All day long, she squeals with excitement over this joy and that joy, expressing delight and comfort and gratitude. Womens Bible Cafe™

Womens Bible Cafe™

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Covenant Online Bible Study Starts Today! Posted: 11 Jan 2015 09:44 PM PST Welcome to Covenant, an inductive online Bible study at the Womens Bible Cafe!  Did you know that God cut a covenant just for you?  Through this study of Covenant, we will learn how God’s old covenant points to the promises of the new covenant and newness of life in Jesus Christ!  We pray this study will bring you to a fresh realization that God is the covenant-keeping God who always keeps His promises. You will discover God’s  enduring promises of Covenant by using the following three concepts of inductive Bible study: Observation:  What does the text say? Interpretation: What does the text mean? Application: What does the text mean to me personally? All you need for this study are a set of colored pencils or colored pens for marking key words, the Covenant Bible study workbook by Kay Arthur and your Bible. Key Words:  These are words that are repeated which unlock the meaning of the text. Marking key words help you to discover truth for yourself and what God is speaking  to You through His Word. How to Join the Closed Facebook Group (Chatroom) Login to your Facebook account FIRST Click the URL link for the chatroom: http://www.facebook.com/groups/wbcchatroom2/ Click "join group" Please allow time for the leaders to approve your request When you join the chatrooms, you will see a SMALL GROUP schedule "pinned" to the top of the group. All groups are open attendance. Select a day and time that works best for your schedule, look for the leader photo on that day and time, and then join the discussion right under the photo. A FEW GUIDELINES FOR ONLINE BIBLE STUDY IMPORTANT: The first week of online Bible study, many women are exploring different small groups. Some groups will move very fast and are challenging, while others are easier to read. This changes the second week…and the timelines are much easier to follow. Please be patient as the new women navigate the small groups and learn how they work. We usually have 15 women in the large groups, 8 women in the smaller groups on the second week of study. CONFIDENTIALITY: Anything shared in small groups is not to be repeated outside of the group. Please respect the women who are transparent with their testimonies. SENSITIVITY: Please resist the temptation  to interrupt (such as posting Facebook symbols or links to articles and videos), monopolizing by drawing attention to yourself instead of the Holy Spirit, or trying to "fix" shared problems. Women want to be heard and not told what to do. NON-DENOMINATIONAL: As a diverse group of women, we have different church doctrines, Bible translations and theologies. This is a place to respectfully disagree, rather than judging one another, so that you may grow and understand different viewpoints. It's okay to question and see things differently, however we ask you to be kind and sensitive to the feelings of others. BIBLE TRANSLATIONS: BIBLE TRANSLATIONS: Kay Arthur, the author of Covenant uses The New Inductive Study Bible (NASB) version for Inductive Precept studies.  The Observation Worksheets (Scriptures) that are included in the Covenant workbook are from the NASB version. You're welcome to use any Bible translation of your choice, we encourage you to explore parallel (side-by-side) translations to get the most from this study. Use an online program such as BibleGateway, YouVersion, or BlueLetterBible if you'd like to study the Word in many translations- NIV, NKJV, ESV, NASB, and more. Many Bible apps have audio Bibles, so you can listen to the Scriptures if you'd like to! ACCOUNTABILITY: We encourage you to find an accountability partner to pray for you and keep each other on track. If you see someone in your small group that you feel the Holy Spirit is guiding you towards for accountability, send her a friend request. Our leaders are available to serve you too, so if you want a leader to help you then send her a friend request. ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK: Write a letter to God on the inside cover of your workbook. Put today's date inside your book and tell Him where you are in your life right now, and where you hope He leads you through the study of Covenant. Join a small group and fellowship with your fellow Bible students! Basic Study: Complete week 1in the Covenant workbook, about 20 to30 minutes each day. Optional: Watch Video Guide 1 video (optional due to cost), page 7 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (Answer here or in your small group) When you hear the word “covenant” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? How do you feel when someone breaks a promise to you? Is this your first online Inductive Bible study? How many online studies have you completed (not just at WBC) or how many offline Bible studies have you completed? Which study have you enjoyed most? Do you have any questions before we meet again next week? Before we meet next week, please read WEEK ONE in your Covenant study book. Set aside the same time each day, just as you set aside time to watch favorite television shows, attend a local event or an appointment. Be intentional about spending time with the LORD because you LOVE Him, not because this is a chore. Spend 20 to 30 minutes a day with God- set the time in your calendar and don't miss your date with Jesus! Welcome to online Bible study! Sheree Poole

What Love Is Online Bible Study Starts Today! Posted: 11 Jan 2015 09:15 PM PST My five-year-old daughter loves cookies.  She loves Fruit Loops and the color pink.  She loves zebras and flamingos. She loves cherry tomatoes and apple slices. She loves music you can dance to (and she does boogie!) All day long, she squeals with excitement over this joy and that joy, expressing delight and comfort and gratitude. I call her my “joy bucket.”  She loves to love. It's so easy, though, to toss that word around. We love coffee or tea.  We love books and we love sunny days.  We love fresh-fallen snow and warm, fuzzy blankets. We love to love and we love to be loved. But can we say this, also? We love our neighbor? We love the unlovable? We love God? What is this Love, anyway?  Surely it's not the same as loving chocolate or loving Starbucks. In our study of Kelly Minter's book: What Love Is: The Letters of 1, 2, 3 John, we'll be looking at the themes of: Fellowship Light Assurance Abiding More than that, we'll be looking at Love.  As Kelly writes in the Introduction, "at a time when the word love means just about anything under the sun, and therefore almost nothing, John tells us 'this is what love is…..'  And then he shows us Jesus" (p. 7). It's not too late to join this online Bible study, all small groups are open attendance and everyone is invited to participate! Please sign up by clicking here. How to Join the Closed Facebook Group (Chatroom) Login to your Facebook account FIRST Click the URL link for the chatroom: http://www.facebook.com/groups/wbcchatroom3/ Click "join group" Please allow time for the leaders to approve your request When you join the chatrooms, you will see a SMALL GROUP schedule "pinned" to the top of the group. All groups are open attendance. Select a day and time that works best for your schedule, look for the leader photo on that day and time, and then join the discussion right under the photo. BIBLE STUDY TIP: This study is going to take you all over Scripture.  One of my favorite ways to complete a study like this is to use a tool such as BibleGateway.com.  For this study, I actually opened Bible Gateway up in my web browser two times.  I used one Bible Gateway page to read the main passage for each day.  Then I used the other page of Bible Gateway to look up the many additional Scriptures Kelly Minter references.  This saved a lot of time and I was able to read the verses in multiple translations or look at whole passages and chapters for context easily. A FEW GUIDELINES FOR ONLINE BIBLE STUDY IMPORTANT: The first week of online Bible study, many women are exploring different small groups. Some groups will move very fast and are challenging, while others are easier to read. This changes the second week…and the timelines are much easier to follow. Please be patient as the new women navigate the small groups and learn how they work. We usually have 15 women in the large groups, 8 women in the smaller groups on the second week of study. CONFIDENTIALITY: Anything shared in small groups is not to be repeated outside of the group. Please respect the women who are transparent with their testimonies. SENSITIVITY: Please resist the temptation  to interrupt (such as posting Facebook symbols or links to articles and videos), monopolizing by drawing attention to yourself instead of the Holy Spirit, or trying to "fix" shared problems. Women want to be heard and not told what to do. NON-DENOMINATIONAL: As a diverse group of women, we have different church doctrines, Bible translations and theologies. This is a place to respectfully disagree, rather than judging one another, so that you may grow and understand different viewpoints. It's okay to question and see things differently, however we ask you to be kind and sensitive to the feelings of others. BIBLE TRANSLATIONS: The author of this Bible study uses the New Living Translation (NLT) for teaching. You're welcome to use any Bible translation of your choice, we encourage you to explore parallel (side-by-side) translations to get the most from this study. Use an online program such as BibleGateway, YouVersion, or BlueLetterBible if you'd like to study the Word in many translations- NIV, NKJV, ESV, NASB, and more. Many Bible apps have audio Bibles, so you can listen to the entire book of John if you'd like to! ACCOUNTABILITY: We encourage you to find an accountability partner to pray for you and keep each other on track. If you see someone in your small group that you feel the Holy Spirit is guiding you towards for accountability, send her a friend request. Our leaders are available to serve you too, so if you want a leader to help you then send her a friend request. ASSIGNMENT FOR THE WEEK: Write a prayer inside the cover of your What Love Is workbook sharing with God what’s on your heart as you begin this study. Join a small group and fellowship with your fellow Bible students! Basic Study: Complete week 1 in the study guide, about 20-30 minutes each day. Optional: Watch session 1 video (optional due to cost). Download: Answers to the Video Sessions: What Love Is Video Viewer Guide With Answers DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THIS WEEK (Answer here or in your small group) Imagine you win a free ski vacation this winter. Would you be more likely to spend all day out on the slopes or spend all day cozied by the fire with hot chocolate and a good book? What do you hope to gain from this study and the time spent together? If you had to define Love in just a few words, what would you say? If this is your first Bible study, we're so excited for you! If you've done a Bible study before (here at WBC or anywhere else), do you have any tips you can share for those new to Bible study? Does anyone have any questions before we meet again next week? Before we meet next week, please read WEEK ONE in your study book. You’ll need about 20 to 30 minutes each day to complete the lesson.  Be intentional about making the time and protecting this time with God, not because it’s a chore, but because you love Him and want to be with Him! Welcome to Online Bible Study!