Monday, January 25, 2016

Bible Study and Book Club Updates

Bible Study and Book Club Updates


Joseph Journey to Forgiveness | Week 2

Posted: 24 Jan 2016 08:58 PM PST

womens bible cafe joseph 2

Welcome back to online Bible Study at the Women's Bible Cafe™.  We’re discussing WEEK TWO from the book “Joseph, the Journey to Forgiveness” by Melissa Spoelstra. This week we reflected on Joseph’s time in prison and his opportunities to forgive and reflect on his offenders. He was literally waiting…to be remembered and released from prison. While in prison he probably experienced a multitude of emotions. Have you experienced similar emotions in your own season of forgiveness?

As I write this, one of my close friends is in a prison season. She has no control over the circumstances that brought her to a time of waiting. She does have a choice in her response, just as we learned this week in our study of Joseph. She can respond with anger, hurt, depression, worry or fear, and those emotions are often expected given her situation. It’s easy for her to gather a group of friends to validate her justified emotions. Yet another response is for her to pray, listen, and allow God to heal her heart. That response is much harder because it’s often done alone, in a prison season.

We can produce fruit from the season of waiting: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 

We can uncover tiny pebbles and big boulders in a season of waiting.

We can draw closer to Jesus.

Yet our flesh wants to respond with frustration, fear, revenge, gossip and regrets. As Sonya Morris Nelson says, “The wild horse is at it again!”

My personal advice is to get off that horse, get on your knees, and petition your requests to God. Most likely He’s going to lead you to a healthy and permanent restoration of your heart… only when you are quiet enough to listen.

Let’s move on with our lesson and learn the freedom of complete forgiveness!

BIBLE STUDY TIP: Set a reminder on your cell phone with an alarm to attend a small group and complete your reading assignments in the study book. I am finishing online classes at Liberty University and this is how I keep up. I calendar the assignments and schedule time for them using a repeat alarm on my phone.

Assignment For the Week

  • Make sure you subscribe to our email updates so that you receive email updates each week on Monday.
  • Select a small group day and time that fits your schedule. The small group schedule will also be pinned to the top of our private Facebook Group.  Arrive to the private Facebook group for the one hour meeting you chose to attend. Save the group to your favorites list so you can find us each week.
  • Read Week Three: Dreams Coming True in your study book and complete the daily lessons.
  • Optional: Watch video session one if you are using the DVD set- available at Amazon
  • Download Answers to the Video Session from our facebook group (Look under files tab in group)

 Discussion Questions – Answer in your small group or post a comment below

  1. On page 46 Melissa writes, “Forgiveness of atrocities requires time. If it happens too quickly one might question the sincerity and depth of it…prospering in our prisons means sorting through the wrong done to us.” Do you agree or disagree, why?
  2. Can you think of a time in your life when you were angry or offended by something that stung initially, but later you realized it was for your own good? (page 56)
  3. Melissa uses the metaphor of small pebbles that can fill up a backpack with too much dead weight and boulders that can weigh you down. Which are you carrying in your heart right now…a sack of pebbles, medium rocks, or big boulders? (page 56) What plan do you have to unload the weight?
  4. In our study we are reminded that forgiving others does not open the entrance to heaven; salvation is given through Christ on the cross. Yet it’s important to forgive others and ourselves, and to have a pure heart.  How can we tell when our heart is pure or bitter? What should we do if we observe a friend is steeping a bitter heart?
  5. What is a key concept that you discovered this week in your study? Does the study make you uncomfortable and want to hide, or is the topic helping you learn forgiveness?

Praying for you,

christine abraham

 

Galatians: Free from Bondage God’s Way | Week 2

Posted: 24 Jan 2016 08:21 PM PST

Week Two Blog Photo

Welcome back to our online Inductive Bible Study on the book of Galatians, “Free from Bondage God’s Way” by Kay Arthur.   We just completed Week Two, “Shackled by Your Past?”

Do you ever feel like you are chained to your past?  That your past hovers over you like a dark cloud and follows you everywhere you go? I would love to go back and have a “do-over.”  Unfortunately, we cannot change the past, but there is good news! God can use our past for His glory!  Yes, it’s true!  God can shape our past into something beautiful for His Kingdom and His glory.  You see, we all have a story to tell.  We all have a testimony to share about what our life was like before we met Jesus.  We saw this in the life of Paul.

Before Paul met Jesus, he….

had a religion and was bound by the law

was an unbeliever and condemned Christianity

hated the church and wanted to destroy it

persecuted Christians and wanted them bound and killed

After Paul met Jesus, he …

had a relationship and was saved by grace

was a believer and preached the Gospel

shared his testimony and the church grew

glorified God

What a testimony Paul had to share with the world!

“For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it…” Galatians 1:13

Paul was bad news, but now he shares the good news.

“And they were glorifying God because of me.” Galatians 1:24

No one is beyond the saving grace of Jesus Christ, no matter what your past looks like.  Jesus can change us from the inside out.  He makes all things new.  He chases away the dark cloud and replaces it with a glorious light for all to see.  Reminds me of a childhood song I used to sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine…”

Paul goes on to say:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20

The same goes for us because as believers in Jesus Christ, we have been saved by grace.  Re-read the above verse, but this time replace the “I” and “me” with your name.

Kay Arthur writes in the “Thought for the Week”…

“Rest, beloved child of God, for God saved you when it pleased Him. His promise is there to comfort and assure you that the Sovereign God–the God of all flesh– is able to cause all things, even your “before Christ” days, to work together for good. He will use them to make you like Jesus.”

BIBLE STUDY TIP:  When marking key words, keep a list of the key words on an index card along with the way you marked the word.  Use the index card as a bookmark in your Bible so that you are consistent in marking the words the same way throughout the book you are studying.

ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK:

  • Join a small group and fellowship with your fellow Bible students. http://www.facebook.com/groups/WBCInductiveStudies/
  • Complete your study of Week Three, “Where’s Freedom from Your Flesh?”
  • Pray before you begin your study.  Ask your resident Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to open your heart to wisdom and understanding to learn His truths.
  • Do an online word study on “justified” (Galatians 2:15-17) at www.blueletterbible.org. Record your findings on the Word Study Form located in “Files” in the Inductive Studies chat room.
  • Write your story (testimony) in your journal and share it with someone this week.
  • Store in your heart Galatians 1:15-16 (Week Two, Day Seven).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (answer in small groups or post a comment here)

  1. According to Galatians 1:15-16, why was Paul not saved earlier–for instance, when Jesus was still living? What can you learn about salvation from this account?
  2. As Paul gives his personal testimony and account of some incidents that occurred after his conversion, why do you think he shared the controversy he had with Peter with the Galatians? What was his purpose? (Galatians 2:7-10)
  3. We do not fall into the hypocrisy of acting like Jews even though we are Christians as did the Galatian and Jerusalem believers (Galatians 2:11-15). What is our modern form of hypocrisy more likely to look like?
  4. What does it mean to be “crucified with Christ?” (Galatians 2:20)

Blessings,

Sheree Poole

The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on. ~ Unknown

The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on. ~ Unknown


The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on. ~ Unknown

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 05:00 AM PST

The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on. ~ Unknown

The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on. ~ Unknown

The post The ones who love you will never leave you. Even if there are hundred reasons to give up, they will find one reason to hold on. ~ Unknown appeared first on .

I forgive people but that doesn’t mean I accept their behavior or trust them. I forgive them for me, so I can let go and move on with my life. ~ Unknown

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:50 AM PST

I forgive people but that doesn't mean I accept their behavior or trust them. I forgive them for me, so I can let go and move on with my life. ~ Unknown

I forgive people but that doesn’t mean I accept their behavior or trust them. I forgive them for me, so I can let go and move on with my life. ~ Unknown

The post I forgive people but that doesn’t mean I accept their behavior or trust them. I forgive them for me, so I can let go and move on with my life. ~ Unknown appeared first on .

Happiness isn’t just a feeling, it’s a way of life. it’s opening your heart, even though you’ve been hurt, giving love another chance. and whatever happens, you know you’ll be okay.

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:34 AM PST

Happiness isn't just a feeling, it's a way of life. it's opening your heart, even though you've been hurt, giving love another chance. and whatever happens, you know you'll be okay.

Happiness isn’t just a feeling, it’s a way of life. it’s opening your heart, even though you’ve been hurt, giving love another chance. and whatever happens, you know you’ll be okay.

The post Happiness isn’t just a feeling, it’s a way of life. it’s opening your heart, even though you’ve been hurt, giving love another chance. and whatever happens, you know you’ll be okay. appeared first on .

When you meet the other half of your soul, you will understand why all the others let you go. When you meet the one who deserves your heart, you’ll understand why things didn’t work out with everyone else.

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:07 AM PST

When you meet the other half of your soul, you will understand why all the others let you go. When you meet the one who deserves your heart, you'll understand why things didn't work out with everyone else.

When you meet the other half of your soul, you will understand why all the others let you go. When you meet the one who deserves your heart, you’ll understand why things didn’t work out with everyone else.

The post When you meet the other half of your soul, you will understand why all the others let you go. When you meet the one who deserves your heart, you’ll understand why things didn’t work out with everyone else. appeared first on .

You are loved. You are wonderfully made. You are beautiful. You have purpose. You are a masterpiece. God has a great plan for you.

Posted: 24 Jan 2016 09:01 PM PST

You are loved. You are wonderfully made. You are beautiful. You have purpose. You are a masterpiece. God has a great plan for you.

You are loved. You are wonderfully made. You are beautiful. You have purpose. You are a masterpiece. God has a great plan for you.

The post You are loved. You are wonderfully made. You are beautiful. You have purpose. You are a masterpiece. God has a great plan for you. appeared first on .

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Neighborhood watch and more: How reed warblers watch out when there's a cuckoo about

Posted: 22 Jan 2016 05:34 AM PST

A study of reed warbler behavior reveals for the first time that in assessing the risks posed by cuckoos the birds combine information from multiple sources. An 'information highway' provides one set of clues and personal encounters another. Only when both add up, do the birds take defensive action.