"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."~from ISAIAH 61 Bible verse for this Blog

APOLOGY to READERS who followed a SEARCH to HERE & didn't find it

On July 18, 2017, I drafted almost 3000 blog posts that I had published since 2008 when I began blogging, rather than edit each one. So if you clicked here from somewhere else and ended up with the post unavailable or error, I am sorry but this is why. It'd be too much work for me to go back and fix them. There's an explanation on 7/19/17 as I'm still learning.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

TRUSTING ...

"ENTRUSTED" 
by
Beth Moore

A Study of 2 Timothy


starts today with

LIFEWAY
Online Bible Study"Entrusted"

SESSION 1
(videos up until August 15, 2017)

Are you ready?
for 6 weeks

71256-Entrusted-share-square19_1080x1080
[image credit: lifeway.com]

SIGN UP HERE
with
Lifeway and Beth Moore

{if I share anything, it'll be either Thurs. like Lifeway OBS or back to MOORE ON MONDAY like I had}

This week, complete Week 1
Divine Triangulation (pages 12-43) 
in your Bible study book

I thought it was just the Introduction, but we're digging right in to the
5 days of material this week already

ACTS 14

So today, I am watching the video
and filling in the
Viewer's Guide

Friday is my day offline so either Fri. or Sat. 
I will be doing Day One: "A Trail of Two Cities"
On Reading Scripture

Day 2 (Sat. or Sun.) "Meet the Teacher"
Day 3 (Mon.) "Where Was He When"
Day 4 (Tues.) "A Beeline to City Three"
Theology: A Collective Struggle
Day 5 (Weds.) "A New Son and A Circumcision"

{interesting titles for background introduction of Paul and Timothy}

2 Timothy begins in
WEEK TWO


I am so enjoying Bonnie's Book Club of "Whispers of Rest" and would love to be reading "Me, Myself and Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild with P31 OBS but I've had this study since the beginning of 2017 when I purchased "Redeemed" and my first real book by Beth Moore (though I have many in my Kindle) but was disappointed when I opened the book and realized that I didn't get the DVDs so I could listen and watch Beth Moore teaching this and NOW I have the opportunity to do this at LIFEWAY so I can't miss out on this, nor should you. The Study videos are long, approximately 65 minutes so they are well worth setting time aside to at least watch these ... if you can't get the "Entrusted" Bible Study book right now. 

Often when I start a Bible Study, I need to define the title or understand why the author entitles their study with that title, so

Entrusted: 1. To give over (something) to another for care, protection, or performance 2. To give as a trust to someone

I needed to see if there is a correlation between "trust" and "entrust" and 2 Timothy! 

{I did not realize this was focused on MENTORING, but it seems so from this opening session. How I know I would have grown spiritually if I had a mentor and by now should be mentoring someone but as Beth points out we feel inadequate and need to get over that. How true.}

 

Sunday, June 11, 2017

SOS: "RHYTHMS OF GRACE" and/or "...LIES"

Study On Sunday

as we

Soak On SONday


I already shared that there are so many excellent Summer Studies {still finding more like Love God Greatly's SOLD OUT} and this morning very early, the Book Club I've started, shared glimpses all this past week and love! I gave this week's outline in that morning post. Then I chose to share one of the other ones over at The Lighthouse of Prayer {so I will link to the specific post after it publishes at 6 p.m. also} instead of here (it fits there better) and starts today with the official Kick-off tomorrow night. The one I've been waiting for because I had the book, starts this Thurs. over HERE! I bought the book but felt I could not do the study without the DVDs and now those will be available! Thank You God (and B.M. (LPM)! So that leaves this ONE that I'm not sure how I'll be able to do it ... but ...

You’re Invited to the "How to Parent Your Child's Mind" Teaching Series! We'd love for you to join us! #P31OBS #NoMoreLies
[image credit]

"ME, MYSELF, AND LIES"
by
Jennifer Rothschild
being done as an

{and I've needed this one for ages}

so 
what's a person to do?

I will add to this post when I have more information on the "... LIES" (I mean the P31 OBS - that's their study) 

...

SOMETHING SPECIAL
ON SONDAY

it's a
SURPRISE ON SONday

... even though I am a little late ...

La imagen puede contener: flor y texto
with
Rebekah Lyons
author of 
"You Are Free"
(a previous study)
has been doing a 10 day video/email study with those 
that signed up
{like me}
one that goes really well with Bonnie Gray's
"Whispers of Rest"
called

"Rhythms of Grace"

{today was Day 7 for me}
 (maybe Rebekah did this on either her Facebook or website too, I'm not sure)

"Day 7

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." Acts 20:24
My prayer in rest became one of surrender. I offered, "God, if my life is not my own and my days are Yours, please show me what to do each day. Interrupt my life with who I should encounter and what I should say. I'll trust You'll make time for it, and You'll appoint the conversations that are supposed to happen." 
Rest allows the interruption of God to take root.
Abiding creates a heightened sensitivity to God's perspective. When we seek first the kingdom, we trust God when He says, "I'll take care of the rest of it." We could obsess about the things that are temporal, but God calls us to fix our eyes on Him, because He calls us into His work. He prompts us to reach out and bless others!"~ Rebekah (Lyons)
{the best part of these is hearing and seeing her in the videos}

SWEET

SONday!!!

Time to REST and ABIDE

as the

BELOVED!

ENTRUSTED

SOLD OUT

OVERCOMER

no more

ME, MYSELF and LIES

listening to

WHISPERS of REST

learning more from

DANIEL'S PRAYER

it's a jam-packed

FULL SUMMER

ONLINE

or

OFF





Sunday, May 21, 2017

S.O.S. ~ so many GOOD choices

It's been quite some time since I have shared any

S.O.S.

{it's had different meanings}

but most often and lately

it has stood for

Study On SONday

(especially if it's posted Sun. around 6 p.m. like this)
however originally

SOS

A bottle with SOS washed up on the shore

was thought to stand for "help" as in "Save Our Ship" even "Save Our Souls" as a distress signal yet those were after thoughts (known as backronyms) yet on this blog, it stood for

SOAKING ON SONDAY

with a song, scripture, scene and later added sermon and studies

but I have digressed from the reason I've not been sharing any

SOS

it's not because I am not doing any

STUDY
nor that I don't have a song, scripture, scene or something that I'm soaking in/on

it's because I have too many and have gone in 
too many directions
 yet somehow God is weaving them together 
or else I'd be sending out a real
S.O.S.
for HELP from
you and God
as I'm still being
"REDEEMED"
(yes, that is the last study I began sharing 
but have not kept up with that here)

Here are the sessions:

Click here for Session 1.
Click here for Session 2.
Click here for Session 3.
Click here for Session 4.
Click here for Session 5.
Click here for Session 6.

but I now have a worse dilemma: 
I have two or maybe more that I have signed up for this summer
starting soon (I think) in June and 
perhaps you remember that I paused midstream in

"You Are Free"
by Rebekah Lyons

(hoping I'd be able to get back to it and finish it)

so that I could start

"REDEEMED" by Angela Thomas-Pharr

mostly because I can't choose

when I read about the Online Bible Study

I'm sure it's the ONE that God is leading me to do until ...

I read the next one that comes along 

after I already signed up

but

 one of these is one that I purchased quite some time ago

and decided that I couldn't do it because as I opened to the beginning, I felt that I needed the DVDs to go with the study to really be able to do it and now I'll have that opportunity so I don't want to miss out and because it's Lifeway's Beth Moore's:

A Study of 2nd Timothy

(which contains my life verse)

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (NKJV) 2 Timothy 1:7 You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit. (TheVoice)

They ALL are so good and I'm thankful that they are being offered online 
but not all at once ... yet truthfully, I don't think I've ever seen 
a Bible Study that isn't good, just some speak to us more clearly 
in the current season of our life journey and where we're at ...

so I guess this is an indication that I need this other one too

the other choice over at

Faith Gateway OBS

is an excellent one from another excellent author

Anne Graham Lotz


WE ALL NEED 

PRAYER

and

the wisdom offered through the book of Daniel, his prayer and

Anne Graham Lotz
who was Chair of the National Day of Prayer
(if you missed hearing her, I recommend strongly you check this out)


[the National Prayer]
plus over at You Version, I'm working through 
CHANGE and now HOLY EMOTIONS ... 
and I have more saved to read

all of these helping me with
HEALING

which one is for you?
which one do you think is for me?


Pray that I can receive from God what He believes is meant to guide me

<><><>

And I can't believe that there is actually ANOTHER study that I must share ...(that's besides Margaret Feinberg's (Philippians) and Bonnie Gray's book club (Whispers of Rest) and probably others too) ... by another outstanding author with the OBS ministry of Proverbs 31: Jennifer Rothschild's "Me, Myself and Lies" ...  boy, oh, boy ... like I wrote above: too many really good and needed studies this summer and very difficult to choose between them for me. God's working overtime to offer so many ways to HEAL ... that's what these studies offer besides the actual study and content - ways to heal and grow beyond where you are with a better understanding of God's Truth. I'm pretty sure that "Entrusted" will take most of my 'extra' time, but I hope to follow along with the others as able.

Join our next Online Bible Study!

{beginning to think I really need Bonnie's on "...Rest..." after all this, so I ordered it}




Monday, May 8, 2017

PSALMS as a PERFECT GIFT!

Earth Psalms

This isn't a book review

it's just a very strong gift recommendation

for you or someone you love

maybe for this

Mother's Day

or

any special day or just a day that you'll make special for them

or

yourself


I just happened upon it at our nearby public library and I wish I could keep it checked out to read one each week of the year (because there are 52 beautiful devotions and reflections!!!) You can check out some at Francine Rivers website!

Unique Environments
[image credit: Francine Rivers]

every one is this awesome

pointing us to our

Creator

I'd love to be "gifting" this book to each of us!

For now,
I'll be content with my library version before it's due
(in two weeks???-not use to this again yet)

{Very impressed that someone requested or chose this
along with some other really great choices
although I am far from short on books to read,
I couldn't pass this one up!}


Each devotional is personalized lessons in nature
starting with a scripture verse, 
followed by "Reflect, Apply, Connect (prayer)" sections
ending with a Psalm
however what makes it unique are the exquisite
photographs throughout the 208 pages
plus often a part of a hymn or song

You have to have the hardbound copy to hold
because the Kindle version 
just does not do justice
to the images

Of course, the real Artist is God and His handiwork in nature!

"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they (we) can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So (we) they have no excuse for not knowing God."Intro

lines up perfectly with the online study of reading Psalms with the book

"Redeemed ..."

by

Angela Thomas-Pharr

<><><>

"... God speaks through nature"
(the rest of the title of "Earth Psalms: reflections on how ...)

this is clearly shown in this book and words



You do realize another selling or buying point for me
in any devotional are the prayers
here is a sample of one
that goes with her #16 devotion 
of my life verse
2 Timothy 1:7


"Dear God, so often I feel like a turtle,
retreating into my shell because it's safe.
But making safety my first priority won't lead to growth.
I don't want to miss the opportunities around me
because I'm too afraid to take a risk.
You have given me a spirit of courage.
Please help me to trust You,
to trust Your love for me and Your good plans for my life.
Help me to move forward in courage."


Wednesday, May 3, 2017

WOW

the day has finally arrived when I have no

WOW

not because

I've stopped

Walking

not because

I'm not

Worshiping

not even because

I haven't heard any wonderful

Whispers

because

I have and I most definitely am

On

this

Wednesday

and every day

because

"Worship is Life"

God is so worthy of us living lives of worship!

in wonder and in awe







... LIVING IN AWE OF GOD...

this precious family was certainly out for a 

WALK

and then a

SWIM

but it was my 4 furry family members

that caused them to take a dive into cold waters

However

before I leave this

Weds.

let me share this playlist from one of my

"Calming..."

You Version reading plan

from

"Labyrinth by David Baloche"


which fits with my theme for today

(see not at the end)

<><><>



"Worship is Life" (actually is a book written) by Pastor Todd Marshall (which I was fortunate to hear speak this past Fri. at our AG EQUIP Conference, Fri. & Sat.). Pastor Todd and his wife Brenda were my choir directors and youth leaders at my RLC (home church -which has now changed to another one closer to home, yet I still consider RLC my church). Please check out their website, ministry and book!


Thursday, April 20, 2017

"REDEEMED... " Starts Today

April 20th through June 1st, 2017
(videos every Thursday at LifeWay)


Redeemed - Bible Study Book
(from the author of this)  AngelaThomas Pharr


"Hey everybody!!
I’m so excited to begin REDEEMED with you this coming Thursday, April 20th. If you don’t already have your member book, I hope you can get your hands on one soon. Check your local LifeWay store, LifeWay online or my website to get your member book.
On Thursday, you’ll receive the link to Video 1. It’s my version of an introductory video to set up the content and style of the study, then we’ll begin the first day of the workbook on Friday.
I’m gonna try my very best to interact with you everyday. I’m not sure I can respond to all your comments or questions, but I’ll do what I can that day! While we’ll be doing this study together, our daughter is expecting our first grandchild, one child will graduate college and three others will finish their spring semester (Read: Will need their mama to help them move home and then help them pack and get to their summer commitments). Just like you, we’ve got a lot going on! And with children, the month of May just seems to cave in on top of you. All the more reason to take a little time with our Redeemer everyday!
Please don’t worry about getting behind, or not staying right with all of us. I’ll try to post my comments with a clear reference to the day of the study I’m referring to.
LifeWay has tried to make this area easy for you to use, so that you can comment to one another, interact and encourage one another, etc. I’ll post my daily comments here and also on all of my social media outlets.
This is my first-time hosting one of my studies online, so I’m excited to walk these next six weeks with you. Please know I’m praying for you. My husband, Scott, is praying for you. My friends who pray for me are praying for you! This is gonna be fun, but more than anything, I’m praying for God’s power as you spend time in His Word and in His presence.
The Redeemer keeps redeeming our lives until we see Him face to face. May we all keep being redeemed.
I love you so.
Angela
{taken from the comments of the sign-up post and also her blog}



I'm not sure how this all will work yet
even though I hold the book in my hands
but the first place 
I believe I need to begin 
(besides reading the Intro and viewing the first video)
is by defining

REDEEMED


  1. 1
    .
    compensate for the faults or bad aspects of (something).

    "a disappointing debate redeemed only by an outstanding speech"

    synonyms:save, compensate for the defects of, vindicate 

  2. 2.
    gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment.

(but Day 1, gets into this in her book)

And in case, you're not able or convinced yet
 that this is a Bible Study you need and have not signed up

Please look at the rest of the title ...
(or even the book description)

GRACE TO LIVE
EVERY DAY
BETTER
THAN
BEFORE


"The moment you accept Jesus as the Lord over your life, you are redeemed
As the redeemed, we experience a lifelong journey 
of being transformed into His image ..."



Image result for redeemed
[image credit]


looking forward to the practical side of

REDEMPTION

<>

After the beautiful two page introduction, Angela begins her book with "Preparing for 40 Days"  - "I CAN'T" ... first let me go back a bit into her Intro ... the words that leaped off the page to this soul thirsting for change and a beautiful, grace-filled walk with Jesus - inspite of the disastrous day-by-day struggles, I want to live a life that's being "redeemed" and changed (her words) "to connect your very real, everyday life with the very, real presence and power of God". Angela continues: 

"Here's all I know: When those two things intersect, lives are going to change. Healing will happen. Prayers will be answered. You will know God even more intimately as Your Redeemer."

See the words that are meant for me or stood out!
I know you do!

"HEALING WILL HAPPEN"

yes
and
that's what I pray
for me, for you
then I read
the page
with
I
CAN'T
{in red, nonetheless}
and the words on that page
resonated over and over
and the last words
on that page

"...Too many years have been wasted
spinning in circles, going nowhere."
(p.7)

"How would you fill in this blank?"
(top of p.8)

"I've given up trying____________________"


Romans 7:15, 18b-19

Romans 7: 24

and on and on

each word sinking deeper

striking nerves

thoughts

right down to the marrow of my bones

in my head, in my heart

page 8 - page 9

"Who will deliver me from my pain?"

"my regret, my habits, my choices, my secrets, my sin?"

"Who will deliver us from ourselves?"

of course, most of us, know the answer

but do we really?

all the other questions and words from Angela are just as

POWERFUL

Romans 7:25

followed by

... We have a Redeemer! And we shall be 

Redeemed!

 page 10

is just as powerful, reading Romans 7:15 to the end and Romans 8:1

page 11

GOD CAN

this I believe and really need to see

especially because I already knew

"I Can't"

but

"HE CAN"

or

this is not all

there is still so much more

like page 14

"When MY GREAT NEED accepts GOD'S GREAT LOVE,
REDEMPTION BEGINS

I CAN'T, HE CAN"
Angela Thomas-Pharr
 
(need an image for this one)

WEEK 1: WHEN LOVE MAKES A PROMISE

{yep, this one is a study meant for me}

video link

sample of book

and also

You Version has a 5 day reading plan of

"Redeemed"


{not to be confused with LGG's "Broken and Redeemed", which just finished}



To my faithful visitors;
all of you who spend your valuable time here with me
I do appreciate you so much!

Thank you for taking your time to visit!

Love, Sweet blessings & Hugs!

DIOS TE BENDIGA
GOD BLESS YOU

always

Peggy