High School Reunion

Happy Thursday! I hope this day finds you happy and blessed!
So, a friend recommended a show to me. Its called "High School Reunion". I don't know if you have ever heard of it. It comes on TV Land. Any who, the show is about the class of 1989 and it takes place 20 years later. They pick a handful of students from that class and put them all in a house together in Hawaii. So, picture a house full of the people that used to be the jocks, nerds, outcasts, cheerleaders, the super popular girls, bullies, wallflowers...you see where I'm going with this. So here we are, 20 years later, and you get to see how they interact and if they have changed or if they are the same. Needless to say, this makes for a very interesting show. As I watched, I was struck by the fact that many of these people were exactly the same type of person that they were in high school!! The mean girls were still mean! They were still hot. They were still selfish. The bullies were still bullies. Even when one bully was confronted by one of the guys he used to pick on, he acted like he had a right to pick on the guy and had no reason to apologize for that. The "it" couple from high school is still hung up on each other 20 years later. The Ladies man was still trying to get with every girl in the house. The girl that was a nerd in high school was still crying about how she didn't fit in then and still doesn't fit in now. The only person that changed was the wallflower. She emerged as this beautiful, confident woman. She was happy and fun and for once, everyone couldn't help but notice her. Even the most popular guy in high school is smitten by her. She was just radiating.
As I watched this, the word that kept coming to my mind was "identity". Identity. Most of these people still had the same identity. They still had the same type of behavior, the same attitude, the same old antics. Their identities were the same. And I thought, "Why didn't they change? Why didn't they improve or become better people inside? Why didn't they mature from that 'high school' state of being?"
Then I began to look at myself. Who was I in High School? Who am I now? In high school, I was awkward. I had my group of close friends and I didn't have enemies. I wasn't part of the popular crowd. I really felt like I was just myself. I don't think that I tried to be somebody that I wasn't. Good, bad and ugly, I was myself and I hope that people would agree with that. And yeah, high school was a bit tough. Here, I can relate the the lament of the "nerdy" girl in the show. There were times when I myself felt like the wallflower. I felt so unnoticed by those that I wanted to be noticed by. I felt that maybe I wasn't seen for who I was inside. Many times that feeling made me ache inside. I was just a girl. I wanted to be beautiful. I wanted to be told I was wonderful. I needed to feel valuable. I don't think that I was alone in feeling this. Maybe you felt that way too.
Today, I am a woman after God's heart. He captured mine and I owe all of my love to Him. He makes life worth living and everyday is an adventure. He found this lone, insecure girl and let her know that she was the apple of his eye. I am a conqueror through Christ and I am his beloved! I know who I am and anything I am today is because of Him and him alone. You see, who I was then wasn't enough. I needed improvement. The improvement that I needed wasn't a new body or hairstyle. It wasn't new clothes or an amazing career. I recognized that even though I was myself, I needed HIM. By myself, I was still not enough. Only Christ completed me. He was the missing piece to the puzzle of this soul. In Christ, I feel complete. My identity has changed because of who Christ is. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!". The old me is gone! All of aching for people to notice me has been replaced with gratitude because the God of this Universe noticed me...He noticed me!
Next year will be my 10 year High School reunion. I'm excited to see everyone again. But most of all, I hope that we aren't in the same place we were 10 years ago. Lets take a page from the book of the "wallflower" and emerge as people that have been transformed by the identity of Christ! I hope that we all can testify of the wonderful work God has done in our lives. I know I can! And I hope that that is what you see when you see me again!

Wow! An example of how the media makes us feel inadequate

Heidi Montag Speaks About Plastic Surgery on 'Good Morning America' - ABC News

Lets get this started shall we...

Hello all!
Welcome to the Bloom girls ministry Blog. I'm so glad that you made it! So, sit back, relax, grab a cup o' joe and enjoy :-). This is the first of many blogs to come. So, I would like to introduce myself and let you know what Bloom is all about. My name is Stephanie Rejino and I lead Bloom girls ministry. Its has been a pleasure and it has been a journey. God first placed bloom on my heart about 4 years ago. And here we are...1 1/2 years into bloom and I am so excited as I watch God do new things every Tuesday.I have been blessed to have two incredibly Godly women serve by my side. Sister Christy Delacruz and Jennifer Aviles have been with me from the very start and they have just been an amazing team! I love these women so much! Bloom is a ministry aimed at teenage girls. We get together once a week and have a Bible study. But its also a place for these girls to relax, have fun and feel safe among friends. Our message to these girls is that they are precious, loved and priceless to our God. It is not impossible to be a Godly girl and and ungodly world. We strive to be the difference; the light in a dark world. And you don't have to be a teenage girl to be involved in Bloom. I have found that many of the same struggles that girls grapple with everyday are the same struggles that women grapple with everyday. So, we can relate to what these girls feel. And if you are a woman needing some food for the soul, well, have a seat because the table is prepared for you my dear! So, if you have any questions, suggestions, comments, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time amigas!!