"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 22, 2017

THURSDAY "enTRUSTING" ~ 2

LIFEWAY
Online Bible Study
of
2 Timothy
with
Beth Moore
and her book
"ENTRUSTING"
 

Session 2
{publishing at noon so I can link up hopefully and attempt to at least do today's}
of course, if I'm caught up, it's Session 2's video with Beth today -yeah!
otherwise I have some reading to do

-the video offers a glimpse of Paul's first letter to Timothy
-establishes the concept captured in the title of this 6 week study
ENTRUSTED

WEEK 2
PURPOSE and GRACE

Day 1: "A Clear Conscience"
Timothy, the Corinthians and Paul's way of life in Christ (next level with Melissa)
Day 2: "I Remember"
Day 3: "His Own"
Day 4: "Because I Know the One"
Let No One Despise Him (next level with Melissa)
Day 5: "Left and Found"

Each day starts with a 
FLASH FORWARD
(day one of week 2)
2 Timothy 1:3a
(of scripture)

{sampling of the questions interspersed in Day One}

Compare 2 Timothy 1:2 to 1 Timothy 1:2
Do you sense any intensification in the second letter?
If so, in what way?

How did Paul serve according to 2 Timothy 1:3?

1 Timothy 1:13-15

Paul had been the believing recipient of a work described in
Hebrews 10:19-23
Read this passage and record the basis of 
"a true heart in full assurance of faith."

(then the study goes into a guilty conscience and more from)
Hebrews 9:11-22; Hebrews 9:18-20 (Exodus 24:1-11)
flip back to Hebrews 10:19-23
Focus on Hebrews 10:22 (circle 'sprinkled' and 'washed')
To make the connection with Hebrews 10:22, you need only read two verses. Record the act of consecration taken in each:
Exodus 29:4
Exodus 29:21

{of course, there is wonderful information written as well}

"He gave His life not only as our sin offering but our guilt offering."


this is just day one, pages 47-52, glimpse

Beth Moore
always
brings depth
and
understanding
(and Melissa Moore takes us another step deeper- with level 4 & 5)




Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Monday, June 19, 2017

MOORE On Monday (MOM)

with one of two of the newest
LIFEWAY WOMEN
Online Bible Study

"ENTRUSTED"
{which I shared last Thurs. and promised to update on Mon.}
by
Beth Moore

"...and a promise is a promise"

Even if I am not at all caught up with this "Entrusted" study, I've already missed publishing SOS (which I'm saving to post about either P31's OBS "Me, Myself and Lies" or Faith Gateway's "Daniel Prayer") and nothing else has been done either like my book review long overdue (so much so, that I have now been deactivated-sigh) yet I'm still loving Faith Barista Bonnie Gray daily with "Whispers of Rest" (which I have set aside my Weds. to share, but I'd really love to do them daily online but it's enough for me to just take time to do them first thing in the morning and 'breathe ...just breathe' ... yes, I 'bit off more than I could chew' but ... I just did not want to miss out on any of these, they are so good!!! And ENTRUSTED is as I thought, packed with so many details, in its thin study guide of 179 [large 8 1/2 by 11] pages filled to the brim, no matter which of the 5 levels you choose to do, just check out the outline of Week 1. 


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"

according to my own plan, I should be on

Day 3
"Where Was He When"

FLASH FORWARD: 1 Corinthians 2:2

 Job 38:4
who asked the question, who was addressed and what was the occasion for the
"where were you when ______________"?
the glaring event for the early church
"where were you when they crucified Jesus?"

Acts 20:16
"why didn't Saul of Tarsus stay in Ephesus?"

(this is just the first 2 pages of this day with much background information)

2 more pages packed
and then Day 3 ends with this:


"On the high road of that rabid zeal we land our lesson. Read Acts 9:1-9 and, if you've read it many times, try to read it with new eyes. If you're like me, (Beth Moore) some responsive thoughts are rolling around in your head as you raise your chin from that page. Record two of them as your conclusion today~"Entrusted" by Beth & Melissa Moore
1 Corinthians 15:8

Since this is my first Beth Moore actual study, I don't want to miss anything! I can tell it'd be so,much better in a church group or sitting in the group as Beth instructs us - but for now the videos will do just fine. And I'm thrilled to be able to view them online without having to purchase them right now. 

SESSION ONE
for
WEEK 1

Lots to think about and this is just the background and introduction
This Thursday we'll be in WEEK 2 when we actually start with

2 TIMOTHY

but all this preparation is so good

<><><>

In "WHISPERS of REST" today's
DAY 15
in Part 3 "Dreaming as the Beloved"
Rejuvenate Your Passion for Life12

{oh yeah}

"GATHER"

{more on my Weds. WOW}

<>
I apologize for not posting anything for SOS from those two wonderful studies mentioned above ... so I may go back and add a post on SONday 6pm for P31 and perhaps Faith Gateway's Ann Graham Lotz "Daniel Prayer" OBS on Friday {if I can do it ahead of time to publish on Friday and sum up this week rather than look ahead to the next, but she also is such an excellent teacher and guide for "praying"} 

Perhaps if you read 
Acts 9:1-9
you might share with me
your thoughts that
"are rolling around in your head"
from what it said
to you


Sunday, June 18, 2017

SOS

Study On SONday

WEEK TWO
with
P31 OBS
of
Jennifer Rothschild's book
"Me, Myself, and Lies"

"CHOOSING and SPEAKING TRUTH"


Proverbs 16:23 (NIV84) | "A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." | Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies | Week 2 Verse | #NoMoreLies #P31OBS
[image credit: P31]

"...  Jennifer gives us a battle plan to help shut the door to those negative thoughts:
The three R’s — Recognize, Refuse and Replace
I know I find it hard to Refuse the “lie.” That’s the one “R” I want to work on this week. What’s the most difficult “R” for you? What can you do to shut the door on your negative thoughts?"
- See more at: P31 OBS and Jennifer Rothschild's book, "Me, Myself and Lies"
I am only highlighting this so you can link up or follow along with
Proverbs 31 OBS
who already do an exceptionally wonderful weekly discussion
but there's quite often so many "comments"
it's hard for me to connect
but I love them, their choices for book studies and their team
No reason for me to reinvent what they do so well

however

you are certainly welcome to comment here rather or in addition to there
because I have so few comments, you're guaranteed that I won't miss it

I'll Repeat the questions (and that's not even one of the "R") here:
What’s the most difficult “R” for you? 
What can you do to shut the door on your negative thoughts?"

For me,
I'm sure I struggle with all 3 of the "R's"
but initially it has to be
"RECOGNIZE"

because often I don't realize that and recognize it as a lie
but receive the lie as truth
usually spoken by another but rehearsed and replayed
in my mind without recognizing it as a lie
or device of the enemy to mess me up
but I am getting better at discerning a lie spoken to me

and I guess
that if I knew the answer to the 2nd part of this ?
I would have written JR's book and not be struggling with this,
hoping I will learn from this book how to shut the door
especially when the negative thoughts are mine or 
spoken by me to others (but I sure hope not)

<><><>

Going to try to do Fridays for
Faith Gateway's OBS
of
"The Daniel Prayer"
by
Anne Graham Lotz
[Kick-off]
but I will share on
SOS
that week's link

Session 2
"Preparing for Prayer"

What are some areas you need to work on to better 
prepare your heart to pray as Daniel did?

{but this is for Friday for me here, if I get to it before then; 
if not, this will have to do-sorry}

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."



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