Weeks 15 & 16

Power From On High
 
"The word of God hidden in the heart is a stubborn voice to suppress." ~Billy Graham

Reading
Psalms 38-41
Acts 1-18

"The longer you read the Bible, the more you will like it; it will grow sweeter and sweeter." ~William Romaine

God on the Move
 
Reading
Acts 19-28
Joshua 1-12

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained
A verse or passage you'd like to remember
Questions

Week 14 -- Hear Me When I Call, O God

"Psalm 23 has about half as many words as you find on the back of an aspirin bottle, but it has relieved far more headaches." ~Dan Schantz
Reading
Psalms 6-37
Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained
A verse or passage you'd like to remember
Questions

Weeks 12 & 13

Week 12 -- A Special Treasure
 
"Only one thing validates a message or a messenger: the whole counsel of the Word of God."  ~Kay Arthur
John 16-21
Deuteronomy 1-15

Week 13 -- Choose Life
 
"It is such a relief to trust God and His Word." ~Michelle Renihan
Deuteronomy 16-34
Psalms 1-5

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

Week 11 -- The Way, The Truth, and The Life

"The Bible is primarily an account of what's wrong with us, of what God planned to do about it, and about what he has done about it in history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ."
~Tim Keller
 
Reading is Numbers 31-33
John 1-15
Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

Week 10 -- Wilderness Travails

"The Bible was written in tears, and to tears it yields its best treasures." ~A.W. Tozer



Reading is Numbers 10-30

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

Week 9 -- Ready and Waiting

"The Bible is...as necessary to spiritual life as breath is to natural life.  There is nothing more essential to our lives than the Word of God.
~Jack Hayford

 
Reading
Luke 13-24
Numbers 1-9

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

Week 8 -- Reasons for Rejoicing

Knowing the Word of God is your best weapon against the lies that the enemy will tell you. ~Christy Miller
 

Reading
Leviticus 19-27
Luke 1-12

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

Negative Inside Chatter

Include, but are not limited to:
"You are not liked.
Who are you to think you could do that?
Why did you say that?  Everyone thinks you're annoying.
Your kids just illustrated every inadequacy you have as a mom.
You are invisible.
Have you ever been taunted by thoughts like these?...Why do we let such destructive words fall hard on our souls?"
"'How do you know that's what I'm thinking?  Please don't hold me liable for saying things that are really only thoughts in your mind.'"
"The more ratcheted up this negativity gets, the closer we are to an explosion (spewing) or an implosion (stuffing).  Whether we spew or stuff, our anxiety level skyrockets..."
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 4:6-9)

Three Questions
"Question 1:  Did someone actually say this or am I making assumptions about what they're thinking?"
"Philippians 4:6 invites us to choose prayer over worry in every situation."

"Question 2:  Am I actively immersing myself in truth?"
"Remember what science reveals:  When we feel anxious, those negative thoughts shift your body's focus to protection and reduce your ability to process and think with wisdom or grow healthy thoughts."
Philippians 4:7

"Question 3:  Are there situations or relationships that feed my insecurities?"
Philippians 4:8


Quieting the Inside Chatter
"...if you do know what I'm talking about, exhale with relief that you're not alone."  :-D
Psalm 126: 2-3
"How a woman thinks is often how she lives.  May we think on and live out truth, and only truth, today."



Questions
How have you parked your mind "on constructive thoughts"?
Who have you told recently, "I love you.  That's all I'm thinking.  Period"?

Week 7 -- Prophecy and Purity

There's no better book with which to defend the Bible than the Bible itself. ~Dwight L. Moody
 

Reading
Mark 13-16
Leviticus 1-18

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

Week 6 -- No Other Gods

The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when one reads it.  ~Anonymous

Reading
Exodus 31-40 and Mark 1-12

Questions
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.
Questions

A Holy Nation -- Week 5

 
If I were to go through the Word of God studying only one word, love, I would never get to the end of the wonders.  ~Catherine Mackenzie

Reading is Exodus 10-30.

Share the Journey
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained?
A verse or passage you'd like to remember?
Questions?

Week 4: I AM

 

When Scripture comes alive in our hearts, it doesn't inform us as much as transform us.
~Margaret Feinberg

Reading for the week is Matthew 16-28 and Exodus 1-9.

Share the Journey
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
Something you learned or an insight you gained.
A verse or passage you'd like to remember.

Unglued: The Empty Woman

 
"...the seeds of comparison...seeds that grow a plant called coveting, whose long, spiny vines of jealousy choke the joy out of me.  Yes, that happens, and then I do nogthing but stand in front of the mirror and give my brain permission to go there...The more I compare, the emptier I become.  So empty."

The "J" Word
"According to a Yale University study, social-comparison jealousy occurs when the following three conditions are present: (1) a person receives negative personal feedback (2) in a domain of life that is important to them, and (3) they believe another person is performing successfully in that same domain."
"comparison steals celebration"
James 1:15
"...when we're struggling with jealousy:  we need to carry our own load (Galatians 6:4-5), and then carry some love to others (Galatians 6:9-10)

Carry Your Own Load
"'I'm not equipped to handle what she has, both good and bad -- and what she has is always a package deal of both.'"
"He (Satan) want to steal my attention, kill my joy, and destroy my creative best by making me want what God has entrusted to someone else."
"All the things I have and don't have are what make up the unique load I've been assigned."

Carry Some Love to Others
"May the seeds harvest sincere celebration for her and complete peace in me.  Me.  A woman once so empty and unglued.  Learning.  Growing.  Reaping more and more fulfillment."

Questions
Have you thanked God recently for your "unique load"?
"How does your perspective change when you realize "that the life (you) have and sometimes wish (you) could exchange for someone else's is a privileged life?
How might you carry your own load and carry it well today?
How might you carry some love to others and expand your soul's capacity today?"

Week 3

The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.
~Martin Luther

Finish reading Genesis, chapters 43-50.  And, start reading Matthew, chapters 1-15.

Share the Journey
*How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
*Something you learned or an insight you gained?
*A verse or passage you'd like to remember?
*Questions

Sidebar: Week 2

The Spirit breathes upon the Word, and brings the truth to sight.  
~William Cowper 
The reading for Week 2 is Genesis 22-42.

Share the Journey (Questions)
How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?

Something you learned or an insight you gained?

A verse or passage you'd like to remember?

Questions

My Kid-Placemat Life

 
"Finding the gentle middle between exploding and stuffing can be hard, but God is working on me."
"But there's yet another layer we must add before we move on.  It's perspective."
"Let your gentleness be evident to all" (Philippians 4:5)
"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)
"The more I rejoice, the more I keep things in perspective.  The more I keep things in perspective, the gentler I become."

Reevaluating My Kid-Placemat Life
"Comfort zones are like that.  Remember, comfort zones don't have to be comfortable--they're just familiar.  It's where you feel like you belong.  And where you come to believe you belong is where you will stay."
"Having God as an identity marker reduces Him to nothing more than a label, a lingo, and a lifestyle -- I'm a Christian so I talk like one and act like one.  But having God as an identity changer is much, much more.  It means I am no longer the person I was before...I am making imperfect progress.  Shifting, breaking away, and being chiseled.  I am a woman whose identity has been changed by coming face to face with the One who has the power to completely transform me."

Vanished
"Where human finances, strategies, and programs fall short, God's power fills the gap.  When discouragement looms close, God's power moves in closer."


Questions
How has the rejoicing been going?  Keeping things in perspective?  Is it helping you remember to be gentle?
"Is the situation I'm facing today really one of those things" that "warrant my mental energy"?
Do you pursue "perspective-magnifying opportunities"?
Where have you seen God lately?

Side Bar

I promise, we will finish our discussion of Unglued.
However, it is a new year and with that being said, I would like to make it through the Bible in a year.  So, I purchased

In the store, I did not realize it had group discussion in mind.  Now, I know.  So, the reading for the first week in Genesis 1-21.  It averages about three chapters a day.
The reading does not continue in this pattern of from start to finish.  Once we get through Genesis, it has us go to Matthew.

Your decision to open the Bible every day to look into the mirror and see truth from God makes you a light in a world filled with much darkness.
~Catherine Martin

The questions for the first week are:
1) How did you experience God's heart in this week's reading?
2) Something you learned or an insight you gained.
3) A verse or passage you would like to remember.
4) Questions.

So, I hope you will join us as we read and discuss the Bible in a year.

I Need a Procedure Manual

"Oh, how corrupted motives can really make me come unglued."
"The Bible is pretty blunt in naming the real issues here: evil desires."
"evil desires...Things like...Selfishness...Pride...Impatience...Anger...Bitterness..."

Positioning My Heart in the Flow of God's Power
"Wow.  God's divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life?  Everything?  If that's the case, why do I still come unglued?"
"I have to 'make every effort' to add some things to my faith.  Things like goodness, knowledge, and self-control.  I have to add these in.  I have to make that choice."

My Biblical Procedure Manual
2 Chronicles 20

Step 1: Remember who you are.
"Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved.  The kind had resolved to inquire of the Lord."
"I am a child of God, holy and dearly loved, whom God has set apart for a mighty purpose."

Step 2: Redirect your focus to Jesus.
"They didn't know what to do, but they knew who to turn to."
"The Bible teaches that there is power and protection in the Lord's name.  (John 17:11)."
"The human soul is designed to recognize and respond to the calm assurance of Jesus."

Step 3: Recognize God's job isn't your job.
"We're not responsible for figuring it all out.  Our job is simply to be obedient to God in the midst of what we're facing.  God's job is results."
"Operating in the flow of God's power is so much better than working against the flow of God's power."

Step 4: Recite thanks and praises to God.
"I say out loud to myself, 'If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it's still a pretty good day.'"
"...shift from an attitude of gratitude and to praise our God in the midst of it all."

Step 5: Realize reactions determine reach.
"Because in the midst of it all, he [Jehoshaphat] honored God with his actions and reactions.
"Remember, though he was alarmed, he was resolved to inquire of the Lord.
He felt alarmed but stayed resolved.  He kept his focus on the Lord.  He stayed in the flow of God's power by being obedient to God's Word.  Though it wasn't easy, he shifted from having an attitude to practicing gratitude.  And his reaction not only affected everyone around him, not only people in his own kingdom, but even those in surrounding countries."
"I want to train my mind to remember each step, each truth, each choice Jehoshaphat made.  Then I want to train my heart to have the courage to implement each one."

Questions for Discussion
So, created your own predetermined plan?  What steps are on your plan?
Did you find another story in Scripture to help you determine your plan?  Who?
Have you tried out Lysa's or your own plan?  How did it go?

The Stuffers

 

"I stuff because:

*I don't feel safe enough to confront this person.

*I don't have the energy or the time to get into a conflict right now.

*I don't know how to address the issue.

*I don't want to seem hypersensitive.

*I don't want to get rejected.

*I don't want to lose control.

*I don't want to make things worse, so I convince myself I can just let it go.

But if I'm completely honest, as a Christian woman I also sometimes stuff because it feels more godly."

"...healthy processing when I work through the issue and diffuse the hurt."

The Stuffer Who Builds Barriers

"Barriers shut down communication."

Barriers or Boundaries?

"The difference between boundaries and barriers is honest transparency."

"Barriers set relationships on a regressive course that leads to isolation.  Boundaries set relationships on a progressive course that leads to connection."

What Do I Really Want?

"...feelings should be indicators, not dictators."

Impossible People

"...how do I back away and not stuff?"

"If they make the choice to walk over me rather than walk with me, I'll have to love them from afar.  I can forgive and refuse to hold resentment toward them, but just because I extend my forgiveness doesn't mean I have to give them access to me."

"...handled with much prayer..."

The Stuffer Who Collects Retaliation Rocks

"True peacekeeping isn't about stopping the emotion...True peacekeeping is about properly processing the emotions before they get stuffed and rot into something horribly toxic."

Processing Questions

"...how do we process these emotions before stuffing them?"

"...If I knew this person wasn't coming home tonight, would I still let this bother me?"

"...Will I still remember what I'm so mad about a month from now?"

"Am I trying to prove or improve?"

Dealing with Unrealistic Expectations

"...it's unfair of me to use my expectations as the standard for their behavior or hold it against them when they don't live up to my hopes."

"Why not take your expectations and your need for discernment about them to God in prayer?"

Feelings

"'Feelings are indicators, not dictators, child.  They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn't mean they have the right to dictate your behavior and boss you around.  You are more than the sum total of your feelings and perfectly capable of that little gift from Jesus called self-control.'"

Questions for Discussion

Why do you stuff?

Have you tried out "healthy processing"?  How did it go?

The Exploders

The Exploder Who Shames Herself
*"Do not check in with the screaming demands of the world before you exchange whispers with God."
* "the balance between the two (unhealthy exploding vs unhealthy stuffing) is soul integrity where our honesty is godly."
*"sip the shame so you won't have to guzzle the regret."
*focuses on Ephesians 6

Crafting My Response Template
1) "Begin by honoring the one offended...  (point out a good quality)
2) Keep your response short and full of grace...
    A line to acknowledge the expressed hurt...
    A line to clarify my intentions...
    A line of gentle honesty about the issue at hand...
    A line of apology if appropriate...
    A line asking for grace...
3) End by extending compassion."

"Choosing a gentle reply doesn't mean you're weak; it actually means you possess a rare and godly strength."


The Exploder Who Blames
*"So, here's one little tidbit I'm learning.  When someone else's actions or statements threaten to pull me into a bad place, I have a choice.  I do."

Self-Control
*"When I react by yelling, flying off the handle, or making a snappy comment, I basically transfer my power to the other person."

Holy Restraint
*"...self-control is the external expression --the evidence --of a well-done center that helps us to respond in more godly ways."

Finding the Quiet
1) "In the quiet, we feel safe enough to humble ourselves."
2) "In the quiet, God lifts us up to a more rational place."
3) "In the quiet, anxiety gives way to progress."
4) "In the quiet, we acknowledge that our real enemy isn't the other person."
5) "In the quiet, I can rest assured God will use this conflict for good--no matter how it turns out."

How are you doing on following Ephesians 6:19?  Every time you open your mouth, do you proclaim the Gospel?
Do you quote God's Word in the present tense?  What is your favorite passage to quote or read in the present tense?  Lysa mentions 1 Peter 5:6-8.
Are you making imperfect progress?