"WELCOME HOME” - OUR LOCAL RESPONSE AT COLOUR
Hey Gorgeous Girls,
It is only a few weeks ‘til the opening night of COLOUR 2012 in Sydney and we are so excited about not only hosting you but hopefully your team and friends.
We are preparing and praying for you and have great expectation that God will do what only He can, as we grow and mature together as a SISTERHOOD.
Our Heart For The City
When we host any large event, we have a heart to bless the city it is being hosted in or respond to pressing needs in the nation.
Last year we blessed women and families devastated by the Queensland floods and the amazing report is that YOU collectively gave over $60 000 which was distributed through great local churches on the groundto people that had lost everything.
We are labouring to tell some of that story of impact at Colour this year.
The language over Hillsong Church this year, as it has been for many years, is “HOME”. If you walk into any of our campuses the first thing you will see is a sign saying WELCOME HOME, reminding people that no matter what kind of a natural home they have come from - church and the church family can be their home, their place of refuge.
This year at Colour, we want to invite you to join us in saying “WELCOME HOME” to refugees that have been given sanctuary and acceptance into our country. These beautiful people come from war torn, dangerous and desperate situations, often with nothing but the clothes on their back and a tragic story of loss and pain.
As the “collective Church” we believe that we can have a compassionate and non-political response to these families who have risked everything to get here in the hope for a peaceful future for their children.
So we are asking as many women as possible, who are coming to Colour this year, to bring a GIFT CARD from one of the following stores. Any amount will be appreciated as we can package them all together to bless families who are creating a new home and life from scratch.
Join With Us
If you would like to be a part of this, please go to one of the following stores or click on the link to purchase online (allow yourself enough time for it to be mailed to you!)
- Buy a gift card/voucher of any amount (All amounts will make a difference)
- Woolworths Wish Cards (includes Woolworths, Big W, Dick Smith)
- Coles Myer (includes Kmart, Coles, Target, Office Works & Myer)
- The Good Guys
- Harvey Norman
- Toys R Us
- Bring it to the Sisterhood Stand in the Expo at Colour
- And write a message of welcome on the beautiful cards that we have specially printed
Every gift card & voucher will then be distributed to families and individuals (as a gift from the greater Colour Sisterhood).
We are working in conjunction with agencies in Sydney who help to support recently arrived refugees and all gifts will be funneled through these agencies.
I know that the loving TLC and prayers that will accompany these gifts will bless many and hopefully open their hearts to a good God who cares about them.
So, we can't wait to be under the same roof with you all. Our teams are working overtime to make sure you have the best time, so come ready to relax and be inspired and empowered for a brilliant year ahead!
Thank you in advance for being Sisterhood in action!
Love always,
Bobbie & your Colour friends
COLOUR SISTERHOOD EVA'S* STORY
This little book (image below) was given to me by a friend of mine last year at Colour; she just wanted to show me what she and her “sisterhood” had been doing over the past year as a result of being a part of the Colour Sisterhood. Their inspiration was a young pregnant woman they met on the street during a break at Colour Conference 2010. This is EVA’s story:
“We met Eva* on a sunny March day in the Sydney CBD during one of the breaks of Colour Conference 2010. She was sitting by the side of a busy street with a sign that said “5 months pregnant and homeless. Please help”.
We got chatting and found out that Eva had fled her home which she shared with her partner due to a serious domestic violence incident 2 weeks before. Doing what we thought would be helpful; we suggested a bunch of places where we thought Eva could get some help. But in trying to help her contact these places, we realised that this was a harder exercise than just showing up somewhere and asking for a bed. Over the next few days, we soon realised how difficult it is sometimes to get the help you need, but thankfully, Eva was able to get some emergency accommodation through some generous friends and strangers alike.
Since our meeting with Eva, she has had a beautiful healthy baby boy, secured safe housing and is looking into studying child care to enable her to provide for her and her son.”
This “chance” encounter sparked a new level of awareness in the “FLOURISH” Sisterhood of Full Gospel Assembly (FGA) in Perth. They then raised funds to support local domestic violence refuges making a difference for women like Eva.
The Colour Sisterhood is not just about trafficking, abandoned babies and HIV+ women in another country; it is also about our local communities where we are planted. What is in our backyard and are we making a difference there? We believe that as a COMPANY of women we can have an impact in our local world just like Jade and her “sisterhood”!
Can’t wait to host you at Colour Conference 2012…don’t miss the next “lap”!
Love Catherine.
BOBBIE HOUSTON : Your Colour Conference Host
Your Colour Host
Q. Growing up in New Zealand…
A. I never dreamed in a bazillion years that I would firstly live in Australia (because I completely hate snakes), nor travel the world like we do. I was actually very shy and with no ambition to actually see the world. Isn't that crazy!!
Q. When I grew up I wanted to be…
A. Like my sister. She was seven and a half years older and my only mentor if I could use that word. So when she became a "shorthand typist", that is what I did. Despite a love for art and biology, I don't recall my parents or anyone else asking or encouraging me to think of University or pursuit of these interests.
Q. I am always inspired by…
A. What is visual - a bill board, graffiti on a wall, flowers cascading over fences, magazine advertising, the colours on a sandy beach, people doing everyday life... anything. We were recently in Cape Town and driving home one night, Table Mountain was completely lit up - it was amazing, grand, spectacular. That sight inspired me about the grandness and greatness of God. Q. If I could live as a ‘Miss Sisterhood’ high-school–er’ for a day, I would…
A. Host a pamper morning at lunchtime, get someone in to speak about whatever flicks a teenager’s switch and weave a testimony in. I'd also labour to change the way "girls walk around the playground criticising others". I say that, because that is what my friends and I did...until the day I got saved. And then somehow I didn't feel right to do that anymore.
Q. My favourite place to ‘pause and consider’ is…
A. Anywhere. A nice cafe with a nice view always helps.
Q. First impressions are…
A. Interesting for me. I don't make judgements on people in a first meeting, because it takes time to get to know the real person inside, and often people can be shy or nervous. First impressions for artwork I have to sign off on or comment on is a different thing - I always pay attention to my first reaction.
Q. You have been overseas with Brian this past year, visiting our global campuses, joining with the South America One Days. What did you notice about ‘Sisterhood’ across the earth?
A. Across our global campuses the Sisterhood is alive and well. We launched in NYC in August and it felt like they were on the page from the start. Time will tell, but I feel there is a tangible maturity amongst our Hillsong women. As for South America, I'm not completely sure. I know that the crowds were very attentive to me when I spoke with them and I recall our driver in Bolivia saying, that after the meeting, his wife said, “SEE, WOMEN CAN MINISTER". South America is a huge, diverse continent - but I do get many twitter messages asking me to bring Colour to South America.
Q. If anything could happen, anything at all – what would be your desire for Colour 2012?
A. An open heaven like we have never experienced before.
Q. If someone could ‘get it’ with regards to the Sisterhood, what would that look like?
A. Wow, a big question. Perhaps that their eyes would open to the reality that God is gathering His daughters and what we have to offer collectively is beyond all our imaginations. So many girls want to change the world - and Sisterhood is a tangible way to do this.
Q. How has being a mum and grandma changed you?
A. I love babies, always have, always will...and to have my own "little people" around the house is too much fun. I just love every part and hope that the young mums in our church know how much I value them and the season they are in.
Q. What’s your best-kept secret? (Beauty / Love / Relationship / Motherhood / Friendship)
A. Really? Ha! Beauty: be happy inside, because it really does show on your face (although sometimes I am very happy and look terrible on the outside. Joys of a big life I think). Love: Love needs expression, so don't hide what you have. Relationship: Be kind and gracious and always measure things on the scale of eternity and in context of how would this reaction or response fly if Jesus was in the corner of the room. Motherhood: Kiss and cuddle ya kids a million times a day. Friendship: Friendship is a gift, treasure it accordingly.
Q. When you consider where you have been on the earth, all that you have done and experienced, what still surprises you?
A. Immmm....a beaming face in church always surprises and delights me.
Q. What scriptures stand out to you at the moment?
A. Loving everything at the moment. It all feels so ALIVE. Psalm 18 and some verses in Thessalonians struck me whilst on our recent leave in Europe.
Q. If you could write a ‘post-it’ note to someone anywhere in the world, what would you say? (Meaning a short and sweet message to someone – if you know them or not)
A. Look up, there's a God in Heaven who adores you.
Q. What was the greatest life gift your mother gave / taught you?
A. Hopefully kindness and gentleness. She was a very gentle spirited woman and I don't hardly recall any unkind words coming from her mouth.
Q. Who was your first friend growing up, and what do you remember about that friendship?
A. My first school friend was a girl called Margaret. She had jet-black hair and we were inseparable as children. When I became a Christian at 15, she made me choose between her and God. When I said I love God, she literally got on her bike and rode out of my life.
Q. What have your life long girlfriends taught you?
A. That friendship is very precious and that laughing is the best medicine ever.
Sheila Walsh: Colour 2012 Speaker
Colour 2012 in LONDON is on the horizon, with preparation and excitement building. Be praying for us as we launch the conference in Sydney and then roll it out across Africa, London and Eastern Europe. My personal expectation is high. We have all been given a clear and precise mandate regarding ‘womanhood’ and these Colour gatherings each year never fail to water and ignite what is within us.
I am hoping that many will make their way to London and join me for what will be another powerful layer in the story. PRISCILLA SHIRER is one of our guests. She is much loved and loves being around you girls. Our second guest in London this year is SHEILA WALSH. She resides in the US but is of Scottish descent, so I know she will resonate with many girls from this part of world.
We asked her for some words to share here in this format. What she has written gives insight to the depth within her. I have a feeling that Sheila is going to minister and unleash something beautiful from heaven above.
So on behalf of Cathy Clarke and our beautiful Hillsong London & Colour team ... we look forward to sharing a brilliant weekend together in April. Hope you have found a way to be with us.
Love always, Bobbie
BROKENNESS: God’s Secret Weapon
I spent the first thirty years of my life trying to “fix” myself. I wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with me but I believed to my very core that if anyone got too close to me, they would see what my father saw. If guilt tells us that we have done something wrong then shame cries out, “You are something wrong!”
The last time I ever looked in my father’s eyes all I saw was rage and raw hatred. As a five-year old child I couldn’t process the fact that his brain injury was the root of his violence. All I knew was that the man I adored now, hated me and the question I couldn’t ask for fear the answer would destroy me was, “What did he see in me that was so dreadful?”
So, I found a place to hide. It was the perfect place, for who would ever question it? I hid in Christian ministry. For years I lived a safe, lonely life, until God in his mercy let my life hit the wall. When the glass house I had lived in for so many years came crashing to the ground, I began a new life outside the safety of those walls. No, it didn’t feel good. Not at all. At first, it didn’t even feel safe. But it felt true. I saw myself as a broken lamb limping after the Shepherd, not knowing where He was going, but knowing that wherever He went - I would go with Him. To this very hour, I remain utterly convinced of one unalterable thing: The Shepherd loves me. The words I sang as a child feel more real to me today than ever:
Jesus loves me, this I know.
I believe with everything in me that God loves broken people, and that when somewhere in the painful process of that breaking and bruising, we find a way to welcome Him into the darkness, we come to know His love in a way we have never known before.
I have seen this same conviction in the lives of other broken men and women I have met through the years. While they never would have signed up for the breaking (who would?), they would change nothing now. They wouldn’t exchange the deeper relationship they have found with God for anything. It’s not that God loves the broken among us more than those who perceive themselves as whole; it’s simply that we know we are loved. We dare to believe it. And we know there is no hope, no life, and no ultimate meaning apart from Him.
I thank God that although I am not “fixed,” I am loved. It really is okay not to be okay.
Do you dare to believe that? Would you dare to bring all the broken pieces of your life—with the remnants of old wounds and stubborn nightmares—to God and let Him do what only He can do?
Many of us would willingly take such a dare…if only we could believe we are truly loved. So that is my prayer for you. I pray that you would know—down to the marrow of your bones—that God loves you with a fierce and undying passion, that you are not alone, and that He has committed Himself with all His omnipotent power to getting you safely all the way home.
What if the greatest mystery of the gospel is that God’s light shines through broken glass with greater intensity than through unmarred windows? What if the greatest gift we have to give to each other are the rags of our ruin and God’s redemption? What if we stopped being afraid, afraid of our story, our humanity, and our ‘not good enoughness’? What if we asked God for the gift to hear beyond what people are saying, or shouting or cursing to the cry of their hearts?
What if every time we caught a glimpse of our own imperfect reflection we saw God’s love with such overwhelming clarity that it would be hard to resist?
What if brokenness is really God’s secret weapon after all?
Sheila Walsh (Colour 2012 London Guest Speaker)
For more information on Sheila Walsh, please visit sheilawalsh.com.
Follow Sheila Walsh on Twitter twitter.com/SheilaWalsh and Facebook facebook.com/sheilawalshconnects
Beth Moore: Colour 2012 Speaker
We are very honoured and excited to welcome the lovely Beth Moore to not only our Colour platform, but also to Australian soil. This is her first visit to this part of the world and her anticipation and excitement can be felt in what she has written. I sense that the Colour Conference in Sydney (with both Beth and Priscilla, and all we have planned) will launch those gathering into something magnificent and beyond imagination. So grab a coffee, read what she has written and absorb her beautiful spirit.
Love, Bobbie
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. Colossians 1:3-6
The Apostle Paul wrote those words to a band of believers he’d never laid eyes on. They had developed a reputation so fierce for the gospel of Jesus Christ that it sprang feet and marched its way across land and left its wake upon waters. The banks of the hearer’s heart were broken open, spilling with astonishment and gratitude. I can’t fathom what it would have been like to be the Apostle Paul but I and many others like me on this North American continent do indeed know what it’s like for such a reputation to stretch forth its hand over land and sea and reach us. The best part of all is that you have a reputation for not only proclaiming “the word of the truth, the gospel” but for bearing its supreme signature of authenticity: “the love you have for all the saints.” The gospel minus the love is like the Cross minus Christ’s body. It misses the point entirely.
In the blink of an eye, and God willing, I will start packing a suitcase toward a two-week trek to Sydney where I’ll have the privilege of serving at the Colour Conference. Hillsong’s reputation for worship reached us years ago but the reputation of the Colour Conference reached me more recently through one very powerful and anointed Priscilla Shirer. “Miss Beth, you need to go. I think they’re going to ask you and, when they do, you need to go.” From the bounty of God’s grace, they (you) did, and why on earth would I want to miss seeing face-to-face what I’ve heard about year-to-year? The Lord seemed both willing and able so, trusting Him to grant me something from His treasury of Scripture to offer a people so well served, I’ll soon board a plane headed due south. One of the special graces from God is that I will not come to those women instead of Priscilla. I will come right along with her. And, once again, I’ll sit back with my chin dropped and marvel over Scripture sprung to life in her.
As God would time it, I actually got a second taste of you recently (unless you count meals at Outback Steakhouse) through Nick and Christine Caine as we served together at Passion 2012 in Atlanta. I liked them instantly and then I started picturing all of you being much like them. I have a feeling you’re a tad more diverse than that but I intend to find that out for myself.
When I was a little girl growing up in the hills of Arkansas, my family attended a church where we shared “fellowship supper” every Wednesday night. It was generally the same basic menu: a slice of ham (I would grow up to wonder if Jesus passed the plate when He met with us in light of the Old Testament dietary laws), something that resembled potato salad, brown ‘n serve rolls, and dark red cinnamon apple slices (sliced horizontally, not vertically). If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can almost replay the loud chatter and copious laughter in that florescent-lit room with the gray linoleum floor. I can still picture many of those faces. People like Dr. Sam Reeves, Mrs. Mary King, Mrs. Shambarger, and Miss Lizzy (whose last name I never knew) were used of God in a small town church to impact droves of children just like me. Some of us lived in troubling enough circumstances to make an outsider wonder how we could emerge from church with any faith at all. But, then again, faith is born of God and not of humankind.
Fellowship. It’s a word I liked as a child but came to love as an adult. It encapsulates the ultimate human experience on this fallen soil. In the words of the Apostle John, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3) As an adult, I came to learn that Biblical fellowship involved impartation. That’s why we’re commanded to love everyone, even our enemies, but to be careful to “fellowship” primarily with those who are in Christ. Inherent in the whole idea of fellowship is impartation. We cannot walk away from people with whom we’ve truly fellowshipped without having some part of them invested in us. In cruder terms, we cannot slip away from fellowship unscathed. The term “koinonia” means we have share in one another. We make contribution.
All this is to say that I am filled with anticipation about my own heart and soul post-Sydney and post-Colour Conference. Yes, I am wholeheartedly looking forward to it. But I am also looking forward past it, knowing and believing that God will impart something into my life from you that I never would have gained without boarding that plane. I am not just coming to speak. Or even just to teach, as precious as those things are to me. I am coming to fellowship with you in the Father and the Son and to return with an impartation of your faith, your worship, your gifts, and your love. I want to bring something of you home with me. Something that will make me crave Jesus more when I leave. Something that will drive me deeper into His Word. Higher into worship. Lower in my devotion to my flesh.
I’m not coming half way around the world and leaving my family and my home church and beloved city just to attend another conference. I want a powerful impartation of the Holy Spirit of the living Christ. I want to see Jesus revealed and to sense the gravity of His Word and the grace of His Presence. In this day of virtual relationships, I want something real. I want true fellowship. Don’t you? Let’s pull up to a massive table set before us in the presence of our enemies. Let’s let Him anoint our heads with oil and fill our cups till they overflow. There at that table, let’s share a fellowship meal that will nourish us in our faith for years to come.
One more thing before I let you get back to what you’re doing. Last night as I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, Matt Redman’s “You Never Let Go” was blaring from the speakers in my den. No one else was home so I completely let loose and sang with him as loud as my lungs could bear. That’s when I heard my Texas self sing out in my best British imitation, “Whom then shall I fee-uh? Whom then shall I fee-uh?” And after getting tickled all by myself, I thought of you. If true fellowship really does involve impartation (and it does), I wonder what you and I could sound like by the time we say good-bye.
I guess we’ll find out in March.
I’ll see y’all then.
Beth
Chasing Daylight
It’s my second year working in this role, I can’t believe where the time has gone. The Colour photoshoot is one of my favourite times in the year, this year was no exception. It’s not a fashion shoot of beautiful girls, there’s a lot more intent on what this invitation is about, and for everyone involved on this day, the message is clear. The images are about CONNECTION. It takes a feeks weeks to plan the shoot, a lot of the inspiration comes from messages in church, language framed around Sisterhood and always in keeping with the Colour mandate and the ‘I Am Sisterhood’ declaration. People often ask, how does the team do it? I honestly stumble on my words when I reply, there’s just something about the Sisterhood...it just makes sense. There’s a huge God factor in everything that we do, I think that counts for a lot of this. The images this year blew me away, I have been looking at them for months now, and still when I see them, I sense God’s intent for this year’s conference.
One of my favourite moments of this year, was our ‘in-between’ shoot. We were chasing daylight in peak hour traffic, we wanted specific images of us girls with sparklers in a field – the idea of freedom and innocent beauty and connection. At this stage in the day, we had all been awake and alert from 5am that morning and were exhausted, and famished...we needed food STAT. We pulled over to a fast food station, quickly changed in the back of our van and ran into the field behind the station. We had about 10 – 15 mins of daylight left, so there was lots of energy and anticipation in the atmosphere. There is something unique about these images. As we ran around, chasing the daylight and eating fast food at any moment we could. It can be awkward sometimes having your photo taken, but seeing as we (Laus, Renae and myself) have known each other for the past few years – we are already friends, and this connection comes easily. That’s what we are looking for when we take images for this invitation. It’s about girls the world over...and the connection between Sisters. The invitation is designed so that we in turn invite others along, I’ve never been so in love with this conference than I am today, my personal hope this year is that girls who have never known God, will come to know Him in an environment such as ours. It is a great gift to be part of a company of women who can cheer you on.
Here are a few images from our ‘in-between’ shoot :)
Love Ash xxx
The Light Within
“The earth is wrapped in darkness, But GOD rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you. Nations will come to your light, kings to your sunburst brightness. Look up! Look around! Watch as they gather, watch as they approach, Your sons and your daughters... When you see them coming you’ll smile, and your heart will swell and burst... a rich harvest gathered in from the nations.”
Isaiah 60:2-5 (the MSG)
The Peacemaker
“PEOPLE NOTICE PEACEMAKERS BECAUSE THEY DRESS FUNNY. WE KNOW HOW THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE WAR DRESS - IN UNIFORMS AND MEDALS, OR IN COMPUTERS AND CLIPBOARDS, OR IN ABSOLUTENESS, SEVERITY, GREED, AND CYNICISM. BUT THE PEACEMAKER IS DRESSED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE, AND FAITHFULNESS - DRESSED FOR THE WORK THAT IS TO BE DONE.” - Walter Brueggemann
His Grace Abounds
“May grace (God’s favour) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears...) be multiplied to you in the full, personal, precise, and correct knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”.
2 Peter 1:2 (AMP)
A NEW DAY DAWNING...
“The vision and opportunity isn’t small... and yet, every morning in the same way the earth is met with a new dawn, the Son of God (the Son of righteousness, justice and peace) greets us with another day of hope and mercy.”
Bobbie Houston
LOOK OUT FOR THE DOVES...
Hey Girls,
We have been hearing about the invitations arriving all over... If you happen to find a gold dove landed in your invitation (it looks like this) then consider it a special gift to a girlfriend or family member who has never been to Colour before. This golden dove is a gift registration to our Sydney Colour Conference!
Love the Colour Team
xoxo
THIS IS NELLIE
This is Nellie ... she was rescued from a public pit latrine. Our Colour launch is full of fun and colorful images, which I totally love and believe in ... however I wanted to add just one of the faces of our "collective cause". As a Sisterhood we are here to "hear the cry of the afflicted and hurting", whether that cry is from a filthy pit latrine toilet in far away Uganda, as in Nellies case, or from a hurting neighbour across a backyard fence or down the hallway of an apartment block.
Invitations are landing and as I have already tweeted, it may be a "lite" brochure by intention but it is "weighty" in what it represents. It represents lives yet to be impacted by the love and rescue of God. There are orphans, sisters and nations whose cry has yet to be heard.
Bobbie
POSTIE POSTIE... where are you with my invitation
Postie postie.... Where are you with my invitation?!
They are arriving .... Sailing over oceans, flying in the air, delivered on a bicycle, delivered with the milk, delivered down a lane, hand delivered by the mail man. Don’t forget to say thank you when the postie delivers!
We love you xxx
THE INVITATION...
Colour Invitations start arriving THIS WEEK
Girls, would you believe it... It's NOVEMBER!!! And with that, we know that all around Australia and beyond you will be receiving your very own invitation to Colour 2012... We are praying for you, believing that your world will allow you to accept this invitation and that you will also use this as a tool to share this message and invite your girlfriends.
Can’t wait to see you at Colour!
With love, The Colour Team
P.S. Send us your pics near and far of your invitation when it arrives! Twitter: @colourconf
SNEAK PEAK LAUNCH VIDEO
Girls, the anticipation is rising as your postie delivers the mail each day... It’s arriving!! Twitter us your photos when they arrive and tell us if the ‘golden dove’ lands in your invitation. We can’t hardly wait!!
Love the Colour Team
MORE COLOUR FUN DOWNLOADS
Hey Girls, Today's blog has some more beautiful, fun and fresh downloads for you! Simply click here for IPhones (version 1 / version 2) or click here for IPads (version 1 / version 2). Enjoy them and share with all ya girlfriends. See you tomorrow for more of our daily blogs.
Love from The Colour Team
Thank heaven’s for little girls
I have 2 beautiful daughters, Milan & Elliott. Watching them every day I get so blown away that God would trust me to be their mum & has empowered me to help guide them along this path called life.
Milan is 2&1/2 and I am shocked at how much she absorbs - how much she takes in from conversations with Mummy & Daddy, from her little friends, from kids church & where ever else her toddler feet carry her.
One day after church she waltzed in and proceeded to tell me she was a princess, so was I & Daddy was a prince (a few times Daddy was called a princess but she soon worked that one out). I love that she is learning she is special and so are the people around her. As a parent, this makes my heart smile because more than anything, my desire is that as she grows up she’d know her Creator and would extend His love to the world she touches.
For me, Sisterhood is my job, but more than that, it is my passion and the message of Sisterhood is central for me in raising my babies.
Sisterhood is all about placing value on women so in turn we can place value on humanity. In the same vein, the Petite Sisterhood is all about the ‘little people’ in our worlds understanding they are part of the Sisterhood, they are special & they can change the world!
Earlier this year I was driving with Milan in the back. She started singing loudly ‘How gate is our God, sing wis me, how gate is our God’. Translation: ‘How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God’. Yes she is only a toddler and yes she may not have fully comprehended all that she was singing, but I love that she is starting her own journey of discovering Jesus for herself.
I’m praying as she grows and develops her own revelation of Jesus she will understand she is born into the kingdom for ‘such a time as this’ and that she truly can be a world changer. In essence that’s what Petite Sisterhood is all about.
It’s so important for us ‘big’ girls to ‘get’ Sisterhood because there is a whole new generation coming through. When it comes down to it, we actually have a responsibility to help them understand they have the capacity to make the world a better place.
That’s where Colour Conference comes into it for me. Every year as I sit under the teaching I get reminded of the message behind Sisterhood and the inclusiveness of that mandate for anyone who wishes to accept the invitation. From there it’s up to me to carry that message to those around me (including those little ones in my world).
Bobbie’s I AM SISTERHOOD declaration boldly says that Sisterhood is for all ages, and we are all invited (whether we are 2, 32 or 82), and you know what... I really do believe that!!
Dani xxx
(City Sisterhood Pastor)
SISTERHOOD THROUGH GENERATIONS
By definition, The Sisterhood depicts a connection of something shared, a kinship that transcends age, culture, race. When I connect the dots on this amazing Sisterhood, there is a longing within me to understand and identify with the statement 'I am Sisterhood'‚ - I keep looking, and there is but ONE connection I see. There is a connection to Jesus, and a shared common ground. Jesus is described in the Bible as our Kinsman Redeemer, He is our 'kinship'‚ in this Sisterhood, the connecting factor that joins us together. He is a liberator, and in an age where there are so many lost daughters, lost to abuse, lost to degradation, lost to gender persecution, lost in a huge, scary and dangerous world, sometimes it just takes a Sister, or a Sisterhood to bring them home.
With love from a Girl in our World
WHAT IS MISS SISTERHOOD
‘Miss Sisterhood’ is no new thing or concept. From the very beginning when my Mum sensed that ‘God whisper’... “create a conference for YOUNG WOMEN, girded about by older women” ...has this movement championed youth girls.
THE THING IS... our young people are AMAZING! No really, they are!
I truly believe that never before has there been a generation of YOUTH who are so resourced, equipped, skilled, talented & CONFIDENT... It inspires me to think... “if we could just harness it all for the good of mankind - there is no telling for the sort of impact they could have in this world - both locally & globally”.
The thing about young people is this... they actually believe it! They still dream big... and have a “why not... why can’t I” mentality.
Sadly, too often that is lost in so many of us as we grow older.
So as the invitation lands in your mailbox... think about the youth girls in your world - and get them connected into this movement... for if they can just “get” it... Well, who knows?
ONE LOVE
ONE HEART
ONE SISTERHOOD!
Love Laura xx
JUST AN EVERYDAY GIRL
Hi, I am here to say hello! as my face is happily sitting on your Colour Invitation, while sailing through the post to your letterbox, into your hands and may even end up being pinned on your wall in anticipation for Colour 2012. Yippee!! I’m so excited!
Every year since I was young my church would get Colour Invitations and hand it out to us girls in Youth. I loved everything about it, the photos, the design, the words so I would always take two; keeping one and using the other to cut up and stick on my walls and cover my school folder with. Friends at school would always ask me where I got these beautiful images and verses from and I was able to tell them about what I believed.
Something about receiving the Colour Invitation when I was younger and having it pinned up on my wall meant so much to me, more than the images from the latest magazines next to them. I believe it was God speaking to me, drawing me closer to Him. Over the years, I have listened to that voice and stayed close to the places and people of God, and I am more blessed than I could ever have imagined.
One of the greatest treasures in my life is being a part of everything God is doing through the Colour Sisterhood, through His Church. So I pray that this brochure will bring you a little inspiration as it gives me, to keep living large generous lives for Him, to dream bigger than ever before, to pray harder than ever for each other and trust God in everything because He is great! He has a plan, and He is good all of the time.
Can’t wait for Colour 2012!!
Love Renae
ON THE COUCH WITH CATHY
Well I’m sitting on the couch with my ipad on my lap and a coffee within arm’s reach :)
The London Sisterhood girls are loving the “flourish baby flourish” message and they are flourishing!! Pink morning teas for breast cancer awareness, early morning walks with our Freedom t-shirts and meeting for coffee afterwards with our elderly friends, random acts of kindness for loving thy neighbour, praying and following news reports of human trafficking rings being broken in Oxford...it just keeps going.
What an amazing time to be alive; autumn is here, with a definite chill in the air, the thought of Christmas just around the corner again!! AND the new Colour invite will be arriving through the door soon! (We don’t have letterboxes, just a slot in the front door). I totally love the anticipation and reading through the invitation when it arrives is always a taste of great things to come!
It’s the invitation, people, atmosphere and Colour Conference in its entirety that keeps making me wanting to come back!
Cathy xx
EVERYDAY GIRLS: The World Over
One of the truly unique & attractive things about the Colour Sisterhood...is that it consists of everyday girls like you & me who have simply had a revelation of VALUE & placing VALUE on others.
It’s not a movement of super stars, rather a movement of everyday girls who are willingly doing their bit... big and small... to make a difference & leave a ‘Jesus mark’ in their wake.
It’s a movement that consists of single mums, entrepreneurs, grandmas, career focused girls, students, sisters, daughters, mums, wives, broken, whole and everyone in-between. It’s all-inclusive with an over-riding banner that says ‘whosoever shall come’.
It’s about understanding value, being valued & placing value upon others. It’s about doing whatever it is that is in your hand to ‘be the change’ in our ever-changing world.
It’s about friendship & doing life together. It’s about cheering each other on. It’s about belonging & helping others feel like they belong.
It’s about grieving with those who grieve & rejoicing with those rejoicing. It’s about knitting & tea parties & walking for freedom. But most importantly it’s about YOU, an everyday girl just like me, doing her bit that ultimately brings great honour and praise to our magnificent God.
Wherever you find yourself in the world, these days you will most likely stumble across an everyday girl who understands SISTERHOOD is not just a cool buzzword but a movement...a movement declaring Jesus & being His hands, feet & voice! A movement that enables everyday girls to proclaim I AM SISTERHOOD!
Julia A’Bell
Boys Just Wanna Have Fun
In the lead up to the photo-shoot for the Colour brochure, it’s all hands on deck. Our team are busy organizing and planning and sorting things out, this includes our stellar boys in the communications department, enter ... Ricki and Jay. They make us laugh, play pranks on strangers, and even side as kids entertainment on the day! Check OUT the video!
Colour Fun Downloads
Hey Girls, Today's blog has some really cute, fun and beautiful downloads for you, all you have to do is simply click here for IPhones (version 1 / version 2) or click here for IPads (version 1 / version 2). We know you'll just love them and share with all ya girlfriends. See you tomorrow for more of our daily blogs.
Love from The Colour Team
.jpg "DOWNLOAD / #COLOURSISTERHOOD")
The Global Sisterhood
On the countdown to Colour and the gathering of The SISTERHOOD...The Colour Sisterhood is more than just a list of people on a database...it is a company of women that identify with the message of Colour...placing VALUE on others in all walks of life. Whether that is a girl at school who takes a stand against bullying or a mum who collects her loose change in order to contribute to feeding and educating street children in Mumbai.
Sisterhood is both corporate and individual...sometimes we can lend our combined strength and build entire villages for orphan children in Northern Uganda or rescuing trafficked girls in Greece and sometimes SISTERHOOD is in the individual choosing to come alongside their neighbour as they battle breast cancer.
Whatever part you play in this increasingly strong and vibrant SISTERHOOD, I hope you will gather with us at Colour 2012 and be commissioned again for the next leg of the journey!
Can’t wait to see what God has in store for His girls...
From the office of The Colour Sisterhood
The Seventeenth Lap
Hey Beautiful,
I am so excited about the launch of all things Colour for 2012 that I can hardly contain myself.
I have been privileged to be a part of this journey since the inception and have personally witnessed what was once a dream become a reality. A global Sisterhood has arisen across the earth poised, positioned and prepared to do good works in a manner and of such, depth, reach and magnitude that has not been witnessed before.
The compass, unity and connection for this movement has and always will be the gathering that is known as Colour.
To endeavour to capture all that this conference is in a simple blog would be futile because it is so much more than a conference. I consider it to be a gathering, strengthening, equipping and mobilizing of the daughters of the King like no other.
When the walls of Jericho seemed impenetrable the Lord gave Joshua a unique, distinct and unusual battle plan. He told Him to gather the children of Israel together and to begin to march around the walls for 6 days and on the 7th day they were to march around the walls 6 times and then on the next lap around they were to make a unified, strategic, synchronized shout. Only then would what was once an impossible obstacle simply come tumbling down and they would take the city.
In our world today there are many thick seemingly impenetrable walls of injustice that need to fall down. There is no natural way for this to happen, it requires a supernatural battle plan and I believe that Colour is an integral part of that plan.
Each year that we gather can be likened to taking another lap around another wall of injustice wether that is a personal, local or global one. With each lap another crack appears in the wall and over the process of time walls do come tumbling down.
I have a profound sense that Colour 2012...or Lap 17 as I like to refer to it...will be a profoundly significant one in more ways than any of us could even begin to imagine.
The sequence of divinely orchestrated events leading up to this Colour would astound even the greatest sceptic. It has been and always will be a profoundly miraculous adventure, one that you do not want to miss.
We get the opportunity to be a part of making history- I really genuinely, sincerely and totally believe that.
If like me you have been a part of the miracle thus far don’t lose momentum, strength or courage, join us for the next lap, who knows what God is about to do. If you have missed a few laps and have not been for a while, come and joint us again. It will be easy to fall into step, join the rhythm and pattern of the symphony that God is writing called Colour. If you have not yet been a part, then I, together with multiplied thousands of other women await your presence, it won’t be the same without you. Trust me when I say that Lap 17 is not one to be missed.
Christine Caine
Behind the Scenes: A Declaration
"I am sisterhood is a declaration. A declaration that is bold and strong, quiet and confident. A declaration about value and identity, purpose and mission. It is a declaration intentional in reach and embrace. It transcends culture and creed, age and status, prejudice and preference. It’s a declaration that positions itself amid awareness and responsibility, concern and care, injustice and solution. A declaration ultimately concerned with the welfare of the world and her inhabitants. It has courageously woven its way through time and history and continues to weave itself across our lives and future. It is our collective here and now - and belongs to any feminine soul, who somehow believes that she was born for more than what is temporal and fleeting. It’s for women of all ages and background, personality and style, colour and vibrancy. It’s for the bold and bodacious, the demure and unassuming. It’s the sisterhood that perhaps heaven imagined when a very intentional Creator created His girls. It’s strong and beautiful, feminine and gracious, authoritative and gentle and above all else, welcomes the broken and discarded. Whichever way you see or understand it, it is a growing movement of women across the earth."
copyright Bobbie Houston
Look Out For...
Hey Beautiful,
IT'S IN THE MAIL!!
YOUR PERSONAL COLOUR Invitation is on it’s way to your mailbox!
This week sees the official launch of our new 2012 Colour Conference Campaign. It’s a campaign because the Sisterhood has become a global Movement, there’s a magnificent message about Value and Freedom to be gotten out, and there are countless lives around the world waiting to be impacted.
In the lead up to “the postie popping it in your mailbox”, we’ve got lots of sneak previews, cool reminders and fun things to download and be INSPIRED BY ... so watch the Colourconference.com website, watch the various twitters @coloursistahood @Colourconf @ Bobbie Houston ... and let’s carry and spread the love. Not only that, but there are several GOLD DOVE Gift registrations inside some of the invitations. Our prayer is that if one lands at your house, you will prayerfully consider it as a special Gift to a girlfriend or family member who has never been before. (I’m praying right now that God will totally cause them to land just where He has purposed).
It’s a LITE brochure by intention, it’s a REVOLUTION OF PEACE by intention, and it’s an INVITATION to change the world, by intention. How crazy/amazing that heaven believes in you and I for this.
Love ya sweetheart, stay connected, and see you soon!
Bobbie & friends
