Why you should join a small group

1. Time in the word – First and for most, any time that you spend in the word or deepening your faith will most definitely be time well spent! James 4:8 says Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. And really, who doesn’t want to be closer to God!?

2. New Friends – 1 Samuel 18:1 says "After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." There is nothing better than a great friend. Especially one that feels closer than your siblings. What a blessing if that person is also a brother or sister in Christ that cares just as much, if not more, about your spiritual well-being!

3. Sharpening your iron -  This item actually refers to another verse but first I want to share a comment from a book that I am reading: (Acts 8:26-40 tells of Philip's encounter with an Ethiopian official, who was reading aloud the prophet Isaiah. "Do you really understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. The Ethiopian replied, "Without someone to guide me, how could I?" Acts 8:30-31). Quite simply, we are needed to guide each other.

Not only that, there's another passage that talks about the gifts of the spirit & functions of the body of Christ. None of us have all of the gifts. Nor are we all made to do the same things. Just like in the small group study you attend; some of the participants will be able to give you more doctrine, more details and/or facts to give you a better understanding of what was happening then; while others will have more insight on how to apply it to daily living. 

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. -Proverbs 27:17

4. Learn about Tips and Tools – When I first joined a study group myself, my friend Randy kept reading commentary from his Bible. Everything he said was like an “ah ha” to me. But my Bible didn’t have the same kind of information that he was reading. He told me that he used a Life Application Bible. I purchased one for myself and it made a huge difference in how I spent my time reading my own. In a group you can learn about tools, resources or other activities that you might not have known about otherwise.

5.You can ask your questions - Have you ever sat through a service and the preacher said something that you missed or didn't understand? You wanted to raise your hand to ask a question but you knew that it would interrupt.  Well in a group you can!  "Hey can you repeat that?  What the heck does that mean....?"  If you have your own "ah has", you can also share those too. In fact, whatever surprising tidbit you discovered might also be something that someone else finds exciting too!  (Oh and by the way, most preachers will be glad to go more in depth with you after the service.)

6. Facilitates unity between members – Small groups do build unity because of all of the above and because they offer a much more personal setting. 

7. Access to prayer warriors - Amen!

8. Connection - Bishop Robert Schnase, author of Five Practices says "Most new members will not feel like they really belong to the church until they find meaningful connections in small groups beyond the worship experience."  Just like in #6 except that it will help you connect to the church as a whole.

It is also much easier to go deeper in your faith or devote yourself to God when you are among others that are devoted to him. Let's also not forget that the Devil seeks out those who are isolated or alone. 

9. A place to talk about God - Yes, we are to share our testimony everywhere but it takes a while for a lot of us to get started or get comfortable doing it. A small group allows us to acclimate slowly to sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences.

***

Questions - Are you thinking about joining a church but can't figure out which one to start or where? Consider a small group. The following questions might help you determine the group that's right for you.

1. What small groups does your church offer?  Who leads them and are they separated by men, women, children or by subject?

2. Are they at the church or at some ones home?

3. Can you bring a friend?

4. Is there childcare or can you bring children?

5. Is a meal (usually covered dish) offered?

6. What is the subject of the study? Is it based off of a topic or a book of the Bible?

7. Are there additional books or material that I might be interested in for this study?

8. Are there any fees for meals, books, etc?

9. Dates, times & locations?

Photo Credit: http://newlifegoshen.com

Are you there yet?

I used to carry my camera everywhere until I started having kids. Actually, having Ethan propelled me to get my first my digital camera. But three babies and three cameras later; it just became easier to carry less. Not to mention the fact that it had become way too obvious that we were hard on electronics. Scaling back meant that I also started using my phone for pictures. Some of my earlier cell phones have taken decent pictures and so it wasn't a big deal. But I must say the iPhone has sorely disappointed me in this area.

The other night I was walking down the lane behind my house and saw this view. If it wasn't in someone else's yard, I might have sat there all night. You can't tell from the picture but the bottom crescent of the moon was glowing and behind the crescent you could see the remaining full moon shadow. Not only that but the little star to the left is actually Venus and not even a star. It was a pretty proud moment for me.  

It was one thing to be able to say that I took the picture but this shot didn't do it justice. The woods surrounding me were lit with a strange, even pink, hue. The ground was white with snow. In some ways it almost felt like I was on a set for a play. The image really doesn't capture the footage outside or around the frame of the picture. You really had to be there to get it. And I can say that I was! It was enchanting. 

This picture has made me decide that I will start carrying my camera again. Even if it's not top of the line, it might have brought me a picture that I could actually frame. Whereas now, I will only be able to save it here on a blog. As I considered the differences in pictures that I've seen online or in markets verses ones that I've taken; I couldn't help but consider their similarity in hearing the word. 

I have been given some great friends, mentors and even counselors that have had wonderful advice. I was dually blessed when some of them were Christians. I can also say that I have sat in church services with spirit led Pastors that could say the exact thing that hurt-so-good. -Each word FULL of the correction you needed with enough grace to keep you begging for more.

But NOTHING has ever been as satisfying to me as reading the word myself and having it speak directly to me or feeling- knowing that God is with me & giving me the answer that I need right now. -To be able to say "I was there and so was he!" -Like that picture!

I don't know where you are in your walk right now. Maybe you can connect with exactly what I am saying. But if you can't and if you've never "heard God speak" or felt the word, I'd like to try to encourage you today.

So many of us wait [or have waited] for that "thunder booming voice" kind of like when you were in trouble with your parents and they dropped your middle name, or like the voice of the mysterious man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. I don't know that it always happens like that for everyone and I'd hate for you to miss it! 

For me, I can say that I have heard a thunder booming voice once but not with my ears and I am sorry that I just don't know how to elaborate on that. I can only say that I heard it in my heart. I might have even heard the thunder voice a few other times. However, I'd rather say that hearing God speak to me is more like having his entire creation become alive. 

The words most often spoken are usually through you and/or friends and strangers or in books I read. A few little strips twinged with a sudden nearness and connection. And many of the times the words used were not even intended that way by the speaker. They may never know their impact unless I tell them. 

In fact, I feel like the Lord uses my job to teach me about so many other facets of my life but particularly in my spiritual growth. It's a connection that I am not sure I would have noticed if I wasn't already a believer. Other times it's a nudging; a soft prompting that I need to do something or at times even a tension related to decisions. 

I'd like to share a verse with you to meditate on:

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17).

There is so much en-grained in that little nugget.

1. If you love God -  Love. This is simple. I do not hear as much [even from my surroundings] if I am not spending time in the word. And I am not going to do that if I don't genuinely desire or love him and what I get from it.

2. Obey what I command - Obedience really is a key. I don't want to portray God as the kind to give you a silent treatment. I think that instead he patiently waits for us to catch up. I don't want to overly personalize this and downplay God either but really what is the point of talking to someone who doesn't listen. We want God to give us a testimony but we don't want to tell anyone about it. We want God to change our lives but don't want to do anything different. We also want God to speak to us but then we're so afraid of what he might say that we can't bring ourselves to listen. There really is not a drive thru for spirituality. You will have to discipline yourself to accept change in order to get a different result. If he does meet you where you are and give you an answer, what are you going to do with what comes after?

3. There is a counselor - You have a certified helper available in each moment who knows exactly what you need in any circumstance.

4. To be with you - WITH [Always available] YOU [Not just available to everyone else.]

4. Now this one is important and it might sound offensive or weird and if it does please pray about it. Heck, ask me and I will pray with you. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him or knows him.  I'm just going to give you a handful of verses right here and truthfully they are only a drop in the bucket.

John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, [willing to recognize that he is God and treat him as your Lord] then [it only comes after that first part] you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

In fact you’ve probably heard this verse before “He came so that the blind could see” Maybe you think of the blind beggar that Jesus healed by rubbing mud on his eyes. –Or maybe you think of Saul’s conversion when scales fell from his eyes and SUDDENLY he could see.

Yes, Jesus performed miracles that restored a physical sight but he gives a spiritual sight as well. I don't believe that his miracles were only parables but parables were used throughout the bible. Why could a picture for physical healing not be the exact and obvious image we need for the spiritual vision as well? Something else happened to each recipient as soon as they gained their physical sight. They also gained a recognition or knowledge about Jesus and the God who performed the miracle. There is so much more to see & know than just what is just before us. 

In fact 2 Corinthians talks about a veil, something being lifted so that you can gain this sight, particularly verses 3-4. And just like the veil used when a bride gets married; when God lifts that veil it’s because we have chosen to become his. Not on Sunday. Not on a blog. Not only with our unveiled friends. For life. “Like a bride and groom”. There is a commitment. (I will let you look up passages about that reference.)

And if you don’t think that this is right, check out John 8:47 it plainly says “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” I did not write that! It's scripture. Check it out!

If you feel like you’re not on that hearing side, do not be discouraged John 1:12 also says “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

And finally, if you want to know how to do this, the answer is found in Romans 10:9 - They call it the ABC's of Salvation. Because if you Acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart Believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, [Then you Commit your life to living by and for this] you will be saved. 

If you made it here and are kind of surprised how we got from point A to B, well me too! I really just meant to tell you that there is more to this view than just what you see in the picture. You and I couldn't possibly grasp all that was there unless we were in it. Faith is really no different. If you don't get what someone else has, you're might actually be missing some of the details. I promise you that if you ask to be his and commit yourself to deepening your faith, he will reveal and even fill in what you've been missing.

I hope it doesn't sound too boastful. I am full of mistakes and things that I could certainly do better. -But God loves me and you despite of our flaws. Every time I've challenged myself to get deeper, he has met me where I was. I urge you to just ask yourself if your faith matches up to what you picture that it should be. If it's not, ask yourself what's missing. Then [get the right lens] ask God to show you how to get there and then do all that you can to "capture" what's not in your present setting.

Blessings to you friend!

Tuesday Challenge #4 | Worship

Sometimes in service on Sundays, I think about running up on stage just as worship starts and telling everyone that for this next song they all have to lift their arms and close their eyes. After all, if everyone does it, (and if no one is looking) they might not feel so awkward that first time.

It occurred to me that I have these little challenges so why not challenge you to do it here. I know it's an awkward thing to start. You could poke someone in the eye or knock yourself off balance. And if you close your eyes, you won't see the words to the music. -But if it's an assignment, you kind of have to do it. You can just blame me if there are any injuries. It is only one song...

There are several reasons that people do it but a co-worker once told me that the expression of lifting hands up to God, is like a child asking to be lifted up closer or higher to their mother or father. I love that image. I can't help but think of my children when they were young "Get me. GET ME mama." After all, isn't that what we hope for? -That God sees us; That he wants us; That we might become closer?

So, if you give it a go, don't think about what everyone else might be thinking. Instead focus on being lifted and what that contact might be like. If you can't sing because your eyes are closed, it's all good. Imagine what you'd tell God if you got that close.

Do you have a testimony about this challenge or a suggestion for another one? Comment here!

What's this about? | Other challenges

Picture Credit [then modified]: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/nature/sunrise-over-the-mountains-14501/

Tuesday Challenge #3 | Glory

This morning I found myself with resources that aren't usually available to me- A delay in work due to snow; Kids that stayed up late so they would be more likely to sleep in; A husband that also got to stay home too so he could watch them should they wake; Access to a house on the water without a tenant to disturb.

So, I decided to slip out quietly and go catch a coveted sunrise on the water. I made it down the lane to the water. As the sky started to lighten, I realized that I had forgotten that the sun would rise behind trees on the property.

However an overnight snow covered [and was still covering] the ground. At this angle, the view of the snow was a gift that I see even less often than a sunrise. It's hard to note the quietness of falling snow or a white covering of grace. But it is something that you should try to capture on your own.

Sitting there so closely, trying to note every detail seemed like such an overlooked part of worship. Do we notice not only the creator but his creations? Could one of the simplest ways to give him glory; simply be shown in allowing ourselves to wonder or marvel at his displays of it [glory].

I don't know if you will get the blessing of a snow day or a sunrise or a house on the river. But how many times do we stop on bridges and catch up on phone calls or thumb through media instead of even looking out the window, much less get out of the car. -Or we get off early and fill time with errands instead of a view.

The challenge this week is to take time to notice HIS creation.  Listen to the sounds. Let your eyes touch everything in your presence. Ponder the depth, the meaning, what he might want you to know about him. Do any verses come to mind?

Verse - Psalm 111:2-5

Great are the works of the Lord;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds,

and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wonders to be remembered;

the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.

Do you have a testimony about this challenge or a suggestion for another one? Comment here!

What's this about? | Other challenges

Picture Credit [then modified]: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/nature/sunrise-over-the-mountains-14501/

Another Valentine

Lately I've been writing about storms with some guidance on how to get through them. This morning I decided to read a few examples from the Bible to see what others learned about God while also in a storm. [See: Matthew 14:23-31, Mark 4:35-41. Psalm 107:23-32, Luke 8:22-25]

Fast Forward...

The kids started waking and I eventually make it to the kitchen to start breakfast. I am frustrated because we have such big plans for the day and the kids won't stop bickering about chores. It feels like we're never going to get the house clean. I ask myself if maybe we waited too long to eat and now we're all just too hungry to focus.

So, I pray for a change of heart and call everyone into the living room to read a devotion & to regroup. I don't want the day to continue with this tone. The devotion happens to be about patience. -How instead of being impulsive and reacting with our emotions we need to stop and take a moment and ask for help. In our discussion, we use our real life examples from only moments before and the current example of what we've switched to.

We bow our heads to pray and my youngest son begs to be the one to say it. I agree with a tired smirk and hope I am being filled with patience in this moment. I wonder if at all [in all of his two year old wisdom] he comprehends what he is doing. I am speechless when out of his broken sentences, I hear Jackson talking about God... being on the water... in a boat...

You may not think that there is a significance to his timing but I never told him what I was reading. Take a look for yourself in those verses noted above. And while my son has recently started asking to say grace; he always repeats the same two or three lines from a blessing that he remembers. 

And just last weekend I was at a retreat where there was an at length discussion about praying God's word. Could somehow this be a similar prayer in spirit through my son [to me]?

I can't help but feel a sudden nearness and being used when we both break from our routines to find him. 

Today also happens to be Valentines Day. There is another love that often goes over looked. Take a moment and allow your heart to connect to him so that he might also purify what we give to our earthly loves. 

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. - Zephaniah 3:17

Photo credit - http://heartwisdomccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/boat-on-water.jpg

The Gift of Fear

Not long after our first child was born, I took a self defense class. I was certain that there was no better way to arm myself than to know how best to use the only weapon that was with me 24/7, my body.

It was a great- GREAT class. In fact, call your local Sheriff's office to see if they offer similar classes!

In the class, the instructor also recommended a book called the Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker. If you are a woman that struggles with men not taking "no" for an answer, or if you frequently find yourself in uneasy situations, you should read this book!

I must fair warn you that in real life the author is a Security Agent, hired to protect people in dangerous situations. He gives you real (aka violent/detailed) examples some of the people he has protected and crime scenes that he's had to solve. Then he explains how fear should have warned the victim first. How intuition is really a wonderful gift in self-defense. (Click here if you'd like a little recap of some of his examples.)

Anyway, one of the references in that book was how, if a woman has a violent boyfriend and/or stalker, she shouldn't argue with him for 2 hours about how she doesn't want to see him. She shouldn't even have to tell him "No" more than once. She should just ignore his calls and/or take the phone off of the hook, etc.

Anything other than ignoring him, is giving him attention. So then if the woman continues the conversation [even to say that she wants no parts of him] she is actually rewarding him with attention, guaranteeing that he will call or visit again.

He goes on to say that even restraining orders are considered "attention" and may only further provoke the person you're trying to keep at bay. So, we should do everything in our power to leave that person alone. Instead of saying no, the victim should just drop it, avoid it and move on as much as possible.

and now switching gears....

I can't help but strike a little comparison in that last example and how that might apply to our spiritual life. After all, believers do have a known attacker. ...The devil! I've talked about my struggle with insecurity for a while now. Thankfully, I think that I am almost on the other side of that lesson. -or at least I hope so. But I've learned an even more powerful lesson about it in the last few months.

At the end of 2013 when I discovered that it really was an issue for me, I thought because there was so much peace at first that suddenly having the knowledge had kind of cured it. (Sounds silly, I know). But I wasn't struggling [as much] and I was looking at things a lot differently than I normally would. Even others noted changes in me.

But then a bunch of stuff changed last year and I found myself in unfamiliar territory. (That totally sounds weird to say when all of the main details are the same. But for example, my position at my job changed. I also changed churches but switched to another group of people that I already knew.) Everything just twisted a notch or two and then the focus, the tension, the lesson was different.

And isn't it easy to master a lesson in your comfort zone? When you up the ante, try something new, challenge yourself, especially if you're doing it for God's good or trying to improve yourself, guess who else ups the ante too?  ...ahem, that certain attacker.

So if you're insecure about how good you can do something. If you're afraid of what people might expect of you. If you think for 3 seconds you'll be the example of something. You can bet that the minute you do something out of your comfort zone ALL of those buttons are going to get pushed again. Harder. And maybe even more frequently. Kind of like praying for patience...

Bear with me now....

It's a hard passage to read but please take a moment to read John 8:31-47 (also pasted below.)

[Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are - 

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father."

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”]

I've underlined the verses that really struck me from that passage. Here's the summary of what I felt from them. I hope that I can give them the same life, without muddling it or making it sound like some new law.

If you [v31 hold to my teaching] just go where I tell you for your life, follow my commands, even when you're afraid, and you do not complain or dilly dally or shrug it off. Then you're my disciples.

v32 When you can truly believe in me and rely on my grace to fulfill the plans that I have for you; Only then will you be free from [fill in the blank].

v33 [reference to slaves] What thoughts are you slave to? We might not be slaves to people but are we slaves to ambitions, slaves to fears, slaves to our thoughts in general? I mean are you constantly correcting yourself, second guessing or even criticizing what you're doing? Or maybe you're constantly judging others, lashing out in anger or even struggling with depression.... If so, isn't that kind of like a slave to those thoughts. I mean, if you're constantly doing it and getting stressed out because of it- that sure sounds like bondage! Um, you are not free!

v35 [everyone who sins is a slave to sin] - Does that mean picking up your weakness (that we just described) is the sin that you will be a slave to? -Or having any sin that you know about and choose not to remove; will that give the devil a foothold to torment you later or elsewhere? I mean think about that for a minute. What are you [we] allowing?

v39 Look at Abraham's life and the way that he approached challenges. Even the day that he took he son to the alter, he didn't waste time, or argue or complain. He got up and went the next day, in complete faith. Like a disciple. I don't want it to sound too harsh but that line can't really be more clear. If Abraham could have complete faith; and if you're his son [if you believe that you're a descendant from the same God]; you should be able to do all of those things that Abraham was able to do.

v44, If we're wasting time, in fear, in self doubt, even arguing with a devil, who are we spending more time with? It doesn't mean that you're not spending time with God. But if the measure of who you love is shown by the company your're keeping; could you somehow be showing that you spend more time with the devil, like a son? ...ouch!

Then v45 If you know the devil is a liar [and an attacker] why hang out with him at all?

Boy I hope I got that summary to touch you in the same way that it did me! -Very thought provoking!

And finally...

I hear Martin Luther King once said: "You can't stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop that bird from building a nest in your hair."

When I tried to apply that to my spiritual life, I referred to my scriptures about the power of words and the sword of the spirit. So in my attempt to stop birds (the devil, bad thoughts, self lies, etc.) from landing; I was combating those thoughts with scripture! I'd reply OUTLOUD- "Devil that's a lie!" "I am a child of God." "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me", etc...

I do still believe that there IS great value in that! Especially, if you're learning scripture! So I am not at all telling you not to do that! BUT If you're still struggling with the same issue over and over and you are repeating scripture that you know, consider this-

It's easier for a bird to land on something that stops moving, even if it's swatting back.

Obviously swatting back is what you use in scripture and in prayer and maybe even changes that you make in response to that. But what does "stopping" look like in your life? You're doing everything that you can to change and then the devil comes along and throws you a new line or a new bird. Do you stop in the danger zone and consider its appeal for attention wondering if there's any truth in it? The next thing you know, you've gotten a pinch too close and now you have to start all over with the fight to be free. Swatting back harder.

Let me tell you another little sneaky tactic of the devil. Have you ever heard the expression, "If the Devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy"? In many ways that applies to commitments [whether good or bad] that steal our time and wear us down. But doesn't that also apply to our mind. Picking that thing back up and carrying it too long, like we just talked about? Stewing in something that makes us angry. Rehearsing our regrets to the point of sorrow. If he can't get you to buy in to one of those lies; he can at least press your buttons enough, in an effort to distract you from God. So, if I am spending a lot of my time arguing about who I am -in Christ- (and totally feeling cuh-ra-zy by the way) then I am not listening to as much of the critical new information that I need in this junction. Nor am I getting any rest. And MAN I am exhausted!

Suddenly- I remembered that book. It occurred to me that maybe the best thing that I could do with the devil right now, is to just not even go there! I know who I am, why am I even bothering to hash it out! I'm just giving him want he wants.... attention.

I mean, isn't that what the helmet of salvation is for? Put that booger over your head and keep on going where the Lord is leading! Just block it. Don't even go there. KEEP ON WALKING!

And that same rule applies about intuition or fear being a gift. Perhaps the next time that you start feeling anxious or afraid, check your thoughts and your actions. Maybe those very same instincts are not trying to tell you that there is truth to any of that negative junk you're thinking or that you are justified in any particular action, but maybe instead they're alerting us of an attacker on the premises. Are we too close to a danger zone?

This picture is a little bit different but it still sends a good message!

Keep on walking!

& Peace be with you!

You might be interested in RAD, Fight Like A Girl, Damsel in Defense, A free John Study, or the book of John.

1 Photo Credit:
 http://sites.showitfast.com/39550/43940/children_photography_girl_walking_on_beach_with_flying_birds_barefoot_beach_bonita_springs.jpg

2 Photo credit: http://www.slideshare.net/IgorJese/dont-suck-at-verbal-selfdefense?next_slideshow=1

Tuesday Challenge #2 | Journal

This week's challenge- Mediate on scripture that you're reading this week. (Preferably a whole passage and not just a verse.) As you pray, ask God if there is anything he'd like you to know about it in how it applies to your life. Keep a note book or recorder on hand. Write down or record every little thought or "ah ha" that comes to mind [throughout the day] along with the associated scripture. Don't worry, you can scribble quick notes and the summarize later in the week.

P.S. Most cell phones have a voice recorder or note application. Pray with expectation that God wants to reply to you!

Verse: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.- Colossians 4:2

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Picture Credit [then modified]: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/nature/sunrise-over-the-mountains-14501/