OMG (Oh My Goodness)… Find the joy through the tragedy is, I believe, imperative. It’s this one thing that allows us to find the hope in every situation, and some times things look pretty darn stark. In every life, we have our own set of “darkest days” we have to live through. No two people on the face of the planet go through the exact same set of dark days because each and every person on the face of the planet is simply different. Even identical twins, triplets, quads, and so on, have been … [Read more...]
Blessings… Seeing Through Catastrophic Loss #blessing
Catastrophe. That’s quite a word. It’s the epitomy of a word trying to describe the worst of a circumstance and even with this word it’s still not enough to truly explain the loss. Flood, almost 4 feet deep = Catastrophe. The catastrophic nature of what happened back on May 19 doesn’t begin to describe enough the significant loss Keith, Athena, me, and my mom went through. Athena literally no longer has a bedroom. Our house only has 3 bedrooms in it. Two on the main floor - Keith & I … [Read more...]
Sharing My Struggle
I'm sitting here at my keyboard trying to figure out how to start this very post, yet I can't think of a "fancy" way to do it. So here it goes... I've not shared with very many people the struggles I've been going through for several months now. While I won't go into details, there have been a lot emotionally trying things happening in our home to where I've been really down and my self-loathing is in full swing. I can easily get to a place where I'm beating myself up, saying how stupid I am; … [Read more...]
What Does True Love Look Like?
Today is Week 2 Day 3 of the study, and before we get further into studying the Bible, she first has us pray so that our heart will be able to hear what the Holy Spirit has to tell us and to have us slow down so we can hear Him speak. In doing this He will be able to stretch us as we do our study today. I truly feel every time I take the time to pray before I dig deeper into God's Word, I'm able to understand it so much better than when I don't. Page 167 1. For question one, she has us … [Read more...]
What Does Love Mean to You?
Today, week 2 day 2, we're heading into a very well-known, and read, part of scripture: 1 Corinthians 13. I love that Jen takes us back there as it teaches us no matter how many times you read God's Word we can always find something new in it. What I've taken from this passage is that above all things, love matters most. Love is shown in what we do, how we are, where we go, why we act in a certain way. When we lack love, true love, something becomes missing in our lives. Things can tend to … [Read more...]
2 Steps to Start Studying the Bible (on your own)
While there wasn't any journaling given today (week 2 day 1), I plan to read the chapter and makes notes as I go along. We need to remember of everything we read in the Bible to ask, "What's the point?" On page 86, Jen says, "God is certainly in the details, but He's also definitely in the main idea." When reading God's Word for Bible study there are 2 simple steps to follow. STEP 1: Read the ENTIRE SECTION first, one time minimum through. "NO stops! NO notes! NO flipping around! Read … [Read more...]
Have you ever prayed Scripture before?
Wow, today (week 1 day 5) is the first day in the study where Jen does NOT ask us to read a chapter in the book. Instead, on page 165, she says to “turn to Psalm 119. Except for verses 1-3 and 115, this psalm is addressed to God. As you skim through the psalm…, compile two lists in your journal. While there are many options, look for seven to ten verses for each list (see questions 1 and 2) that uniquely represent your desires. 1. "First, copy verses or even just phrases that demonstrate your … [Read more...]
Have you ever had an ‘awe ha” moment?
Today was Week 1 Day 4 and Jen Hatmaker had us read chapter 4 in her book A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study. On page 56 she wrote, "We must do our part to grow beyond salvation by allowing what began in our hearts to infect our minds.... as the Creator is well acquainted with our questionable habits and propensity to wander, but we have to respond with due diligence." Page 60, "Journaling forces our minds to engage with the Holy Spirit in Scripture. We listen as we read; we respond as we … [Read more...]
Week 1 Day 3
Jen has some pretty awesome titles for each one of her chapters in this book. Today we were asked to read chapter 3. Title: "Codependency That Doesn't Require Therapy". The subtitle is "Learning to Lean on the Holy Spirit." Now isn't her title very fitting but adds a cute dimension to it. On page 40 she asks, "Would you believe that you already have everything you need to study the Bible with discernment?" If you're anything like me, you're shaking your head at that one because studying the … [Read more...]
Week 1 Day 2 (my journey continues…)
I like what Jen Hatmaker had to say in chapter 2, page 26, "...the truth is, we approach God's Word without any strategies to make it come alive." When I first read this I realized just how true that statement is. I've always look at the Bible as something, obviously, very important. I knew God had given it to all of us as sort of a manual for how to live our lives, how we should treat ourselves as well as others, to know how to get to know Him more. It's a book like no other out there today. … [Read more...]
