What is your response to Eldredge's story about the knife that his son brought home? Can you relate to this story?
When you find yourself in a battle and your prayers don't seem to work, what do you typically do? (Do some "detective work" or give in?) What has been the fruit of that?
Eldredge discusses making distinctions between different churches or Christian movements today. (He talkes about a Christian college, saying "They don't get it." How do you feel about this? Do you feel it is right or wrong to make these distinctions and to voice them?
Read more...In this section, Eldredge talks about New Year's resolutions. Do you typically make them? What do you want this coming year to be like for you? Where do you feel God is leading you in this next year?
Read more...Ladies, Please let me know a few books that you might be interested in reading next. I figure that we will finish this one out and take a short break over Christmas. Maybe we can pick back up in mid-January.
Blessings!
Can you relate to this section? (Bringing Christ in to past hurts or wounds?) Ask yourself and ask God, what past events, wounds or choices do you need to invite Him into for healing?
Read more...How important is reflection upon your motives to you in your Christian walk? Has it ever occured to you that there is a motive behind your personality?
Read more...Are you a daydreamer? If so, what do you daydream about? What do you look forward to? Do you love your life? What do you ache for?
Read more...Eldredge talks about his sleep being stolen in this section. Make sure that you are reading this section and not narrowing it to sleep, but to the fact that something is being stolen. Sleep is what is being stolen from him, but it might be something different for each of us. Do you notice that anything is being stolen from your life lately? What might you be surrendering right now through subtle agreements, like his "You're probably going to start waking up at 4:30 a lot. It just comes with getting older."
What is your response to his prayer? What do you think about ending the day asking the Father to restore and renew you, rather than just letting exhaustion, anger or anxiety be the end of your day? He also brings up a lot of spiritual warfare. He points out that God wants us to be intentional, to rise up and fight, not try to ignore it and "fluff up your pillow and go to sleep."
Eldredge urges us to test the words that we hear (in books, in a sermon, etc.) He says that we should ask if it draws us to God, really draw us to Him. We should ask ourselves if it sounds right because it sounds religious or if it truly produces freedom, life, intimacy with God.
Read more...What is your response to this section? Eldredge urges us to take the time to ask God how He thinks we are doing. He also urges that we ask how WE think that WE are doing because we sometimes don't even know what we believe about ourselves.
Read more...Do you typically go to God with troubling relationships? Elderedge mentions in the workbook that there is a difference between godly restraint and passive disengagement when we are dealing with troubling relational issues. What would you say is your typical style and timeline for dealing with conflict, hurts, dismissals, etc? Do you ask "is this the time" when thinking of confronting another person about their issues?
Read more...What comes to your mind as you read this section? Can you relate to Eldredge's speculations about different events in his life - going right to the negative or to worry about what "might" happen? Do you typically speculate in a negative or positive way? Think about what you have been speculating on lately - what fruit does it bear (stop and pray about this). How can you make sure that even your imagination is given over to Christ and that it is being sanctified?
Read more...Do you often ask God about the people that you are worried about, what He would have you do? What guides you as you relate to other people in your life?
Read more...The enemy often tries to sneak in and weigh us down during our struggles. Have you noticed this happening in your life at times? What messages would the enemy have you believe? Eldredge recommeds having a quick repsonse of prayer, recommending something like, "Lord Jesus, please give me eyes to see when I am being attacked. And give me the courage to face it, and deal with it."
Read more...Eldredge talks about being afraid of Scout's death, afraid of the grief that the loss of his dog would bring. Do you feel as though you are afraid of grief, to look at losses in your life? Would you expect God to come for you in your grief? He talks about feeling guilty that he "ought to feel bad" as he began to feel God's grace embrace him and his family still hurting. Have you ever chosen grief and pain over God's comfort and healing before?
Read more...Under what circumstances have you KNOWN that God cares for you, have you felt Him as your Comforter? What do you normally do when you need comfort?
Read more...What did God speak to you through this section, as Eldredge wrote of the passing of his dog, Scout? Have you had any losses recently and have you been able to find God in them? Have you heard God speaking to you through loss in the past?
Read more...God has been speaking to Eldredge through hawks. Have you noticed God speaking to you through His creation or in ways in addition to his Word or through hearing His voice?
Read more...Can you relate to Eldredge and the description of the pace of his life? If so, do you feel like there is nothing that you can do to change the pace of your life or have you done anything to change the pace of your life? Do you use "business" to avoid deeper things? Eldredege says, "If we really wanted to live differently, you would see some sign of that in our choices." Can you relate to this statement?
Read more...Do you see how important joy is? What can you do to be intentional about joy? How can you make sure that you are experiencing joy regularly?
Read more...Did the story of the day after Eldredge helped Sally make any sense to you? Have you seen this in your life when you are helping others?
Read more...What did you think about this section? How do you normally react when someone is in distress? Do we tend to treat the symptom or the cause and are people getting any better?
Read more...Eldredge urges us to ask the Father what to pray? What would He have us pray? Take a few moments and ask Him, if you haven't already. No comments necessary here. This is something between you and the Father. (But make sure that you DO take the time to seek Him in this...don't just pass it by because no comment is needed in this section and go on about your day!! The enemy would love that!)
Read more...Eldredge discusses a different aspect of spiritual warfare in this section - shown when sorrow tries to transfer from his suffering friend to him. He says that "This is how Satan works. He seizes upon our trials or weaknesses or unhealed places and 1) magnifies them and 2) puts his "spin" or interpretation on it in order to 3) get an agreement with us so that he can 4) creat a stronghold there." Where you aware of this dynamic? Think about others in your life who might be struggling with something...how you feel when you are with them or after you are with them. Have you ever expeirenced anything similar to what Eldredge discusses here?
Read the following scriptures and then pray and ask God if there is anything here that He is asking for you to be in agreement with Him on: Jeremiah 31:3-4, 1 John 3:1, Romans 5:5, John 16:27, John 17:26.
Is there anything that you avoid asking God about, maybe because you don't really want his opinion? Can you relate to Eldredge's struggle between wanting a "nice little life" and to play an important role in God's Kingdom?
In the workbook, Eldredge urges us to take some time to ask God, "where am I not living close to You, remaining in You these days? What part of my live is not submitted to You? Is there something You are wanting me to surrender?"
Eldredge mentions in this section how he felt God leading him to give up drinking. (He was turning to a drink for comfort when he could have been turning to God.) What do you do or turn to for comfort, for a little joy when you feel the need? Ask God if there is anything in your life that He would want for you to give up to make more room for Him. Pray about it over a day or so and see if he shows you anything in this area of your life.
Read more...Is there anything in your life now that God might be asking you to let go of? How might He be asking you to give your life and heart more fully to Him? (You don't have to tell us if you are uncomfortable with blogging this answer, but think and pray about it.)
Eldredge discusses what we do with the painful times in our lives, what God might be up to. What do you do with the painful times in your life? Being a believer does not exempt us from pain. Do you use those times to draw closer to Him?
Eldredge talks about our vulnerability to agreements in times of great stress or struggles. Take some time to think about recent struggles that you might have been through. Times that it might seem as though God has not "come through" for you. Can you relate to the vulnerability to attack and agreements when you are struggling with something? Pray for God to show you any agreements that you could have possibly made during these times and then takt the time to break those agreements now.
Read more...Eldrege talks about "insisting" on explainations. Can you relate to him on this subject? Is there anythign that you had hoped that God would explain to you and you have not been able to understand yet?
Read more...How often do you feel God's love, as an experiential reality? Elderedge encourages us to pray "Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the way you are showing me your love. Open my ears to hear your words of love to me." and then watch and listen for His response.
Read more...I want to quote something that Elderedge wrote in the workbook here. "Before we dive into the lessons of this story, allow me to state the obvious: You don't have to be a hunter to glean from stories like this one in the deeper truths, the gifts God is giving. You don't have to drive an old truck, or be a writer, or a father, or have a friend named Anne. While the DETAILS of my stories are particular to my life, the lessons are UNIVERSAL. Just thought it would be good to point that out. Because a very subtle agreement the enemy could try to bring in is, 'Well, that's just John's deal. This doesn't really apply."
James tells us that Elijah was a person, just like us because it would be easy for us to say I could never do that. Have you ever gotten that feeling, that inability to relate to people that you read about in the Bible? Have you bought into the thinking that the people in the Bible are the exceptions?
Elderedge states that this sort of thinking (that stories in the Bible are just exceptions, rather than examples) will cripple our faith, it "cuts off your prayer life at the knees." He says "Why would God give you stories about the power of gidly people praying if your prayers really can't accomplish much? These are examples!" He challenges us to pick something that you really want to see change in (or ask God what He would have you pray about) and pray for several days, even seven times, everytime you pray!
In this section, Elderedge writes about wanting and praying to find one thing, but God gives him another. What disappointments have been dominating your thoughts and life lately? Although you may still have those disappointments, what gifts has God been giving you lately?
Read more...Eldredge talks about the importance of rest. Have you been taking the time that you need to rest and recharge? Do you have a regular time set aside for this? When and how can you make sure that you take an opportunity to rest this week?
Read more...Elderedge says, "God gives us dozens of these encounters every day, these opportunities to be honest about what motivates us. What we do with them is up to us." We may tell ourselves "I'll get to that later." but if we are honest, we know that there really is no "later" with some issues. Take a few moments to ask God to show you what you have been putting off and how to deal with it now.
Read more...Elderedge writes about his Toyota and his desire to avoid even looking under the hood because he knows that what he will find is probably not going to be good. Is there anything that you have been avoiding in your life...something that gives you a similar feeling?
Read more...Take a few moments, if you haven't already, and pray for God to show you any agreements that you might have in your life. Does anything come to mind? Share them and/or how they effect you, if you like.
Read more...This subject can be a little different, even creepy or scary to some. Some of the scriptures Elderedge references includes James 4:7, Acts 16:18 and Luke 4:35. Go back and re-read these if you need to. What is your response to what Eldredge says in this section of his book? Have you ever experienced anything like this in your personal life?
Read more...Eldredge talks about three major "awakingings" - 1) That there is a God, 2) That we have to deal with Him and 3) That Satan exists and we have to deal with him, too. Eldredge asks us to be honest: Have you experienced this third major awakening? Do you factor that into the way that you evaluate yoru daily events? Do you ask your self "what is the fruit of what I am experiencing? What is the effect?"
Read more...In this section, Elderedge tells a somewhat comical story about being unable to find his watch. I love what he wrote along the lines of God not speaking to him at that moment would not be the verdict on how he is doing with God at that moment. "Hearing from God flows out of our relationship." He talks about the many different ways that God can speak to us or answer prayers (contents of a sermon, kind words from a friend, etc.). What are some of the ways that God has spoken to you?
Read more...Eldredge discusses on pages 41-42 an approach to the scriptures that many people take without intimacy. People may come away from time in the Word as frustrated because they got little out of it or even gaining intellectual undestanding, but missing communication with God. Have you ever experienced this in your life?
He then talks about asking God "What would you have me read today?" How does this sound to you? Have you ever tried this? If so, please give a brief testimony on how this approach worked (or didn't work) for you.
How much do you think about joy in your life? Is it essential? Something that you see that God wants for you? That he insists on? Where do you turn for comfort or a little relief? What do you believe about joy?
Read Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 4:7, John 15:11, John 16:24 and John 17:13. What do these scriptures tell you about joy?
Eldredge talks about wholeness and holiness going together. "You can't find the holines you want without deep wholeness. And you can't find the wholeness you want without deep holiness." He quotes Ephesians 1:4, "God chose us to make us whole and holy through his love." What do you think about what Eldredge says in this section of the book?
Thinking of a struggle that you have in your life (we all have struggles). Do you see both brokenness and sin involved within that issue of your life? Do you believe that God wants to truly restore you, to transform you?
In this section, Eldredge discusses starting with asking God simple questions and "trying on" answers if we need to. Have you taken the opportunity to try doing this? If so, what has the Father shown you? Has this changed the way that you talk to Him? How you listen?
In case you don't have the workbook (not necessary for the blog, but it is very good)----Eldredge goes into this a little more on this issue. One thing that I thought was very important is that we should not get frustrated if we do not feel that we hear God speaking to us right away. We might ask how we know that it is God talking to us, rather than our own thoughts. (If you are like me, it is difficult to quiet your own thoughts--My thoughts seem to ramble on and on at times...) His answer to this question is "you will over time." He recommends listening to your own thoughts for a little while so that you are used to them and can then better differentiate. Then, intentionally quiet your own thoughts and "be still" to make room for God to speak to you.
What I thought was particularly important to mention is that we should "test the fruit" of what we hear. "If you embrace the thought as from God, as being true, what is the fruit? Does it bring hope, love, joy, comfort? That sounds like God. Does it bring sorrow or discouragement, or wors, accusation and self-reproach? God is not the accuser - Satan is. SO if you hear condemning things you know that's not from God (Romans 8:1)."
Eldredge talks about being trapped on the porch in a rain storm, frustrated at being unable to tackle all that he wants to accomplish that day. He says that often, the way that we live our lives are atually preventing us from living the life that God would have us live. "All that we are doing and chasing feels so inevitable. But do you like the pace of your life?" Do you think that your life feels "easy" and "light", as in 'my yoke is easy and my burden is light?" How often are you able to truly stop and rest? DOes your current way of life reveal your plan to find life?
In the workbook, Eldredge makes a challenge to ask God "What is the life you want me to live?" Are you willing to make any changes He might ask of you in order to find and live that life? Do you have certian areas of your life that you try to keep "off limits" from God? Areas that you would rather Him not "interfere with?"
Elderedge speaks about God always having His eye on our transformation. How do you feel about being transformed? You don't have to answer, but think about it...can you guess where a transformation might be needed?
He talks about how each of us has something that plagues us, some area where we "screw up". "You know what plagues you." What might it be like to never do it again and not even struggle with that area of your life? "What would your life be like if you were free of all that haunts you."
Elderedge asks, "I confessed in the Prelude my assumption that God still speaks, personally, to his people. What do you believe about that?" Do you believe God speaks to you? What is your assumption based upon?
"What would you love to hear from God on? Make a point to gently ask God about that this week. Keep coming back to the question.
Think of an event in your life where things didn't turn out the way that you had hoped. What did you assume about it? What are some of the assumptions that you have about God, about life, about God in your life, about happiness?
Read more...If you did seek God beforehand, what do you think about the fact that things still fell apart? If you didn't ask, has it ocurred to you that maybe the reason for the trial is that you didn't ask? How many things in an ordinary week do you ask God about? (Elderedge says that he is not asking these questions to cause embarassement or self-reproach. He just wants us to think about it as we begin searching for a closer walk with the Father.)
Read more...Has anything like the "tree ordeal" described by Elderedge happened to you this year? Share the ordeal with us, if you like. What do you make of it? Think about it. Did you ask God about it before hand? Did you think to ask Him?
Read more...Off we go! Praise God, too! We had two additional ladies say that they wanted to participate with this book during the time of the shipment delay! What and awesome God!!
Since there are no chapters to this book, I will just try to post a few questions each week. Please go at whatever pace God leads you, so that no one is feeling pressured to keep up and missing out on something that the Father might have in store! I will be pulling questions from the workbook that goes along with the book and will label them by the subtitle given in the book. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know!
Blessings to each of you!!
My goal was to start posting questions for "Walking with God" this week, but my book still isn't here. (Somehow it takes over a week to transport it from a storage facility that is three hours from here.) I have also heard from a couple of you that you are still waiting on books. Maybe God is slowing things down to add some addtional readers to the group! That would be so awesome!
My book should be here next week and the other ladies that I have talked to are expecting theirs by then, as well. I will try and start posting questions later next week and we can go from there!
Blessings!!
How can I benefit from this psalm in my life today? This week?
Meditaon Psalm 105.
Meditate on Psalm 103.
Describe the character of God from these passages.
If you are in Russellville and looking for "Walking with God", your best bet might be to go ahead and order it on amazon.com. Both Heart and Soul and the bookstore at Russellville Christian Center are out of stock. RCC could order it and get it in within a week, but it was more expensive than Amazon. Right now, if you order on Amazon and spend $25, the shipping is free. Amazon was also cheaper then Family Christian Stores website (by quite a bit).
Read more...It looks like "Walking with God" has it for the next book! I am very excited to get started on it. Since there also seemed to be interest in "Believing God" and "Searching for God Knows What", I will make sure that they are in the poll for the next book that read.
We have one more chapter for the current book, "And then I Had Kids". Why don't we all try and get our hands on "Walking with God" (and workbook, if you like) in the next two weeks, so that we can all get started on it. My goal will be to start posting on the next book by the second week of August.
Blessings!!
Write a brief poem or story that describes something God has done for you recently to share with your children (see verse 4).
(If you prefer to just give the poem or story to your children, you may simply share what God has done for you recently with the blog group.)
Meditate on Colossians 1:9-12, making it a prayer for each family member.
What two ideas does this passage give me to implement with my children this week?
Read more...Meditate on Psalm 145
What principles do I find here that would be important to consider in building a Christian home?
What stood out to you the most in this chapter?
Read more...Is there someone that we should share our lives with?
Meditate on Psalm 84 as a personal prayer.
What steps should I take this week to help my family benefit from role models?
Read more...What do I learn about the character of God from this story?
Read more...Meditate on Luke, Chapter 1, focusing on Elizabeth.
Wat character traits does Elizabeth possess that encourage me?
Please make sure and vote on the book that you would like to read next! The poll will be open through Wednesday, July 23rd. Once we know the next book, we will take a couple of weeks to make sure that everyone has their book before getting started. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Read more...We are getting closer to the end of "And Then I Had Kids". I can't tell you how much I am enjoying doing this with each of you. God has been showing me so much through the book and through your comments. Hopefully some additional ladies will be able to join us on the next book.
I would like to try and get some feedback on books that each of you might be interested in reading. I thought that once we gather a few options, it would be good to just post a poll on 4-5 possible books so that we can vote on the next book.
I looked through a bookstore online at different options. Here are a few and I would love it if you would throw more books into the hat or give feedback if you are interested in any of these books. I have placed a link to the Family Christian Bookstore on the blog, simply as a tool for looking up book descriptions, in case you would like a little more information on any of these titles or would like to brouse through more possibilities.
Some possibilities are:
Walking with God by John Eldredge (This one has a workbook.)
Believing God by Beth Moore
Waking the Dead by John Eldredge (also has a workbook)
The Beloved Desciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus by Beth Moore
Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
Have a blessed day!
What are the unique gifts and intrests of my family? How can I help them creatively enhance the atmosphere in our home?
On your own --write a prayer for the atmosphere in your home based on your study of Romans 12.
What are small steps taht I can take this week to help love, joy and forgiveness grow in my home?
Read more...Meditate on Romans 12.
What qualities are found here that I would want to characterize the atmosphere of my home?
What part of this chapter stood out to you the most?
Read more...What specific strategy will I adopt to help me be more consistent?
Meditate on 2 Peter 1:1-11 making this a prayer for each child.
In what areas do we need to be more consistent in our training this week?
Read more...Meditate on Colossians 3:1-17
As we train our children, what character traits do we want to help them turn away from?
What stood out to you the most in this chapter?
Read more...Today I will begin to thank God for one special quality He has given my husband. Each day continue with a different thanksgiving.
Would you like to share a special quality that God has given to your husband?
Meditate on 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, offering it as a prayre for your marriage.
Meditate on Ephesians 4:1-16
How has God called me to walk in my marriage?
What stood out to you the most in this chapter?
Read more...We are at a half way point in this book. If you care to, please share with the group some new things that you have tried that seem to be working for you.
Read more...What steps shall I take this week to live out my priorities?
Meditate on Psalm 119:33-40, making it a personal prayer.
What do I learn about my own prayer life from Jesus' prayer?
Read more...Meditate on Christ's prayer in John 17.
How do I see the priorities illustrated in this prayer?
What parts of this chapter stood out to you the most?
Read more...I thought that some of you might enjoy this gift idea since Father's Day is coming up. It is a "jar of memories" (or "appreciation") My sisters and I actually did it for my Mom for Christmas and she loved it, then the kids and I did it for Zach and he has really loved it so far, too! We typed out tons of different memories, messages of appreciation, funny stories and things that we love about him. Some of them are just things from me, but others are quotes from the kids talking about different things that they like to do with their Dad or thank you messages. Nothing is too big or too small. We were able to thank him for all of the millions of little things that mayt seem to go unnoticed, but really mean a lot to us all. (Things from being a good provider and mowing the lawn to eating oatmeal with J every morning and pulling a mouse out of the pool--yuck!) It also put a lot of fun memories down onto paper so that we will always have them.
We printed out all of the messages, cut them into strips of paper with one message on each strip, and folded them up. Then we placed them in a pretty glass vase (under $3 at Walmart) and tied a nice ribbon around it. I got a second vase without a ribbon that sits next to it as a nice place to put the ones that he has already read. Each morning he gets up and gets to read a new message containing a special memory or message of appreciation. The goal is to have 365, but we didn't get quite that far. I plan to continue adding messages and keep it going as long as possible.
What practical steps cha I take this week to enjoy the season I am in?
Meditate on Psalm 33 as a prayer of thanksgiving.
What special thing has God been teaching me during this season about Himself? About myself?
Read more...Meditate on Psalm 46
What promises do I see in this psalm that encourage me in this season?
What about this chapter did you relate to or helped you the most? What are some positive points and challenges in your current season of life?
Read more...What are some funny things that your kids may have done or said lately that you would want to always remember?
Read more...What two specific, creative steps can I take this week to ease this problem and turn it into a positive growth experience?
Meditate on Ephesians 1:17-20, turning it into a personal prayer for yourself.
What might God say to me if He were sitting here with me now?
Read more...Meditate on Psalm 139.
1) Which cause of a low self image is most true in my life right now?
What part of this chapter did you relate to the most? What did you find particularly helpful? Is there anything else that has helped you in these areas in the past?
Read more..."List the most priminent challenges in my life right now."
Psalm 28:6-9 and Jeremiah 29:11-13
"What promises do I see here for me?"
Isaiah 40:10-11 and John 10:14-16
"What images describe the character of Christ? How might I bee like a sheep?"
Wow, I think that this book was good timing for me. I hope that it is for all of you, as well! Isn't it funny how God works sometimes? My biggest problem at the moment is feeling a huge need to get to the next chapter. Now that she has helped put some of my "endurance test" feelings into words, I am feeling a little frustrated and want to get on to the next chapter.
I think that one thing that stuck out to me was what she wrote in the "low self-image" section about doing something that lasts more than just a couple of days. I turned this one into advice and trimmed the bushes around the house one afternoon. It started raining, but I didn't care! I just kept right on trimming away. I think my mom thought I had lost my mind...but now, if I get frustrated because toys just can't seem to get back in their homes and the dishes only stay clean for a maximum of 2-3 hours, I can walk outside and see my nicely trimmed bushes! I highly recommend it to anyone who shares this frustration!
Not enough time with my husband - I can sure relate to that one! I must say that this has gotten much better for Zach and I since we have moved. I can only count a handful of days that he has not made it home for lunch. They are sometimes rushed lunches, but it at least gives us an opportunity to find out how the other's day is going and sneak in a hug and kiss in the middle of a hectic day. Being near my parents is also a huge blessing because we had never gotten to take date nights before. We had our first date since I can remember a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful. We honestly had not realized how loud our household is and how little we get to talk while the kids are with us until we closed the car doors on the way to the restaurant and we could actually hear each other speak!
An atmosphere of tension - I am afraid that I might have one of those in my house right now. At this point in my life I almost have to make myself stop rushing around, give the kids a little bit of slack and just relax and have fun with them. Those of you who know me, know that I am not the best housekeeper, but it still bugs me to have a messy house. It makes me very tense to have the house in disarray, but I basically have no choice at this time in my life. I am working on giving that over to God so that hopefully ooze his peace instead of my tension. This morning I was all over the kids for any little thing that they did, but I wasn't frustrated with them, it was because the house is a mess and I am exhausted. I felt like I was being pulled into 5 directions and over reacted with the kids. I had to appologize to them and just prayed for that tension to be taken away. The morning is behind us and this afternoon is a new time. Praise God for his mercy!
An exciting Christian home - that is one of my goals. I love it when the boys ask us faith questions - they are so cute and it lets us know that we are on the right path. We are struggling with some prayer challenges, though. Right now we are trying to find a balance in our reaction to the kids when they goof off during prayer. We want them to be respectful and not act silly in an effort to make each other laugh, but we don't want to be legalistic and make prayer a negative time. We want them to know real conversation with Father as they grow older. They are still only 4 and 2 (plus E is not quite 4 months), so right now we are simply talking to them about being respectful and giving God our attention when we pray. Any other ideas?
Please give any feedback that you have in "comments". I may have to play with this format a little and see what works best for us in an effort to allow us to have meaningful discussion.
Sometimes I think that it is hard to remember that gratification in raising our children for Christ may seem very delayed, but the payoff will be huge when we see our children grown into men and women fulfilling a wonderful plan that only the Father knows about right now.
I just finished "Bringing Up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson and it was great. It is a "must read" for anyone with sons or grandsons. It will be one that I plan to go back and read every few years as my boys grow and develop through different stages of life.
I promise to post something on "And Then I Had Kids" within the next couple of days. We will have to work out any kinks as we go along, but it seems like the easiest way to do this is to give each other feedback and encouragement by using the comments section.
In the meanwhile...check out the poll to the left of the screen and be sure to vote! Obviously, this blog set-up should enable everyone to go at their own rate without feeling pressure to rush through a chapter. However, your input is important because it will show me how quickly most of you prefer to read, so I can try to go that rate posting blogs and questions.
It looks as though our first book will be "And Then I Had Kids: Encouragement for Mothers of Young Children" by Susan Alexander Yates. Obviously, we can all do this at our own pace. I think it would work best if we were at least somewhat close to each other. I am going to set a goal for myself to start reading next week. I will try a chapter or two per week and see how things go from there.
There is a pretty cool feature on here to set up a poll. I think it might be a good feature to try out for the next book. Some books already in the hat are "Choices: For Women Who Long to Discover Life's Best" by Mary Farrar and "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge. If you have any more ideas, please leave a comment!!
Hello, Ladies!
I know that some of you received e-mails from me to start up an online book group, similar to the ones we did together in our life group. I started thinking about the way we were able to support and encourage one another during our discussions and thought..
What if I could start one that we could do in a blog format? That would allow us to participate and not have a set meeting time. We could log on and leave comments any time of the day or night, any day of the week. If we had sick kids or just too much going on one day, we wouldn't be restricted to a specific meeting time or place. And then I thought....
What if we could make that group of ladies bigger, to include women that weren't necessarily in that life group, but other friends of ours as well! Then I was praying and God showed me that I was thinking "small time". Our God is BIG, so think BIG!
What if we were able to invite women that we know from different places, different states...countries even...different walks of life, women that we meet at the library, in the grocery store...What if women were surfing the web and decided to join in. What if they didn't join in, but found a little bit of much needed encouragement to get them through a rough day. We are just a handfull of women, but we are women who love God..a VERY BIG God. Only He knows what can happen and grow from a simple little book group!
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