CHAPTER 11: Balancing Work and Worship

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

-What does your teetertotter look like when it comes to balancing work and worship? Draw a line to show which way it tends to tilt (if it does). *Journal this and come back to it in a few months to see if anything has changed-for the better or for worse even.

-Read "Listening to Your Soul" checklist on pages 182-183. According to the checklist, do you need to spend more time in the Living Room or in the Kitchen? What are some practical way you could lean into your weak side to bring balance to your Christian life?

Going Deeper:
-On one side of the teetertotter we find the importance of loving people. Read the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Describe how the Samaritan fulfilled the following statements:

He took NOTICE:_________________________

He took ACTION: ________________________
He took RESPONSIBILITY: __________________
-Which of the these three qualities comes easiest for you? Which is the hardest for you?

-One the other side of Mary and Martha's story we find Christ's teaching on prayer. What does Luke 11:1-13 show about our part in prayer and God's promised response?

-According to the following verses, why is it dangerous to spend all our time on one end of the teetertotter?
Matthew 7:21-23
James 2:14-17
1 John 3:16-18

-We all need time to let our souls catch up. From Isaiah 58:13-14, list three ways that we can "keep the Sabbath" and also three blessings we will receive from honoring the "Lord's holy day".

-According to the following verses, what blessings do we receive from hospitality?
Isaiah 58:6-8
Matthew 25:34-36
Hebrews 13:2

Some things I loved the MOST about this chapter can be found on the following pages:

PAGE #: 180

"That's what happens, I believe, when no becomes our easy answer to anything outside our own personal agendas. Our souls grow skinny, starved, and weak. For we were created to say an enthusiastic yes to the call of God in our lives-both his call to devotion and his call to service. Saying yes to him releases his power and his joy to our souls. It's what gives us strength and the energy to do what he wants us to do."

PAGE #: 184

"Teetertotter. Up and down. Work and worship. Love the Lord and love other people. It's the dynamic rhythm that drives a meaningful, yes-centered balanced life."

PAGE #: 190 "The secret to balancing worship and work, devotion and service, love of God and of people is maintaining our connection to Jesus Christ. Our relationship with him is the fulcrum, the anchor, the steadying point that makes balance possible in the first place. And the deeper that relationship goes, the more stable the balance will be."

PAGE #: 191 "Below the Water Line" story! LOVE that story!

HEBREWS 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

*I've ALWAYS LOVED this verse as it relates to loving others and being in community with others as God has called us to be and do.

LUKE 14:13-14 "But when  you give a banquet, invite the poor, the cripple, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

*This is powerful to me and means so much. When considering who to invite into your life or into your home even consider those you wouldn't normally consider, those that aren't always the most pleasing but that you could potentially shine Christ's light upon them.

CHAPTER 10: Mary's Extravagant Love

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

-Describe a time you expressed love and concern for others and were misunderstood. How did it make you feel? Did you pull back or press in closer?

-Consider the differences between Mary's and Judas's love for Christ:

    MARY...                                            JUDAS...

    * Had a heart of gratitude                    * Had a heart of greed

    * Came with abandon                          * Came with an agenda

    * Heard what Jesus said & responded     * Heard but did not understand

    * Held nothing back                            * Gave up nothing

-Which aspects of Mary's love comes easiest for you? Which aspect is the most difficult for you?

 

Going Deeper:

-After reading JOHN 12:1-11 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE) what was Judas's response to Mary's extravagant love? What did John say was the motivation behind his response?

-After reading MATTHEW 16:21-23 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE) What was Peter's response to Jesus' explanation that he must die? What did Jesus say was the motivation behind his response?

- Mary loved extravagantly because she had experienced firsthand the extravagant love of God. Read 1 JOHN 3:1 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE) and ROMANS 8:31-39 (CLICK HERE TO READ ONLINE).

 *I challenge you to write a love letter to God, expressing your gratitude for his lavish love and extravagant grace.

 

Here are a few things that I loved in this chapter and I hope you are as inspired by them as I have been!

 

PAGE #: 164 "Our strength can be our undoing. And Judas's strength was his ambition, his focus, and his commitment to getting ahead. It was also, of course, his greatest weakness. It caused Judas to care more about the political situation and his own bank account that the condition of his heart."

 

PAGE #: 165 "How sad that it is possible to know God but never truly experience God."

*This right here makes me so sad for those people out there that aren't allowing themselves the beautiful enjoyment of experiencing God in all His glory. To know is not to experience. We must be open, willing and sincere. We must come in true commitment and abandonment for God.

 

PAGE #: 166 "If we find ourselves becoming critical of other people we should stop examining them, and start examining ourselves.

*This is something I think that we as Christians can sometimes be the worst at. Quick to judge others, "outsiders" and followers of Christ alike, we judge, we become too critical when we ourselves have work yet to be done and improvements yet to be developed and lots to learn in this lifetime still. God is the only one with the authority to judge so we shouldn't think we have that right.

 

PAGE : 167 *The last paragraph of the page before "Lavish Love"

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 9: Martha's Teachable Heart

PROVERBS 4:13 "Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life."

 

BE TEACHABLE...

 

- Being willing to Listen

- Acting on what we hear.

- Responding to discipline.

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

-Which of the following best describes the kind of student you were in school?

    * Intellectual        * Absent-Though-Present    * Teacher's Pet

    * Procrastinator    * Party Animal                     * High Achiever

- What did you like most about school? What did you like least? How have you carried these likes and dislikes into adulthood?

 
Going Deeper: 

- We have to accept the diagnosis if we're ever going to experience the cure. I believe Martha did just that.

Read LUKE 10:38-42 (CLICK HERE TO READ THE VERSES ONLINE)

Now read JOHN 11:17-28 (CLICK HERE TO READ THE VERSES ONLINE)

-What differences do you see in Martha in these two stories?

 

- God is willing to forgive and change us-even at our very worst. Consider the prayer David prayed in PSALM 51:10-12 (CLICK HERE TO READ THE VERSES ONLINE) after his murderous, adulterous affair with Bathsheba. Rewrite this cry for transformation in your own words. Then read it aloud to the Lord.

 

The things that spoke to me the most in this chapter are listed below with the page numbers so you can check them out in greater detail if you would like.

 

PAGE #: 138 "Martha thought she had value because she was productive. Jesus wanted her to learn she had value simply because she was his."

* I LOVED this because I always say God is enough for me. And this is Jesus' way of letting me know that I am enough. This to me is comforting. That as long as His child following His ways, it's enough. I don't have to prove myself to anyone or do enough good things to get the Lord's love or approval. I am enough! WOW!!!

 

JOHN 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice I know them and they follow me."

 

PAGE #: 147 "I've already said a lot about obedience in this book, mainly because I believe obedience is an essential ingredient in intimacy with God and the key to having a Mary heart. And obedience is exactly what we;re talking about here. Either we take Jesus' words to heart and change, or we listen but disregard them. And to disregard the voice of God is worse than not listening at all. Especially if we say we love him." 

 

PSALM 94:12-13

"Blessed is the man you discipline O' Lord;.....you grant him relief from days of trouble."

 

PSALM 51:10-12 "Create in me a pure heart, O' God and renew a stead fast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me."

 

Once again an AWESOME and powerful chapter that I could read again and again! Let's hear some comments, thoughts, prayer requests! ANYTHING?! 

 

 

Lovin' Life and Livin' Life Together!

Hey ladies! I had a great time this past Sunday in our Bible study time together. I am sure some of you missed due to baptisms going on. And we sure did miss everyone!!! I really hope that you all make it back for our next meeting!!! I can't wait to see how you all enjoy the final chapters in this wonderful book. I have enjoyed getting to know you all better and look forward to our next study!!! I feel like I could read this book over and over and over again and get even more out of it with each time.

Well I will be updating the blog soon! Sooooo stayed tuned! And post a comment! Holly and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts, concerns, prayer requests! Anything that is on your heart this week, let us know! Our group as whole can learn and grow with each other from hearing from one another.

Love to you all! Have a BEAUTIFUL day today!!!

CHAPTER 6: Kitchen Service

I have to say I just LOVE this book more and more with every chapter and every word that I read, SERIOUSLY!!!! Does anyone else feel this way? How are you feeling so far since reading this book? What are your thoughts so far? Let us all hear from each other on here!!! It would be so refreshing hear some feedback on hear throughout the week and in between our meetings together!

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

-Who was the first Christian person in your life to live in such a way that you could clearly see Christ? How did this person affect your life?

-Read the story of the little boy and the evangelist on page 97. How would you like Jesus to "stick out all over" your life-That is, what attitudes and characteristics of the Savior would you like God to develop in your life?

Going Deeper:

-Read John 13:1-17 either in your Bible or click on the link below!

CLICK HERE TO READ JOHN 13:1-17

-Jesus' washing of the disciples feet was a totally unexpected example of what true Christian love should look like. According to page 82, why was it so shocking?

-In what unexpected ways could we wash the feet of those around us?

 *Again this time around I didn't post ALL the study guide questions as I am challenging you each to look them up in the backs of your books and answer them each on your own. Use this as a way to begin to start your quiet time with the Lord. The study guide for chapter six begins on page 215.

Here are a few parts of chapter six that I just loved and would of course LOVE to share! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

 PAGE #: 82 "Of all the identifying marks of a Christian, Jesus said love would be the thing that give us away. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples." he said, "if you love one another."

JOHN 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

PAGE #: 83 "We are God's love letter to the world. We were set apart for a purpose-to communicate his glory to a lost and dying world."

*My heart just melted when I read this. I just loved the thought of this. God's love letter to the world! We are an example! Something that shouldn't be taken lightly. Something that we should be honoring and diligently pursuing in the best way possible.

PAGE #: 84 "In the same respect, it isn't enough to call ourselves Christians. We must live like Christians."

*If your gonna talk the talk then you'd better walk the walk. This is one of the main reasons I have seen that Christians get such a bad wrap. We seem to be able to dish out the advice and the "you should do this or that" when we in fact ourselves need to take inventory of our own lives and make sure we are indeed doing the things we are trying to teach others about. And then I also see so many people in my life that call themselves Christians because they grew up in church and that's what their parents call themselves and they know about Jesus and they may know some things in the Bible but they are still not even close to being Christians and my heart breaks for some of them because these people are some of the ones I love deeply. They haven't truly accepted Christ as their savior once and for all! BIG difference in acceptance and just knowing.

PAGE #: 97 "Only God, you see, can make rag dolls whole. Only God can put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Our job is just to be his rag doll emissaries, formed in his likeness, filled with his love and endued with his power. And gifted with the privilege of sharing a loving Father with our orphan world."

*This part just truly makes me smile in a HUGE way every time I read it and think about it dwell over it. Only God can save the world. We try or think we can sometimes in our own worlds and day-to-day lives. But we weren't called to do so. We were called to share love with one another. Shine Christ's light on the world. So amazing!

Here are some of the verses in the chapter that are awesome!

CLICK HERE TO READ LUKE 3:9

CLICK HERE TO READ ACTS 4:13

CLICK HERE TO READ ISAIAH 61:1

CLICK HERE TO READ MATTHEW 6:33

I hope you loved this chapter just as much as I have! I hope that you are loving each part of this book even more and more as you read more! It's so amazing!!! I am super blessed to be apart of the book study with such an amazing group of ladies! Stay tuned for Chapter 7!

CHAPTER 5: Living Room Intimacy

Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This time around I am not going to post all the study guide questions as I challenge you all to look them up in the back of your books and answer them all on your own. Chapter five's study guide questions are on page 214-215 (appendix). BUT I am going to post the questions that I think stuck out them most to me. And you can respond and let me know what you think and how you feel! We would ALL LOVE to hear from YOU!

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

-Someone has said that each of us is created "with a God-shaped hole" and that we will never be truly satisfied until we fill that space with him. Unfortunately many of us, as Teri described on page 69, fill up on spiritual Snicker Bars. What do you turn to instead of God when you're feeling empty?

Going Deeper:

I encourage you to click on the links below and read the verses there or look them up in your Bibles. Reflect over them. Jot them down in your journals even if you have one!

 CLICK HERE TO READ JOHN 8:44

 CLICK HERE TO READ JOHN 15:4

CLICK HERE TO READ JOHN 15:5

-In the book it says that before we were Christians, Satan tells us we don't need a Savior. After we become Christians, he tells us we don't deserve a Savior. How have these lies affected your walk with God?

- Read the excerpt from "My Heart Christ's Home" (Pages 72-73) How does it make you feel to think that Jesus longs to have time alone with you-to be home in you?

-How could this realization turn your devotional life from a duty to a delight?

Now I will share some of the things in the book that spoke to my hear the most. I hope that maybe some of these things touch your heart too!

PAGE #:64-65 "When crowds flocked to view his acts of perceived holiness, Simeon determined to escape the distractions by living atop a pillar."

*I LOVE this story and example of extreme determination and desperation for time with God! It totally rocks my world! It makes me realize that no matter what we have to do to get away from the rat race of life sometimes in order to have that alone time that Jesus longs for us to have and share with Him that we MUST STOP and do it! There is no excuse! This man LIVED atop a pillar, I mean seriously!!!! What?! We can seriously carve out some simple time in our schedules to still our souls and sit at His feet right!

 PAGE#: 67 "I kept waiting for the day I'd be worthy to sit at his table never realizing that the cost of such fellowship was included in the price Christ paid for my passage."

-"But there may need to be a bit of demolition work on your end because the enemy of our souls keeps quite busy building barriers to block spiritual intimacy.
*This to me is HUGE! I am constantly battling the LIES the enemy trying to feed me and it's up to me to demolish once and for all the barriers and insecurities that prevent me from letting go of the past once and for all move forward with the beautiful new creation that Jesus has created in me! I am good enough to sit at His table and good enough to have the people in my life that He has brought to me and good enough for the new life that I have now. Whew! That's a lot of stuff but it's demolition I am DETERMINED to DO!

PAGE #: 71 "It is not an exercise it is a privilege."

*This part in the book is talking about our devotion to God. It's not a duty or an exercise, and it shouldn't feel that way. It should be a joy! It should be felt like an honor and privilege. As a follower of Christ we have a special gift that we can have the honor of sitting at the feet of Christ in a true relationship with Him. He waits for us to come to Him patiently. And we should definitely take full advantage!

I hope some of these things will inspire you in some way! I am praying for each of you as we continue to learn and grow in our walk with Christ together!  PLEASE feel free to post ANY comments on here. They don't have to be answers to all the questions. You can post anything! Your thoughts on the book study in general, how your week has been, prayer requests, ANYTHING! We would just LOVE to hear from MORE of you!

Stay tuned for Chapter six!

LOVED LOVED Bible Study Group Time Sunday!

I just wanted to say that I LOVED LOVED LOVED getting to share and talk with ALL you wonderful ladies that were able to make it to the first bible study group meeting this past Sunday! It was amazing! I think we had some really great discussions! I love being apart of this group of women and learning more about how I can worship and spend time with my savior because HE is SO deserving! And if you weren't able to read this past time around or make it the group no worries! It's not too late! You can definitely still join! AND if you would like a copy of the handout that we had at group on Sunday just let me or Holly know and we can get you a copy. It has a sample of questions from each chapter! I am praying for you ALL this week and in the weeks to come as we continue reading this amazing book together!

Below are the two remaining dates Holly has scheduled for us to meet for the study! She also sent these dates to us in an email just before VR.

-We will meet @ 8:15-8:45 & 10:15-10:45 in the starting point room #105.

(Please try and be on time so we can get started right away and finish on time to hang with students)

-The schedule for the Book Reviews are:

October 11- Chapters 5-8

October 25- Chapter 9-12 (End of book)