Monday, July 6, 2015

Womens Bible Cafe™

Womens Bible Cafe™

Empty Hands | Book Review

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 10:18 PM PDT

Empty Hands A Memoir One Womans Journey to SaveEmpty Hands Memoir: One Woman’s Journey to Save Children Orphaned by AIDS in South Africa (Sacred Activism) by Sister Abegail Ntleko is truly inspiring. From the time I picked up and read an advanced copy for review, I was immediately sharing her amazing story with my husband, daughters and friends. Each chapter left me in amazement at the remarkable strength of this intelligent and compassionate lady. She has much wisdom that can be applied in the mission field, in local churches, in our communities and in our homes. Her philosophy is to “Meet people where they are in their lives and accept them.” She does this in the face of unimaginable adversity.

There are many cultural and religious experiences in her story. As you read the book you’ll be exposed to South Africa during poverty, apartheid, male dominance and AIDS. Sister Abegail Ntleko walks her readers through her own journey of faith, from numerous Christian churches, Buddhist friends, and Zulu traditions. If you try to put the author inside the parameters of conformity then you’ll be disappointed in your effort. She is a remarkable and unique woman with a passion and love that is unstoppable. She lives intentionally, purposefully and passionately to make the world a better place.

This book is so inspiring I intend to read it many times. It’s rich with a passion unseen in many people. The cultural aspects expose the reader to life beyond the American armchair. Half-way through the book I found myself searching for and sponsoring a young girl in South Africa through Compassion International. If I can help one young girl aspire and achieve her dreams just as Abegail has done, then my money is following my heart. This story has left a lasting imprint on my heart.

Pre-order the book so you’ll have a copy to read when it’s published! The book includes a foreword by Desmond Tutu and several photos of Sister Abegail.

Please rate my Amazon review thank you!

 

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." Womens Bible Cafe and LifeVerse Books are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Conversation Peace Online Bible Study | Week 4

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 09:44 PM PDT

conversation peace online bible studyWelcome Back to our Summer Bible Study, Conversation Peace by Mary Kassian.  This week we learned about the battle tactics we often use in our conversations with others.  What a powerful week of study it was for me, as I realized that still struggle with some of those battle tactics that I thought I had surrendered to God.

James 4:1-3 states, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Wow did this verse begin my reality check.  The root of this for me was pride.  Now sometimes pride shows itself by being arrogant, but my reality check showed me that I am insecure in some areas.  God showed me that even when I feel like I am lacking I am still being prideful because in that moment, it is all about me, when I should be relying on God to lead and guide me.  Remember God qualifies the called.  

This really hit me hard.  Can I share something deeper with you? I really struggled doing the blog and questions each week for Conversation Peace.  Now I wanted to do it, but as each week came up, I would always second guess my questions, and my writing.  I had inner strife because I was feeling that I lacked what I saw in other writers.  Feedback became attacks in my mind and I even wanted to stop doing them.  Imagine that.  But God showed me that  I needed His peace that would destroy and bring down barriers. I began to embrace the study and allow it to minister to me and then share what I learned each week.  My conversations with Christine Abraham became more of a partnership, as it had always been, full of positive conversations.  Thank You Lord!

There were many wonderful take-aways from this week’s lesson.  Our lesson ended with our call to servanthood.  This is difficult for us at times because being a true servant of God means we are vulnerable, we have to let our guards down.  We may get hurt by others.  Christ’s sacrifice was the ultimate, His love for us and willingness to obey His Father is one that we can never repay.  But when we model His behaviors we become more loving, more willing to sacrifice our rights for others.  We open up to others and minister and share our experiences with them.  We become willing to do whatever God calls us to do, because we know and trust that He will carry us and He will give us all that we need to accomplish His will.

I pray that you and I together, will be able to continue to tear down the walls of pride that so easily get us distracted and off course with our relationship with God.  Letting go of control, judgement, haste, and a sense of pride we can grow closer to God and become His true servants.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:

  • Join a small group for study and fellowship.
  • Study and memorize our Breath Freshener for this week: Proverbs 17:19
  • Identify where you can obey God more and become a true servant for Him.
  • Read Week 5 in your workbook
  • Visit the Conversation Peace website for more resources
  • Register for the Believing God Beth Moore study (starts Aug. 10) OR
  • Register for the Kay Arthur inductive study (starts Aug. 10)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK: (You can answer in your small group or post a comment here on the website if you do not have a Facebook account)

  1. Mary Kassian describes the "high gate of battle" as when we enter conversations with our swords drawn. Even if we do not strike, we assume a posture to defend or to attack. Why do you think you enter certain conversations ready to battle? (page 99-100)
  2. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being easy and 5 being very difficult) where do you fall when you approach conversations with others? Are you above correction or willing to be corrected? (page 113)
  3. Mary Kassian lists 3 areas where we fail when being hasty in our conversations: 1) failure to restrain assumptions, 2) failure to restrain words, and 3) failure to restrain anger Which area do you most often show? What do you think would happen if you made it a habit of pausing and thinking before you react?(page 116)
  4. How would you define the Christian concept of servanthood?  If you adopted Christ's servant heart, how would this impact your relationships with others? (page 120)

I am posting this activity for you to do during the week on your own time:

PERSONAL REFLECTION: Let's revisit scripture memorization.  Are you memorizing our Breath Freshener scriptures each week? If so, how has memorizing the scriptures help you during the week?

Be Blessed,

sonya morris nelson
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ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Astronomers see pebbles poised to make planets

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:48 PM PDT

A team of astronomers announced the discovery of a ring of rocks circling a very young star. This is the first time these 'pebbles', thought to be a crucial link in building planets, have been detected.

Universe’s hidden supermassive black holes revealed

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:48 PM PDT

Astronomers have found evidence for a large population of hidden supermassive black holes in the Universe.

Do micro-organisms explain features on comets?

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT

Comet 67P/Churyumov--Gerasimenko, studied in detail by the European Space Agency Rosetta and Philae spacecraft since September 2014, is a body with distinct and unexpected features. Now two astronomers have a radical explanation for its properties -- micro-organisms that shape cometary activity.

Small cosmic ‘fish’ points to big haul for SKA Pathfinder

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT

A wisp of cosmic radio waves, emitted before our solar system was born, shows that a new radio telescope will be able to detect galaxies other telescopes can't.

Arthritis drug could be used to treat blood cancer sufferers

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered that a common drug given to arthritis sufferers could also help to treat patients with blood cancers, and is one thousandth of the cost of another drug that works in the same way. The discovery may open up cost effective treatment options for cancer patients across the world.

'Bee soup' could help understand declines, test remedies

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:46 PM PDT

It may sound counter-intuitive, but crushing up bees into a 'DNA soup' could help conservationists understand and even reverse their decline, according to scientists. New research shows that collecting wild bees, extracting their DNA, and directly reading the DNA of the resultant 'sop' could finally make large-scale bee monitoring programs feasible. This would allow conservationists to detect where and when bee species are being lost and whether conservation interventions are working.

New understanding of retinoblastoma proteins' role in cell death and cancer progression

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 03:38 PM PDT

A new review article focuses on RB role in apoptosis provides a comprehensive overview on the role of RB proteins in the coordinated control of cell decisions.

Mass killings, school shootings are contagious

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 12:15 PM PDT

A team of researchers examined databases on past high-profile mass killings and school shootings in the US and fit a contagion model to the data to determine that these tragedies create a period of contagion lasting an average of 13 days, that roughly 20 to 30 percent of such occurrences arise from contagion and that the incidence of these events is significantly higher in states with a high prevalence of gun ownership.

Genes may not be to blame for link between migraine, heart disease

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:23 AM PDT

Genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura, new research shows. Aura are sensations that come before the headache, often visual disturbances such as flashing lights.

Researchers test fecal transplantation to treat ulcerative colitis

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:28 AM PDT

A research team recruited 75 patients with a flare up of their ulcerative colitis and randomized them to fecal transplant therapy given as an enema derived from stool donated by an anonymous healthy donor, and placebo.

Genetic variation determines response to anti-diabetic drug

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:27 AM PDT

In the first study of its kind, researchers have shown how an anti-diabetic drug can have variable effects depending on small natural differences in DNA sequence between individuals. They aim to apply this knowledge to develop personalized approaches to treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
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