Beth Moore's Blog, page 43

A Case of the Mondays

Good Monday morning, ladies!

Anybody have a case of the Mondays today? Like this pup?

Seriously made me laugh. I hope you did, too.

I started writing a post late Friday morning then decided to press hold and wait until today. I knew better than to publish anything because seriously, on a Friday afternoon in the summer, who reads a blog? Weekends, though they seem to rush on by in real life, tend to be much slower on the blog. So here we are. Yet another weekend behind us. Yet another Monday ahead of us. Grin.

If you don’t have a case of the Mondays, maybe you feel like this…

Yes, yes, yes! I won’t admit how often I think we need three day weekends instead of just two days. Of course, I’m kidding. Maybe. A co-worker sent me an email forward last week with some hilarious “when dogs talk” pictures and I just couldn’t help but share. I NEVER send forwards to people, but even I had to forward it on to a handful of folks. Anyway, I hope some of us, or all of us, can relate.

I, for one, am happy to see last week go. You know how some weeks you just feel like the enemy is doing everything to make you quit and just feel alone? That’s how I felt. I’m only telling you that because I know for a fact I’m not alone in that, and sometimes, we need to hear someone else say it so that we don’t feel even more alone. Thankfully, His mercies are new not just every day, but every week. Can I get an amen?

However, as silly as it seemed, I was going to wish all of you an official “Happy Summer!” on Friday, as it was, according to the calendar, the first official day of summer. I’m not sure how June 21st rolls around every year having already felt like we’ve had two months of summer weather, but that’s how Houston rolls.

I kicked off the so-called official summer by enjoying my apartment pool for a little bit on Saturday. Otherwise known as my happy place.

That’s a perk of apartment living. (Which outweighs some of the non-perks. Grin.) You get to enjoy the pleasures of a pool you may not otherwise have in your backyard. Especially on a very hot day in Houston. It was good.

Despite last week not being my favorite week, there were some highlights worth sharing.

1) We celebrated our beloved Beth’s birthday!

As you can imagine, she’s easy to love and celebrate! It was a simple lunch celebration at the office, but it was delightful. Could Mexican food brought in be anything but delightful? One thing she’s taught me, besides the million other Jesus things, is the gift of receiving! Quite literally, I don’t know anyone that receives gifts as well as she does. She simply makes you believe the gift you gave her is her most favorite thing ever and receives it with much glee and thankfulness! That alone is a gift, y’all. I think it makes it fun for both the giver and the receiver. If someone gives you a gift, be glad! Receive it well! Shoot, let the giver bless you! We don’t need to feel greedy, just thankful. Needless to say, we laughed, celebrated, then nearly collapsed from a food overdose. Grin.

2) This didn’t actually happen last week, but y’all. I’d like you to meet our resident LPM lizard.

If it is unclear to you, this lizard, whom we’ve not named, is eating a roach in one picture and a butterfly in the other. I hope you’re not eating lunch while reading this post. If so, my deepest apologies. He went for a little sweet and a little salty, and dude can hunt. I’m almost afraid to come back to the office from lunch afraid for fear we’ll find him after his hunt. Anyway, I thought you might find it interesting. Or disgusting. Or both. But I felt it was good blog material. Don’t you? Laughing.

3) Girls Bible study!

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it on the blog but as if Gideon wasn’t enough, we’re doing a small Girls Bible study this summer. In the words of our Siesta Mama, we’re afraid of boredom around here! That’s the truth! Last summer, I think I mentioned that I led some girls through So Long, Insecutiry. It was a lot, but so good. Girls ministry at LPM is still something we’re  working on and trying to figure out, so we’re taking it one sememster at a time. This summer, we’re just meeting four times together and each week someone different is joining us to share something unique with the group. It might just be my favorite summer yet. We met for the first time two week ago, we’ll meet again tomorrow, and two more evenings in July. If it comes to mind, we’d love your prayers! Oh, that this would not be in vain and would bear much fruit in the girls coming. They are the sweetest things ever. So timid. So outgoing. (I know, right?) So adorable. So loveable. So much room to grow. I’m excited for what’s ahead!

Well, I think that’s all for now. Just a little random, catch up since it’s been a week since I’ve said hi! Signing off for now. Much to do on this hot Monday in Houston!

Happy Monday!

His Nearness; Our Good

This past Sunday at church we sang a song called “Bones” by Hillsong United. I was given the privilege to lead it for our congregation. A year ago I would have never even told you that I led a song for our church, rather, I would have just left it at the fact that we sang and I enjoyed it. However, over the past two or so months the Lord has really been doing a transforming work in my mind and when you see fruit from the transformation and taste a little bit of victory, it’s deeply satisfying. That is, the grace the Lord has poured out on you.

I’ve been discovering that when the Lord calls you to an area in your gifting to serve the body of believers He’s placed you in, timidity in entering into that calling out of fear is simply false pride. The gifts He’s given you are just that, gifts. You did nothing to earn it or even ask for it, so step into it with grace, confidence and a humility asking the Lord to accomplish in the Spirit what only He can. How much do we all miss out on simply because fear is holding us back? I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit I’m so guilty. Lord, help us. And He does! I’m convinced that when the Lord transforms your thinking, it in turn transforms your serving.

Can anyone say rabbit trail? That’s is absolutely not where I was planning on going when I started writing this post, but it’s certainly what I’ve been challenged with lately so I’ll leave it in there and move on. Grin. (I’m feeling a little all over the place today.)

Originally, what I wanted to share with you these simple lyrics we sang.

Oh Jesus, Alive in me.

Short and sweet, yet simply profound.

Isn’t that what we’re all after? That Jesus would be alive in us each and every day?

That we would be different, think different and act different because today He was alive in us? I don’t know how I can tangibly explain that Jesus makes a difference, but He absolutely does, without a doubt. If scripture tells us that it is “to our advantage” that when Christ went away He would send us our helper, the Holy Spirit (John 16:7), then I want to press into that advantage.

In my obsessive, anxious mind, uttering the words Jesus brings me almost instantaneous peace. Only Jesus can do something like that.

“You can calm the ocean, speak peace into my soul. Take me as I am, awaken my heart to beat again.”

When I feel like my world is spinning out of control, the fact that my name is engraved in the palm of God’s hands is indescribable. Translation: He really does care for me greatly and deeply.

“In his hand is the life of every living thing
 and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:15-16

When someone disappoints me, I’m all the more reminded that Jesus is the ONE person that won’t disappoint me. He’ll never leave me or forsake me. Does that mean things always go the way I wished they would? No. That would be a far cry from reality. But I do know that the things I’ve always hoped for that have eventually let me down, He’s not only come through but exceeded those hopes and dreams.

Yes, Jesus, be alive in me.

I recently told my coworkers that worshiping through singing sets my mind in a posture to receive from the Lord and be content in His love.

I sense His love and his pleasure when I’m singing and worshiping. You might not know it from the outside (much like you might not know when I feel like I’m going crazy from the outside), but the way it brings a calmness and peace to my mind, the joy I feel from worshiping, is almost unmatched. It’s simply where I can feel His presence. And it is good.

I know enough to know that feeling His presence isn’t the basis of our faith, but I can tell you it’s important. When we learn to seek God and find Him in our own intimate way, I know He is pleased as well. I’ve well learned that I don’t get any pleasure out of knowing Christ intimately through the faith of someone else.

There are few things I can do that allow me to surrender my frantic thinking and enjoy the Lord’s presence. Reading a good book allows me to do this as well. It doesn’t mean I never worry again, but it’s in these moments that I can breathe a sure breath and know God really in in control.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I want more of His presence. More of His Spirit. More of His peace. More of His mind.

I don’t know where and when you most sense God’s pleasure and presence.

For some it’s singing.

Reading.

Worshiping.

Running.

Memorizing scripture.

Dancing.

Gardening.

Bible Study.

Whatever it is, wherever it is you feel most at home in the presence of God, I’d encourage you to find it, cultivate and practice it often. Finding Him as our refuge and shelter is of utmost importance.

You can ask my coworkers, I don’t go a day without listening to music while working in the quietness of my own office. And rest assured, nearly the minute I walk away from my desk, I’m either humming or singing something. It’s true. And maybe annoying. But it is for my good.

We know this to be true; the nearness of God IS our GOOD.

Oh Jesus, Alive in me.

Yes and amen.

“But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereign LORD my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.” Psalm 73:28 (NET)

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95:2

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 12!

Hey Sweet Things! I’m putting this post up an evening early so I don’t have to be up and working at 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning off. Smiling. Thank you for understanding! Don’t stress if the comments aren’t moderated right away. We take it a little slower on weekends so nobody’s working nonstop.

 

I wish I had a way to add some great celebratory music to this post. You are officially halfway! Doesn’t that feel fabulous? Oh, come on, now. Let yourself feel it. Great job, Sisters! It’s not easy. We know we can do the second half because we have already done the first.  And we’ll do this next half exactly the same way: through the unction of the Holy Spirit. Just keep choosing Scriptures that are speaking to you in your exact season and need and they’ll come alive in the marrow of your bones.

 

I feel like I’ve been talking to you all day because I think of you while writing the lessons for the Bible study underway. We have hashed some things out in the Scriptures today, Sister. You just couldn’t hear them. I’ll just be glad when some of you are sitting on the other side of that page talking back. When I was at the taping for Children of the Day in May, we explained to the group that it would be a whole calendar year before the study comes out. The process takes a long time, especially because it involves both written work and video. We also have to dodge around a travel schedule that is set in calendar-stone a good bit in advance. But, in the twinkling of an eye, another month has already passed. The very last of the manuscript is due in December so you’ll not waste a prayer on me between now and then. I don’t get to write every week because I am on the road more often this time of year so each day I get to sit with my Bible open to 1st and 2nd Thessalonians is a gift. And a brain cracker at times.

 

You and I have plenty to do before next May, however! I so hope many of you are doing the Gideon Bible study this summer with us that our gifted sister, Priscilla Shirer wrote. It’s tremendously powerful. I saw one of you give her a shout-out today on Twitter with the hashtag #Siestaville at the end of it. It made me so happy. God has graced us with such anointed messengers at this hour in the Body of Christ, men and women alike. Hasn’t He? It has been my privilege to study under a number of them with you and to hear about many others from you. Our discipleship worlds are so much bigger when we’re willing to come together. Otherwise, we sit tight in all our own little corners and have no idea how many people God has gifted to serve the Body. We cheat ourselves when we separate ourselves.

 

OK, Sisters, are you ready to log in your 12th verses? I’m choosing mine from a sermon Curtis’s good friend, Jerrell Altic, brought in Curtis’s absence last Sunday at our church. His primary text was Mark 1 but he tied in a verse that really jumped out at me. I love the Book of Philemon and have taught out of it several times in the last two years but that’s the beauty of living words. A Scripture will suddenly pop off the page that had somehow been veiled from our recognition before. I’d been so taken with phrases like “yet for love’s sake” in verse 9 that I’d missed the treasure of V.6, and who couldn’t get distracted by a verse like the 15th? “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever.”  I bet some of you have a pretty slack-jawing testimony of that very concept under your own roof.

 

But when Jerrell referenced this verse, I knew it was my choice for our 12th round of SSMT. In fact, don’t tell but I jotted it immediately on the yellow notes app of my iPhone, took a screen shot and made it my screen saver right then. Sometimes a “now” word is like RIGHT NOW. Here it goes:

 

 

Beth, Houston. “I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.” Philemon 1:6 The NET Bible

 

I want God to deepen my understanding of every blessing that belongs to me in Christ while I’m here plowing into some stubborn earthly soil with sweat sopping my forehead. Don’t you? I’m so thankful to be blessed but wouldn’t fleshing it out be a whole different prospect if we came to understand the depth and breadth of many of those blessings? To stand on them, act on them, pray from them, teach from them, love from them, and serve through them? Now we’re talking.

 

Colossians 2:2-3 gives a glimpse into the grandeur involved as the Apostle Paul prays “that their (and our) hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

 

Look at that again: “the riches of full assurance of understanding.” We can’t soon wrap our minds around all that encompasses but we can instantly and actively start praying for God to deepen our understanding of the blessings that belongs to us in the One who embodies every divine and hidden treasure.

 

I’m making these prayers mine and I am looking for God to answer them. He wouldn’t dictate a prayer right there on the pages of the New Testament that He had no intention of responding to.

 

I love working through some verses and concepts with you, Sisters. You are so dear to me. Thank you for spending a little time around here and committing to something challenging in the midst of many priorities. I pray that every part of your life is invaded by the Word of God coursing through your brain. May God bring your harvest forth 100-fold.

 

It’s your turn, Sisters! Give me a hint about what Christ is doing in you right now through the selections of your verses. You are so loved.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Have you ever loved something so much that you annoy the folks around you because you won’t stop talking about it? While this is so true of new budding relationships, I’m really talking about materialistic things. You know, things like a new pair of sandals, your favorite chocolate milk that you can’t get enough of and well, I think you’re getting the idea.

Needless to say, I think I wear my friends out with my obsessiveness.

Let’s have a little fun, shall we?

I’ll share a list of my recent favorite things, and you share some of yours.

Boom.

After all, it is summer, and for those of us who don’t get a summer break, we all need little things to keep ourselves happy and entertained. Grin.

1) BIC Velocity Pen

Y’all. I do have an unusual love for pens. But I’m beginning to think it’s actually not that unusual.  It’s just that not everyone admits their love for such small, random and possibly nerdy things. But I needed a new batch of pens, because I don’t know about you, but my pens tend to wander. It’s hopeless to try and retrieve them all, so new ones it was. I surveyed the thousands on Staples.com and landed on the BIC Velocity Pen. When I say it took all the self-control in me to not just doodle all day yesterday, I’m not even lying. In fact, I did do a little doodling. So, if you’re looking for a good, inexpensive pen, BIC is your friend.

 

2) HEB Almond Chocolate Milk

If you do not live in Texas, I realize you have no idea what HEB is, but it is simply a local grocery store. In fact, HEB owns Central Market, which is another Texas gift. I guess we could say that HEB is the generic brand of Central Market. If we were ranking grocery stores (because we never do that) I would place HEB in third place, right behind Whole Foods and Central Market. In fact, it carries many of the Central Market items and that is a beautiful thing. Side Fact: Whole Foods originated in Austin, while the Central Market division originated in San Antonio. It’s ALL a Texas thing. And now I’m laughing because you could care less about all of this grocery store trivia. It’s hard being humble when you’re from Texas. Needless to say, HEB Almond Chocolate Milk takes first prize. I can’t vouch for any other brands since I’ve not even attempted to try any others. But what a waste it would be if I bought a ½ gallon, only to strongly dislike it. I’ll stick to what I know. I’m so addicted I may have to have a glass every night before bed. And maybe every morning. But, hey! It’s better than a bowl of ice cream, right? It’s a little taste of love and joy in a cup.

 

3) L’oreal Telescopic Mascara

If your eyelashes mean nothing to you, then at this point you might be rolling your eyes at me. If so, feel free to move on. But the number one question I get asked is what kind of mascara I use. I happen to love me some mascara, so I’m delighted to share it with you. And selfishly, I’m not sure what I’ll do if they ever discontinue this particular tube.  So maybe my sharing will get more people to purchase it which might mean it will last forever and ever. But L’oreal Telescopic Mascara is where it’s at. For me, the mascara is all about the wand, and I happen to love the skinny wand it provides. Plus, you can purchase this mascara at virtually any grocery or drug store. Which thrills me to no end.

 

4) Essie Nail Polish

I think I’ve mentioned before that I am a nail polish freak. My nails and toenails are painted at all times, and as much as I love getting a manicure and pedicure, typically the painting is done by me as I’d rather not break the bank. In fact, for me it’s slightly cathartic. My favorite color right now happens to be watermelon. It’s the perfect pink summery color. But currently Essie has no lack of fun and summery colors.

 

5) Volcano Candle

As much as I love candles, I’m awful at remembering to light them. That is until the store Anthropologie introduced me to the Volcano candle. The aroma is both inviting and intoxicating. And oh, so addicting. This isn’t necessarily new to me, but rest assured, it will always be a favorite.

 

6) All Sons & Daughters Live CD

You know how sometimes a musical group sneaks up on you and surprises you with their gifts? That’s how All Sons & Daughters was to me. A few of their songs had been on our rotation at church, but it wasn’t until right before they released their new recorded live CD that I fell in love with them. It was love at first listen. If you’re looking for a new worship CD that is worth your money and one you’ll quite possibly fall in love with every song, look no further. Be blessed. Be ministered to.

 

7) Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I’m nearly speechless when it comes to these babies. All I can say is it might be a little taste of heaven on earth. Every other peanut butter cup pales in comparison. They’re just THAT good.

And these, my friends, are just a few of my favorite things.

What are some of your favorite things recently? I love finding new favorite things!

Siesta Summer Bible Study 2013 Registration & Launch!

Welcome, everybody! We are ecstatic that you are joining us for Bible study this summer! Please read the following instructions quickly but carefully then watch the video. On each of our summer Bible study posts, I’ll always write out the interactives just in case you can’t get the video to work. OK, Sisters! Here goes!

BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT: PLEASE READ ALL WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS AND WATCH THE VIDEO IF AT ALL POSSIBLE . ALL COMMENTS ARE MEANT TO BE IN RESPONSE TO TODAY’S INTERACTIVES. Your comment today is particularly important because it also serves as your registration for the summer experience.

UNLIKE PREVIOUS YEARS, WE ARE ASKING FOR EVERYONE PARTICIPATING TO LEAVE A COMMENT RATHER THAN THE GROUP LEADER LEAVING ONE ON BEHALF OF ALL. It tended to be too confusing. Your comment to each of the 4 blog posts this summer is your interaction with us here in our blog community.  (I know some of this seems redundant but we get lots of questions about these kinds of details so we’re just trying to make sure we’ve covered as much as possible.)

If you are in a SMALL GROUP: you will share your responses to all of the interactives with one another in your gathering. Then, when you come back to make your comment to this post, you will choose one of the questions to answer here. You can answer more if you desire but we are only “requiring” you to respond to one.

If you are GOING SOLO: please respond succinctly to each of the interactives. The whole community will in effect become your group and sharing your answers will be part of the activity and accountability. It will make the summer experience immensely richer for you.

ALL PARTICIPANTS identify yourselves in your comments to this post by: First Name, city, state, and country if not the USA and whether you are participating with a small group or going solo, then respond to your interactives. Here’s a sample comment for our summer Bible study to give you a paradigm:

Cheryl, Shreveport, LA/small group: #3 … (her response to the third question will be written here. Note that she is participating in a small group so, since she’s already answered each of the questions in her gathering, she only needs to respond to one here. If she’d gone solo, she’d answer all of them here.)

  1.    A fun one: What title to a popular song – from any decade you wish – best captures you right now? (It can be serious or ridiculous.)

  2.    Write one sentence describing something about your present season – your right-here-and-now – that makes it unique. Life changes constantly. What is distinct about this particular season?

  3.    In one sentence, what is one thing you wish your sisters in Christ would know about you sooner that often doesn’t come out in your relationships till later?  Complete this sentence: “I wish my sisters in Christ knew that I…”

  4.    *Optional: Make a one-sentence comment regarding anything in the video devotional that resonated with you.

OK, Sisters! Have Weeks One and Two of Gideon completed by our next gathering in two weeks on June 25th! We are so happy to have you here and to serve you. 

Summer Gideon Study 2013 from LPV on Vimeo.

Because We’re Serious About Sleep Around Here

A few nights ago I was in the middle of getting ready for bed when I decided I should turn on my little portable fan that sits on the floor and blows cold air on me all night. My entire reason for turning it on a little early, as opposed to right before I actually hopped in bed, is because in my quirky thinking I just knew that the 10 minutes extra it would blow would cool down my room to the perfect temperature. Listen, when you have two roommates, you all have to make sacrifices and compromise here and there. So while turning down the air conditioning would be my preference, I’ve decided it’s best not to freeze out my roommates.

Anyway, this is getting really long. And so far I’ve only discussed turning on my fan.

What I’m trying to get at is that when I turned the knob to “on” all it did was run its puny little motor and almost caught fire. By almost caught fire I mean it smelled a little like smoke so I freaked out, turned it off, and unplugged it right away.

Immediately following I announced to my roommates and to the world that my fan had just died. My faithful, portable fan of nine years that lulls me to sleep every night. Yes, I am co-dependent on my fan and not the least bit ashamed.

It may have died of old age and over-use, or all the dust in the motor, but I’m just going to believe its time was up.

Needless to say, I slept in silence with only a ceiling fan. Thankfully, I was so tired that I feel asleep pretty quick, but I did wake up nearly every hour both sweating profusely all the while wondering if the noises I was hearing was somebody trying to break into our apartment, or just normal, nightly noises.

My white-noise producing fan is my best friend.

I didn’t wait 24 hours before I marched myself to Target and stood in the “fan” aisle for nearly 30 minutes while researching every last portable fan. Eventually, I threw the “Vornado” in my basket, purchased it, and took it home for a test drive that evening. I have labeled it the Lexus of all fans. Listen, y’all. I have issues.

But if I know one thing to be true, I know that we here at LPM are serious about our sleep.

Although I am a big fan of sleep, I also tend to be a night owl and am one of those folks who can run on five or six hours of sleep, but it’s obvious I tend to be a snob about my sleeping situations.

I got so tickled about all this fan drama that I decided it would be fun to publicly display our quirky sleeping patterns. We know we all have them.

For instance, on top of the must-have oscillating buzz, I also have a ceiling fan that runs all night long, and I sleep with a total of three pillows, one for my head and two on either side of me. It’s so complicated, y’all. And we all know there are things I’m keeping to myself. You’re so welcome.

I know you know what’s coming next.

What are your MUST HAVES for a good night sleep? Do tell. I’m dying to know. If only to make myself feel so much better about my drama this week revolving around a little fan. Grin.

Oh, and happy Friday. May your weekend be full of sweet, uninterrupted sleep.

Siesta Summer Bible Study Information! And Giveaway!

Greetings, Sisters! Siesta Summer Bible Study starts one week from today! We are fired up around here! I know your questions are abounding, so this post is to fill you in on all the details to get us good and ready for next Tuesday.

First off, let’s make sure that you know what you’ll need to participate: 1 LifeWay workbook by Priscilla Shirer entitled Gideon: Your Weakness. God’s Strength.That’s all there is to it!

We’ve been getting lots of questions about whether or not Priscilla’s video portions are required in our summer Bible study. The answer is no but only because we try our hardest to keep our summer experience at the lowest possible cost. By all means, if you have access through a group or have the financial resources to get the session DVDs or downloads, do it! To experience the whole thing is optimum! If you’re in a small group, consider all pitching in and purchasing a set then watching them together week to week. You’ll be incredibly blessed by that investment. Priscilla’s gift of teaching is saturated with the Holy Spirit and beautifully infectious. I could sit under her instruction for hours. So, get the sessions if you can but they will not be required to participate in our summer study. All of our discussion will springboard from the workbook.

With that said, I do have one really FUN thing to do before we move further into the details. We have 10 Gideon workbooks and 1 leader kit to give away! All you need to do to qualify is leave a comment on this post and let us know how the subtitle hits you: “Your weakness. God’s strength.” We’ll keep comments open for 24 hours then do a random drawing of 11 people with those specific entries. Watch for a post Wednesday afternoon naming our winners!

Are y’all still with me?

OK, then, let me fill you in on some remaining details through a simple Q&A. If you’ve been in summer Bible study with us before, our approach will be very similar.

Who’s invited? YOU! (If you’re a girl over – let’s say – 16) And you can go solo or participate in a small group! As in past years, our highest hope is to facilitate fellowship and accountability into our Bible study experiences. If you can assemble a group of friends, co-workers, family members, acquaintances, fellow church members, Siestas in your town, a tennis team or a handful of neighbors, you’re likely to get the most out of the process. (If you’ve already participated in this study, think of leading a group through it this round.) If you can’t rally a face-to-face group, Skyping and Face Time can still provide a pretty legit way to experience community in different locations. We’re not looking to be legalistic. We just want FULL benefits. If you go solo, do your best to connect with a couple of girls on line. Scripture tells us to stir one another up in the faith and to call one another to love and good works and to bear one another’s burdens and pray for one another and remind one another of God’s faithfulness. Translation: we need each other!

What’s the Goal? Spending the summer together in the Word! A summer of authentic Bible study is the surest way to a summer of victory.

When do we meet?  We will launch our Siesta Summer Bible Study on Tuesday, June 11, and “meet” 4 official times: Every OTHER Tuesday from June 11th until July 23rd. Yes, by all means, meet EACH week if your small group is able but we only ask that you check in here on the LPM blog every TWO weeks to participate in our format for discussion. As much as we’re able, we want to be big on help and small on demands. Summer schedules can make weekly gatherings much harder than usual but certainly keep it up if you can. You can also choose another day of the week besides Tuesday if necessary. We’ve found that it’s the most fun and carries the most momentum when we all do it on the same day but that’s not always possible for everyone. Be free!

Here’s the summer schedule:

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Launch - I’ll post our 1st Mini-Session which I will either have written or videoed. In it you will receive instructions for discussion.

In the 2 weeks that follow our first Mini-Session, you will DO WEEKS ONE AND TWO OF THE HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN. If you’re participating in Priscilla’s weekly DVD teachings, incorporate those weekly and in addition (or instead of!!) to what we’re doing here on the blog. We will let you guys work those details out on your own.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 (2nd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)

In the two weeks that follow, DO WEEKS THREE AND FOUR OF THE HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013 (3rd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)

In the two weeks that follow, DO WEEKS FIVE AND SIX OF THE HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 (4th Mini-Session/Conclusion) – We’ll wrap it up and it will have flown by in a whirlwind.

If a graph is easier to understand than all my compulsive wordiness, here you go:

Where should you meet if you’re participating in a small group? Wherever you are most comfortable. Do what works for your group. You might meet in a different house each week so no one has to keep her house clean all summer. We’ve had some siesta groups meet in restaurants and coffee shops. Find your groove and stick to it!

 

So, here’s what you do:

1. Get your workbooks! Our good friends at LifeWay have promised to have plenty of them for us, but you won’t want to wait until the last minute. You can find them online on LifeWay’s web site. Here is a link where you can order the member book. And, if you’re going for the optional DVD sessions week to week, here’s where you can download the videos taught by Priscilla. They’ll be fabulous.

2. Sign up on the blog on our official Launch Day- Tuesday, June 11. For the first time, we’re going to ask that everyone participating sign up individually rather than a leader chiming in on behalf of the whole group.  We think this will be less confusing and will give us a better idea of how many are participating each week just by the number of comments. We will ask a few warm-up questions that day to begin cracking open that door of community.

3. I will facilitate the study by posting a blog the 4 mornings of our meeting days. I will give you instructions on these posts for your discussion times and maybe some activities. All will connect to the previous weeks of study.

4. After your gathering, you’ll check back in by telling us something about your meeting via a comment on that same post. Don’t worry if your group can’t meet on Tuesdays. You’ll still be able to find the post and comment throughout the week.

What if…

-I want to use the discussion questions in the back of the workbook instead of the ones on Beth’s posts. Go for it!

-I really, really want to do the study but it’s not in the budget. Email us.

-I’ve already committed to doing another Bible study this summer? That’s great! Stick with it.

-I don’t want to participate but still want to be a part of the blog. We totally understand and want to see you around Siestaville this summer. Know that the Bible Study will only take up one post every other week.

We can’t wait to study the Word with you this summer!

Lord Jesus, take us somewhere we couldn’t have anticipated! Somewhere we desperately needed to go. Raise up an army of mighty warriors right here in this community!

Okay, Sisters, let’s hear your comments for the giveaway! Remember we’ll only leave it open for 24 hours!

LPL Duluth – A Recap!

Friends! We’re back to the Monday grind! The Lord has given us some unusually cooler weather for the beginning of June, and we in Houston are so grateful. I loved, loved, loved stalking twitter this weekend to see all the LPL updates and tweets. I think we had a handful of “original” siestas that got to attend so it was really fun to hear from them. When I say original, I just mean they’ve been around since the very beginning. We clearly love every Siesta just the same and are so grateful for the way we get to interact, but it’s kind of fun to get to see people “grow up” virtually. You know what I mean? Anyway, twitter was so fun, but what is more fun is Rich’s recap video!

For all you Duluth girls, here it is!

Living Proof Live | Atlanta from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

Also, and this will make you all so happy, tomorrow morning be looking for a post on all things summer Bible study! We’ll be one week out and will give you all the information you’ll need. We love y’all! Have a wonderful Monday!

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 11!

Hey, Everybody! I am jotting this post several days in advance because I’ll be at a Living Proof Live in Atlanta, Georgia the day this goes up. In fact, if you read this before 11:15 CST (12:15 Atlanta time) on Saturday, we’d be incredibly blessed if you’d pray for our remaining time to be so flooded with the presence of God that we can hardly bear the glory.

I’m so proud of you for making it this far in our Scripture memory process! Sisters, you have worked hard. Let yourself feel the holy nod of God. He has tremendous joy in seeing His children esteem His Word highly enough to store it like treasures in the vault of their hearts. We’ve arrived at a milestone of sorts in this journey. June is tremendously significant for our team because this is the month we come to the halfway marker. Once we get into July and August we have less memorization in front of us than we have behind us. That’s a big deal.

This time around I’m choosing a verse that I’ll be challenging the attendees to memorize at the Atlanta Living Proof Live. I’m not sure a verse could be more fitting for the pure act of praise. I love Scriptures that not only speak about God but speak straight to God. Get a load of this one:

Beth, Houston. O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth!  You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. 1 Chronicles 29:11  The NET Bible

Any of us who memorize a fair amount of Scripture have certain go-to approaches that have helped us along. If you’ve got a method that is working, by all means, go with it! But, if you’re interested in memorizing the same verse and would like some suggestions about how to tackle it, I’ll share what works for me. Keep in mind that the methods of Blonder Than She Pays To Be could be madness to someone else so take this or leave it depending on your learning style.

With any verse, I start looking almost immediately for how I can reason out the word order. The first thing I’m going to notice in 1 Chronicles 29:11 is that there are 6 rapid-fire descriptions of God in the first sentence. In this verse, I’d reason that it’s fitting  for the word “great” to be first among the descriptions because many of us are accustomed to using the terminology that God (or the Lord, in this case) is great. It’s an easy, accessible word. The next three descriptions all begin with “M”: mighty, majestic, magnificent. As I prepare for Atlanta, I’ll be saying those three words over and over in that order so that they’ll get ingrained in my thinking. They have an amplifying rhythm to them, too, because the first one (mighty) is two syllables, the second one (majestic) is three syllables, and the third one (magnificent) is four syllables. Does that help at all with the word order and how they roll off your tongue? Say them until you feel the syllables build and you might latch onto them pretty quickly.

After the beginning “G” (great) and the 3 “M’s”, we have another “G.” This time it stands for “glorious.” That’s a word I love to say so I’m hoping I can remember it pretty easily. G-M-M-M-G. Are you beginning to catch on? (I think I just heard somebody yell “NO!” Was that you?? I tried to warn you that I can make things harder than they have to be. Laughing. You might need to be the one telling your sisters here how to tackle a wordy verse. Just give me an “E” for effort here and maybe an “A” for affection. I do so seriously love you.)

The last of the 6 descriptions is “sovereign.” To me, that’s always the final word on anything that has to do with God. If I’m confused or I can’t fit in my brain why this happened or why God approached a particular thing a particular way, I finally come to a measure of peace by stating this biblical truth: He is sovereign over all things. In the exact words of 1 Chronicles 29:11, “over all the sky and earth.” I love visual language and that, Sister, is plenty visual. Span the galaxies in the universe with your imagination then put your scope on our planet and zero in. (I know I’m really pushing it right now with some of you but the way I’d keep it straight that “sky” comes before “earth” is that it starts with an “S” like “sovereign” right before it. If I’m getting on your last nerve, never mind.)

Then put the finishing touches on the verse with this: You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not expecting that we’d have it down pat in the brief amount of time it’s taken us to walk through those few paragraphs but what about 15 days? That’s how long we’d have to get those words steeped into our souls. Could we get them down over the course of two weeks? Yes, ma’am, I do believe we can! And, if not word-for-word, just think how much we’ve meditated on descriptions of our God! That is time NEVER wasted. Let’s ask God to give us the supernatural unction to accomplish this memorization and remind Him how much glory He could receive from our being able to extol His preeminence like that over and over while we’re…

praying…

driving…

walking through our neighborhoods…

on our treadmills…

rocking our babies…

getting chemotherapy…

getting physical therapy…

sitting with an elderly loved one…

healing from a heartbreak…

or so happy that we need some way to tell Him how marvelous we think He is before we burst.

Of course, most of you have your own Scripture selections and I have just put you through the wringer for nothing! So, whether you’re sharing 1 Chronicles 29:11 or bringing your own verse to the table, let’s see them! I’m blessed almost out of my bleached blond mind to get to do this with you, Sister. You are a tremendous joy to me.

 

Escaping the Slinky

Escaping the Slinky from LPV on Vimeo.