Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Good Morning Girls and Women Living Well

So this may be a bit more than I can keep up with but I am currently involved in two different Bible study groups and am SO excited about them both so I wanted to share.

The first is by a blog called Good Morning Girls and this is something I've taken part in before. It's an online study which is great for me as a working Mom because I can't get to the Ladies Bible study at my church like I would like to. I've been part of Good Morning Girls off and on for the past couple of years. You can follow along through their blog, and also I'm part of a Facebook group where we discuss the passages each day. The best part about this study is that it helps me be focused on reading from the Word every single day. Even though some days it may only be a couple short verses, it's getting in the Word every day.

And this session, which is about to begin {TOMORROW morning!!!!!} is called Intentionally Focused! I feel that the Lord had already placed the word Intentional on my heart before I heard about this study, then when it was announced it was even more confirmation that this was what I needed to be learning about and focusing on. So I am THRILLED about the topic!



If you are interested in joining, please go to the blog and SIGN UP! You will get emails which include all the study materials, you'll get blog posts, videos, etc. It's all included and I can promise it will be a BLESSING in your life!

Here is a little bit of how I set up my study materials. I use a basic spiral bound notebook and of course, if you know me at all, you know I have to 'pretty it up' a bit. {The second notebook is for counting 1000 Gifts, I could write another whole blog about that so I'll save that for another day!}


I printed out the reading schedule and taped it in my notebook:



Then I printed certain pages from the study guide where there are specific questions to answer or verses to memorize. Other than these few pages, the rest of the notebook will be filled with writing out and 'SOAPing' my passages each day. 




This is the first page in my 1000 Gifts journal, hoping to count to WELL OVER 1000 this year! 



And the second study I'm working on is from one of the author's over at Good Morning Girls - her name is Courtney and she blogs at Women Living Well. She wrote her first book last year and I bought it over Christmastime - I'm about 4 chapters into it now and really, really loving it. It's such an encouragement for every area of the Christian woman's life - The tagline is 'Finding Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids and Your Home.' 


You know a book is good when I have highlighting on just about every page! 


So Courtney has also started a study to go along with the book and those materials are also available to print out for free! I printed out the schedule, then each of the pages that has discussion questions for each chapter ... so far I am really enjoying reading the book and following along with the questions. If you're interested in jumping in on this study, check out Courtney's blog and order your book today! {I got mine from Amazon and it was very affordable! It's an easy read so I'm confident you could easily catch up even though you missed week one.} 



So that's what I'm up to lately. Many mornings having my quiet time and study time is a challenge as I'm trying to get the girls up and ready for school as well as getting myself ready for work and out the door. But I've been trying to set my alarm clock at least 15 minutes earlier and also stay OFF the computer in the morning. And if I don't finish it all in the morning, then I try to work on it when I get back home on my morning work break.

All of this doesn't make me superMom or superChristian - in fact I'm just a sinner, saved by grace who needs to keep learning and growing each day to become more like Christ. I feel like you can never know enough and always have to strive to grow more and more each day.

Are you currently doing either of these studies?? I'd love to hear from you!









Thursday, March 7, 2013

Introducing .... Shine Like the Son

Yes, I've changed my blog name ... again! I know this is like the 3rd or 4th change I've made, but hopefully this will be a lasting choice. I still feel like my life reflects the song "Just Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Vassar BUT really felt like I wanted the blog title to reflect my faith more. So I've been looking up scriptures and songs and trying to find something that struck me just right. I LOVE Philippians 4:13 and thought about calling the blog 'I can do all things'. But then I came across this image on Pinterest and fell in love...

{image credit: Care to Look} 


We have Psalm 37:4 written on our chalkboard wall right now and it's always been a favorite of mine.


And it's also on the cover of my prayer/Bible study journal ...
 



 But, I also love the rest of it where it talks about how we will 'shine like the dawn, our vindication like the noonday sun'. So I decided on SHINE LIKE THE SON for a new blog title. Sort of adapting the verse and making it SON instead of SUN because I want to shine like the SON - Jesus Christ - in everything I do.

Here is a song by Matt Mahar called Shine Like the Sun - I love the lyrics!
 




Psalm 37:4-6

New International Version (NIV)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
 
 
I hope that my life reflects the light of Jesus, I pray that I will be joyful and full of SUNshine and also SONshine in everything I do. And i want my blog to reflect that so welcome to the new and improved blog and thanks for stopping in and reading.
 
 

Friday, August 29, 2008

Being a Christian

I am a Christian. Those that know me, know this about me already. But sometimes it's hard to really explain what that means.

It doesn't mean that I'm 'religious'. Or that I'm perfect. Or that I'm better than anyone else or holier or more righteous .... I really like this poem, I think it embraces what I am and what I believe.

I have a relationship with God. He is my Savior and I know that I am a sinner. Every day I sin. Every day I mess up. But every day I seek to follow God more and to live according to His Ways.
So enjoy the poem!

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
by Maya Angelou


'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin'' I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!