Living in Love With Jesus Clothed in the Colors of His Love

Introduction: ;Week 1: A Glorious Bride: ;Embroidered with Gold ;A ;The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; ;Her clothing is woven with gold. ;She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors. ; (Psalm 45:13-14a nkjv) ; A ;Week 1 ; A ;A Glorious Bride: ;Embroidered with Gold ; A ;We have been overwhelmed by the response to our first curriculum, Falling in Love with Jesus. So many of you, from eighteen to eighty, have written and told us how understanding that Jesus is your Bridegroom has brought your relationship with Him to a whole new level. Wherever you are in your singleness or marriage, you know you have a perfect Bridegroom. You feel cherished, and you are experiencing a deeper intimacy with Him. ;What an exciting journey this has been for us as well. We'd like to tell you about just one amazing weekend when we were invited to minister at a two-day event. Falling in Love with Jesus was the theme, and it was being held at an elegant hotel in Atlanta. At this event the committee had planned all the pomp and circumstance involved with a royal wedding reception in order to bless four hundred women who were in full-time ministry. We watched as these women completely absorbed the pampering, the attention, and the reminder that they are loved as the Bride of Christ. Facials, manicures, and massages were available, without cost, before the start of the event. White flowers, fine china gleaming in candlelight, and displays of wedding gowns were arranged throughout the hotel. In the evening, when the women returned to their rooms, they found rose petals and chocolates scattered across their bedspreads. It was all magnificent. ;Several humorous things happened that weekend, which we later realized made a perfect parallel for this study, Living in Love with Jesus. ;(Dee) My plane arrived first. I waited with the retreat coordinator, Mary Francis, outside the security area. Darlene, a Delta flight attendant on the committee, went right to the gate to greet Kathy when she got off the plane. Darlene watched as each woman walked through the door. When the last passenger walked off and they closed the door, she was dismayed. No Kathy! She hurriedly called Mary Francis on her cell phone. I could hear Darlene's voice, filled with panic: ;"Kathy wasn't on the plane!" ;I thought for a moment and then realized what had happened. Smiling, I said, "Mary Francis, Kathy was on the plane. Trust me. Darlene just didn't recognize her. People always look for the 'album cover Kathy.' You know-the hair done, the makeup, the gorgeous clothes. Don't worry. I'll watch for her. She'll be coming up the escalator any minute." ;Sure enough, a few minutes later, Kathy appeared, easily lost in the crowd in her typical ball cap, jeans, cowboy boots, and leather jacket. I waved to get her attention. She smiled that recognizable smile, and the committee all breathed a sigh of relief. ;The situation became more humorous when we arrived at the hotel. Our van pulled up to a side entrance, which was lined with urns overflowing with flowers. ;(Kathy) I was walking in to greet the women when I was stopped. ;"Wait, wait, wait! You can't come in yet." ;Dee and I began to see what was so sweetly planned. The women started to unroll a white lace runner. A bubble machine was turned on over the door, and bubbles began to fill the air. When I saw what they were doing, I lightheartedly pushed Dee aside, saying: ;"You've done tBrestin, Dee is the author of 'Living in Love With Jesus Clothed in the Colors of His Love' with ISBN 9780849943881 and ISBN 0849943884.