Tag-Archive for » Bible Study «

Jun

So we started a new Bible study at church on Sunday:

If God is in Control, Why Am I Such a Basketcase?: Extraordinary Choices for a Joy-Filled Life

WOW! Already, this first week – GOOD stuff. Not just pretty easy-to-swallow stuff – but a thorough study of the book of Colossians.

Colossians is a small book – only 4 chapters – but RICH with God’s truth. Written while Paul was under arrest – either house arrest or in prison – the message is:

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory

This just so happens to be our theme at church this year – and I’m excited to be digging into it…

Do you have a Bible study planned for summer? What’s your favorite Bible study ever? What was the most significant thing you learned from your study?

can’t wait to hear from you…

Category: Books & Movies, Faith Tags: Bible Study, book of Colossians One Comment

Jan

Is it Friday already?

queenmommy

Hey Company Girls – Where did this week go? Well, pull up a chair – I’ve got bagels and strawberry spread, and can put the kettle on for tea. I’ve been drinking LOTS of tea this week for a sore through, cough / laryngitis. The girls have been sick, and I caught it cuz they love to share with me. lol. The tea & honey has been great, along with the horehound candy which is very soothing to a sore throat!

It’s been a whirlwind week. Classes start up again on Monday – and I’ve got 2 counseling classes (debating adding a 3rd class later) that I’m VERY excited about. I’m printing out the instructor notes and am intrigued about the topics. The one course is Counseling for Women and one of Beth Moore’s books, A Woman and Her God: Life-Enriching Messages (Extraordinary Women), is the text. VERY cool! Along with DVD lectures from the university, I’ll be learning more about women’s issues (and myself, for sure) and am really excited about writing a paper for this class. =) (I’m a big nerd when it comes to writing papers!)

Georgie seemed to have an allergic reaction to a prescribed antibiotic and it was a bit scary. After 2 doses, she seemed to develop hives, so the on-call dr advised us to give her Benadryl and she was good. This morning we took her to her peds office and gave her another dose of antibiotic: NO reaction. =) So we’re still watching her. It’s an antibiotic in the family of Penicillin, and we can’t just assume anything – we’ll have to watch and see what happens. Both she & Curly have ear infections and eye/sinus yuck, so that’s how I got my lovely stuff…

And I made a major breakthrough in my kitchen this week, and I’m really proud of keeping up with it. I cleaned my desk (which happens to be in my kitchen) and have been able to maintain my reorganized kitchen for the entire week! That is a serious milestone for me. I’ve been getting dishes washed & put away and although I’m not always going to bed with a shiny sink, it does get shined once a day, so I’m pleased with that.

I’ve also had the great opportunity to participate in an online study of Ruth called A Faith Like Ruth’s with Amy Bayliss, of Women’s Ministry Online. The second session was yesterday, and it was really good! Amy provides a printable outline and her sessions are recorded. Worth checking out for sure! There are more sessions to come so check her link for more info. Here’s info for Session One and here’s Session Two.

And along those same lines, I saw that Tricia of Handfuls of Purpose, has also posted two weeks worth of the study of the book of Ruth, too, called Reflections of Ruth! You can copy and paste her posts into your word processing or text programs for printing out yourself. She’s broken down a study for each day of the week, and I highly recommend checking them out. I’ve copied them onto pages for printing, and think I’ll follow up Amy’s study with this study from Tricia. Here’s Week One and here’s Week Two.

Oh and if you love having a household notebook, Tricia has designed 8.5×11″ planner pages! I love Graceworks and enjoy the beautiful design, layout, and practicality of her pages. I’m THRILLED that she’s got notebook size pages and she’s planning to produce more. These pages are available for DOWNLOAD for printing at home – yahoo! – and she’s got a special for January. For more info, click here.

So that’s it for this week. Feel free to visit the rest of the Company Girls at Home Sanctuary today…

Category: Company Girl Coffee, Faith, Home Tags: Bible Study, Company Girl Coffee, Friday 15 Comments

Dec

Bible Reading Plan for 2010

queenmommy

How do you spend your regular Quiet Time? Do you have a standard practice of Bible reading, devotionals, journaling, and/or prayer? Do you have a “plan” that you have been using successfully?

Are you – like me – looking for a fresh “plan” – or at least a fresh sense of direction when it comes to having your daily Quiet Time with the Lord?

When I schedule my alarm to get up at 5:30 in the morning – it seems that inevitably, one or both girls begin waking up at 5:15 a.m.

When I schedule my quiet time for 8:30 p.m. at night – that’s when one or both girls are dealing with bad dreams, wild imaginations or “Mommy, I’m thirsty.” =)

But sometimes, I want a “plan” so that when I find myself – all of a sudden and unexpectedly – facing an hour of time for which I do not have to be responsible for (or to) anyone else – I want a PLAN so I can jump right into my Quiet Time with the Lord. Having a plan means that when some unexpected free time arises, I CAN jump right into my Quiet Time with the Lord!

more…

Category: Books & Movies, Faith Tags: Bible Reading, Bible reading plan, Bible Study 3 Comments

Dec

Finding Quiet Time in the Real World

queenmommy

Ohhhh – do you remember – or maybe you know now – what Quiet Time is like. You know – those quiet moments spent with the Lord – just learning, growing, worshipping, praising, thanking, praying, reading, writing.

Sigh.

I used to hate the quiet – it was eerie and bothersome. Unless it was my ritual bubble bath and then I loved the quiet. Now I LONG for those quiet moments where I can clear my head and get in touch with the Lord again.

Funny how things change.

“Quiet Time” has taken on new meaning in my life. My “Quiet Time” is usually during nap time, and some days those moments are fleeting and brief. I know – I know – Enjoy these times with my girls because they won’t last long. Bubble baths are rare – often short – but still nice. I will say that I have learned (and am still learning) to adjust to the moments when chaos reigns and noise overpowers. It’s a work in progress…

more…

Category: Faith Tags: Bible Study, Bible Study aids, Quiet Time 2 Comments

Dec

Kettle Club – To Get Things Rolling

queenmommy

kettleclub Exemplify Online has a monthly Kettle Club, where questions are posted at the beginning of the month and those who participate can jump in at the end of the month to share their experiences via their blog.

It just so happens that the theme for December has been Knowing Christ better and how to do that. For some time I’ve been struggling in my personal daily walk with the Lord. It’s hard to “schedule” Quiet Time when I have trouble scheduling anything… But I’ve been craving more time with Him and knowing Him again in a daily relationship. Having decided to commit to that, the Kettle Club just gave me a little push in the right direction…

KC Question 1: What tools did you use in getting to know Christ better this month? (devotionals, study, prayer, Scripture…)

I downloaded a Bible study from Cindy Rushton many months ago and decided to print it and walk through it in December. It’s a study on the life of Hannah and I’ve been able to spend many hours really taking in the work of the Lord in Hannah’s life. I’ve also been committed to MORNING TIME with the Lord on a daily basis – as committed as I am to coffee, my coffee time is being shared with the Lord. It’s not just about praying but about listening and asking God to speak to my heart and be real to me throughout the day.

KC Question #2; Did you learn something about yourself through learning more about Jesus?

It has been eye-opening. The more time I spend with Jesus, the more I want Him in my life. I am so self-absorbed and not so full of the Spirit – and I am asking Him to continue the painful process of dying to self in my life. I have really lived so long in my own power and don’t have a grasp on the full power available to me in Christ, and I am praying for Him to continue to reveal Himself to me in new ways.

KC Question #3: Did you find Him waiting to be found by you?

SUCH a great thing about God. He relentlessly pursues me and if I only stop and turn – there He is. He has been so close to me in some brokenness in my life this month – and I have been drawn closer to Him because of it. I’ve had some tough weeks of late – my miscarriage, my Algebra class (which I ended up withdrawing from and will have to retake at a local college next year), and stomach flu for each of us the week of Christmas. I’ve been broken more often than not, but God has poured out His grace and mercy over me and I am being drawn closer to Him.

I think the biggest effect it has all had on me is this CRAVING I have for time with Him – in His Word – in prayer – listening to Him speak – discovering more hard places for His hand to soften – yielding more of myself and allowing Him to till up the soil for more planing. It’s not easy. It’s not. I don’t like to give up what is “mine” to anyone – and yet in surrender, I’ve found such great peace in Him.

Next month, I’m going to study the book of James. It’s a hard book but it’s one that God has been speaking to me about, so that is my next in depth Bible study. After reviewing a bit of the “inductive Bible study” method” I am going to take a deeper look at what God has to say to me from the book of James.

Category: Faith, blogging Tags: Bible Study, Exemplify Online, Kettle Club, Nature of Christ Leave a Comment

Oct

What Study Bible Do You Recommend?

queenmommy

I’ve actually posted this question on Twitter a couple of times and got just a few responses, and thought maybe I’d get more input here…

About 20 years ago, I was given a beautiful red-leather bound Thompson-Chain KJV (King James Version) Bible as a gift. It had my name embossed in gold on the front cover, and I spent many years reading through it, marking verses, making notes, and well, just loving it.

I could turn to certain passages of marked Scripture and see the highlights and underlines or notes in the margin and remember a particular sermon I’d heard or study I’d participated in.

Sometimes I could read one of those notes and feel God’s Spirit speak a message anew to my heart. I would go into the concordance and learn more. I would cross reference verses and have a better understanding of what I had read.

Throughout the years, I collected more Bibles – a NKJV (New King James Version), my grandmother’s NIV (New International Version) – and have used all of them at one point or another.

And then it happened. One Sunday after church, I lost track of my Bible. The one I’d had for so long, that had so much meaning and so much of my Spiritual journey marked throughout the pages.

I thought for sure it would just turn up somewhere and I would find it again – but it’s been 6 months and I haven’t seen it. I retraced my steps. No luck. I checked at church thinking I’d left it in a classroom after dropping my daughters off in class. Nope.

And I began to grieve over the loss. I didn’t realize just how special that Bible had been to me until I lost it. And since then, I have struggled with my Bible study.

I’ve looked at new KJV Thompson-Chains, but the availability of other newer versions (like The Amplified or The Message) have intrigued me. I found a parallel Bible with NKJV (now my favorite version) and The Amplified Bible. Hmmmm – giving that one serious thought.

But I have looked and looked for that one Bible that could be both used at church and personal study, and I’m honestly overwhelmed because I haven’t found “the one.”

I love having cross references and a good concordance, but can use a separate concordance if need be.

So I’m putting this question to you:

What do you use for your personal every day study? Do you use a different Bible or version for church? Why do you love your particular Bible(s)?

I am praying over this. Wherever my Bible is, I am praying that SOMEONE is finding it useful and using it and learning from it. And I am praying to find another Bible that is both easy to use and profoundly impacting in my spiritual growth and walk with Christ.

Thanks for your recommendations – I appreciate your input!!!

Category: Books & Movies, Faith Tags: Bible Study, Bible versions, Scripture, Study Bible, Study Bibles, The Bible 2 Comments

Sep

Complete Randomness…

queenmommy

I LOVE FALL. I don’t know about any of you, but Fall actually energizes me and makes me happy! I love the cooler weather, the changing leaves, the crunch of them underneath my foot – even the rain. How do you feel about Fall? I don’t see it as a precursor to Winter, so much as an end to (hot, humid) Summer – so that’s where I’m coming from!

Speaking of Fall, one reason I enjoy the season is that I love to COOK with Fall ingredients, and I really enjoy making soups & stews and baking breads! I’m planning to share some recipes (some of my own – and some of my friends!) over the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!

Don’t forget about the Moms Online Bible Study with Jean Stockdale – High Stepping in Heavenly Places. (Look how cute the cover of the workbook is – SO totally like my girls!)

Speaking of Bible Study – the Lies Women Believe study I’m in is REALLY impactful! It really nails some deeply rooted stuff that so many women (not just me) live with. If you can’t get into a study with someone else, I highly recommend getting the book and the workbook to journal through it yourself!

So, more announcements are coming, but I’ll keep it short & sweet today…

Have a Blessed Day!