American to serve on the bank’s management committee. Rosilyn and her husband Marcus are proud parents of three children. She has a strong passion for giving to her family and to her community.
LISA BEVERE Lisa Bevere believes in women and empowers them by weaving the practical with the profound truth of God’s Word in award-winning curriculums and best-selling books. Her heart breaks over social injustice. As an advocate for change, she rallies others to be an answer to desperate problems near and far. She and her husband, John Bevere, co-founded Messenger International, an organization established to teach, reach, and rescue. Lisa is the mother of four sons and grandmother of four. @LisaBevere
BIANCA JUAREZ OLTHOFF Bianca Juarez Olthoff is a lover of words and stories. Passionate about creating beautiful things, she spends her week working as Chief Storyteller for The A21 Campaign and Creative Director for Propel Women. Bianca has spent over 15 years mobilizing God’s people to action inside and outside of the Church, and is dedicated to teaching God’s word around the globe. She lives in Southern California and loves spending time with her husband Matt, cooking for friends, and hanging out with her two stepchildren. @BiancaOlthoff
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outline O F
E A C H
S E S S I O N
A typical session in the Propel Women curriculum conversation series will include the following sections. Read through this brief outline to get a clear idea of how each meeting will be structured. INTRODUCTION. Each conversation opens with a brief thought that will help you prepare for the session, and get you thinking about the subject you’ll explore with your group. LISTEN. This section includes some simple questions to get you talking—letting you share as much or as little of your story as you want. You can get to know your whole group by answering the questions together, or split into smaller groups with one or two others to go deeper. LEARN. In this section, watch part one of the conversation on the video, and then continue the conversation in your group. During this time you’ll also read a short scripture passage together and apply it to your lives. LEAD. Watch the DVD a second time to listen to the Propel team take questions from the audience, then use the questions in this section to explore these insights and consider how they affect your leadership. LOOK CLOSER. This brief section provides an additional perspective or more information on the week’s theme. This can be great additional material for your group to discuss or something you can reflect on during the week.
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one S
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ELBOW ROOM
ENLARGE THE PLACE OF YOUR TENT, STRETCH YOUR TENT CURTAINS WIDE, DO NOT HOLD BACK; LENGTHEN YOUR CORDS, STRENGTHEN YOUR STAKES. FOR YOU WILL SPREAD OUT TO THE RIGHT AND TO THE LEFT; YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL DISPOSSESS NATIONS AND SETTLE IN THEIR DESOLATE CITIES. ISAIAH 54:2-3
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I know a woman who has five children, and one of her strengths as a mom is helping her kids, even the young ones, “use their words” to describe their feelings. As you can imagine, their house is a busy, loud, and chaotic one, and some of the kids want more time alone than others, so my friend has taught the kids how to ask for some “me time.” But, of course, it doesn’t always work perfectly, and not long ago she came downstairs to find her next-toyoungest, a boy, standing behind a door and hiding from everyone else. When she asked what was wrong, he replied, “I need some space!” Can you relate? Sometimes the frantic pace of our lives and the number of people demanding our attention leave us very little space for ourselves. We begin to long for opportunities to stretch ourselves emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps even physically. Hopefully you have not yet resorted to hiding behind doors, but all of us sometimes find ourselves desperate for a little space and a little time for ourselves. These desires are not selfish; they are actually God-honoring, because all of us need some “elbow room” if we’re going to grow into the women and the leaders God is calling us to be. As we begin this study, let’s consider what it means to carve out this space—and to use it well.
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listen
Q What’s an area of life where you feel trapped or cramped? What seems to be holding you back from having margin in that area?
Q Re-read the verses from Isaiah. Are you experiencing this abundance in your life right now?
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Q Why do we have to grow before we can grow a family, a ministry, or an organization?
Q Can you relate to Lisa’s observation that God often has to cut things out of our lives to make room for growth? Are there areas of your life that He is pruning right now?
Take a few minutes to watch part one of the video, then use the following questions to guide your conversation.
Q How are you shrinking your life out of fear? How could you let God use that to enlarge you?
Q Is the fruit you’re creating beneficial to others?
READ JOHN 15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to
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you.4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Q Why do the parts of us that are bearing fruit still require pruning?
Q How can we remain in Jesus, the vine?
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“You always have demolition before expansion.” - Lisa -
lead
Watch the last few minutes of the video in which the panel answers questions from the audience.
Q Is there an area where you’re not stretching because you’re afraid to fail? Where do you need to “think BIG”?
Q If you’re a mom, what would it look like to begin training your children more intentionally?
Q How can your group make room for others to share your experience and grow?
“There is no right state other than the right state for you in Christ.” - Christine -
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LOOK
closer Left to themselves, trees will produce fruit, but most will be of poor quality. And it will come in spurts, with a heavy crop one year, and likely nothing for several years afterward...sunlight provides fuel for fruit production. That’s why a congested, neglected tree bears fruit only on the periphery of its canopy, with the bulk of the fruit commonly borne toward the top. By thinning growth with pruning shears and saw, however, [you] open avenues for light to penetrate and encourage fruit development deep inside the canopy, as well. By stimulating the growth of some branches and slowing that of others, [the gardener] ensures that upper branches don’t overshadow lower ones and leave them barren. On a mature tree, annual pruning is mostly limited to reducing congestion and eliminating unfruitful wood—branches that do not bear fruit and divert energy from those that do. This article reminds us that with our own efforts, the fruit we produce will also be inconsistent and of poor quality. Like the tree, we need a skilled gardener to cut away the “unfruitful wood”— the relationships, habits, and activities—diverting energy from real growth. Although the process often hurts, we can see God’s purposes as he makes room for the best by cutting away the overgrowth in our lives.
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Every 30 seconds somebody is forced into the bondage of modern-day slavery
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We exist to change that. Our goal for humanity is simple: FREEDOM. Join us as we abolish slavery in the 21st century.
A21.org @thea21campaign @A21 @A21
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Propel Women exists to help women fulfill their passion, purpose, and potential. This new curriculum invites your group into the discussion as Christine Caine and guests discuss the ideas and issues all women face, whether that be in the home, community, or workplace. CHRISTINE CAINE
Christine is a lover of Jesus, wife to Nick, and mum to Catie and Sophie. Powered by hot, extra-dry, skinny cappuccinos, Christine is a lover of words who speaks too fast, talks too much, and occasionally pauses long enough to write down her words and turn them into books, including her most recent release Unashamed: Drop your baggage, find freedom, fulfill your destiny. Originally from Australia, Christine travels the globe teaching, and advocating for justice. In addition to Propel, Christine and her husband Nick also founded The A21 Campaign, an anti-human trafficking organization that fights slavery around the globe. @ChristineCaine
@LisaDHarper
@LisaBevere
LISA HARPER
ROSILYN HOUSTON
LISA BEVERE
BIANCA OLTHOFF
Lisa Harper is a hilarious storyteller and theological scholar. She spent six years as the director of Focus on the Family’s national women’s ministry, has a masters in theological studies from Covenant Seminary, and has written fourteen books and Bible study curriculums including her latest, Believing Jesus: Are You Willing to Risk Everything? She speaks all over the world but considers motherhood (she recently adopted her daughter Missy from Haiti) her greatest accomplishment. Oh and she rides a motorcycle in her spare time.
Lisa Bevere believes in women and empowers them by weaving the practical with the profound truth of God’s Word in award-winning curriculums and bestselling books. Her heart breaks over social injustice. As an advocate for change, she rallies others to be an answer to desperate problems near and far. She and her husband, John Bevere, co-founded Messenger International, an organization established to teach, reach, and rescue. Lisa is the mother of four sons and grandmother of four.
Rosilyn Houston began her banking career 29 years ago as a part-time teller while attending college. Rosilyn has experience managing in the complex and dynamic environments of North Texas, California, Alabama, and Florida. She is currently the head of U.S. Human Resource Operations. Rosilyn is the highest ranking female in the U.S., and the first African American to serve on the bank’s management committee. Rosilyn and her husband Marcus are proud parents of three children. She has a strong passion for giving to her family and to her community.
@BiancaOlthoff
Bianca Juarez Olthoff is a lover of words and stories. Passionate about creating beautiful things, she spends her week working as Chief Storyteller for The A21 Campaign and Creative Director for Propel Women. Bianca has spent over 15 years mobilizing God’s people to action inside and outside of the Church and is dedicated to teaching God’s word around the globe. She lives in Southern California and loves spending time with her husband Matt, cooking for friends, and hanging out with her two stepchildren.
SESSION 1
SESSION 2
SESSION 3
SESSION 4
SESSION 5
SESSION 6
ELBOW ROOM
ENLARGE
STRETCH
LENGTHEN
STRENGTHEN
GROWTH