SSMT #6

I realized I have not posted my other verses I'm learning this year with the SSMT. I did verse #1 and haven't posted the others here.

Here is my new verse, it is #6.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."  Psalm 116:7

Have a day of blessings!
   Bethany

Audio: Audacious by Beth Moore

About the book:
Thirty years in the making, Audacious is a deep dive into the message that has compelled Beth Moore to serve women around the globe. Glancing over the years of ministry behind her and strengthening her resolve to the call before her, she came to the realization that her vision for women was incomplete. It lacked something they were aching for. Something Jesus was longing for. Beth identifies that missing link by digging through Scripture, unearthing life experiences, and spotlighting a turning point with the capacity to infuse any life with holy passion and purpose. What was missing? Well, let's just say, it's audacious and it's for all of us. And it's the path to the life you were born to live.

My thoughts:
I have read several books by Beth Moore as well as done some of the Bible studies. To be honest, this one was hard for me to "get into" and follow (which is why it has taken me so long to complete this review).  I don't know if it was the time of year in which I was trying to listen or what, but it was just really hard for me to focus on it or understand the flow.

She makes some good points, but overall she seems to tell a bunch of stories about her life and relate them to the topic of each chapter.  I felt like I kept waiting for it all to connect, and it just didn't for me. I will say that the last chapter was beautiful and a really sweet reminder of the awesome God we serve.

This audio version was read by the author.  It does take a little bit to get used to hearing her voice. She does add emotion to the reading of the words though which makes it enjoyable.

I received this audio book as part of the christianaudio reviewers program.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
 

2010 Book #8: "So Long, Insecurity" by Beth Moore

I was excited to be able to review Beth Moore's new book So Long, Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us. This is a book that every woman should read. When I first saw the book was going to be available for review, I thought I'd like to read it because I've enjoyed Beth Moore's work for several years now. As I read it, though, I was really thankful to read the message.

From the publisher:
Perhaps one of the biggest issues all women face is their own insecurity. Beth Moore, one of today’s most admired and trusted Christian writers, wants women to be free from the insecurity trap. So Long, Insecurity will strike a chord with women everywhere, as Beth speaks truth into the lives of readers, showing them how to deal with their innermost fears, rediscover their God-given dignity, and develop a whole new perspective—a stronger sense of self. Women of all ages and backgrounds will resonate with this message of security and discover truths that will free them emotionally and spiritually and lead them to a better life as they walk with God.

My thoughts:
Several times as I was reading I was laughing and shaking my head in agreement to see myself in her stories and words. Beth wants to encourage women that we don't have to live in insecurity. Through the book we see the damage that is caused because of our insecurity. We live in a society that adds to our feelings of insecurity. What I liked about the book was that Beth used real comments from real women that she gathered doing a survey on her blog. She also has feedback from men, which was very eye-opening to see men's perspective on women's insecurities as well as insecurities that men have. Insecurity is not just for the female gender.

I highly recommend that YOU read this book. There is something in this book for women of all ages. I already have two friends who've asked to borrow it, and I have many others I want to share it with too.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity." Proverbs 31:25

Also, I'd like to mention there is a simulcast event on April 24, 2010 on this topic.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book.


Have a day of blessings!

2009 Book #33: Me, Myself & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild

I finished a study called Me, Myself & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild and am counting it in my book list for the year. I found out about this study through The LPM Blog. It was chosen as the summer Bible study so I decided to participate.

In this study the participant is guided through God's Word to find ways to get rid of the negative stuff floating around in her thought closet. Then she learns how to fill that thought closet with truth instead.

It was a blessing to read this book and do this study of God's Word for a "thought closet makeover." I highly recommend this book to women. I believe too often we listen to the lies that we've listened to for so long and we don't know how to hear truth instead. In the future I may be sharing some thoughts from the book as well.

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"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Beth Moore Study: Living Beyond Yourself--Self-control

I finished up this study last week at my Mom's house! I enjoyed it and feel I learned so much. I am looking forward to moving on to a new study now.

The last week of lessons was about self-control. On day one I learned the definition of self-control and how important it is for this wall to be around us. I have been noticing more and more verses in the Bible about "walls" since then and think this would be an interesting study to do sometime. On day two the lesson contrasted the lives of Daniel and Samson...one who used self-control and one who did not. I'd never really thought before about Samson's characterization so this day's lesson was particularly interesting to me. Day three focused on King Solomon and the writings of Ecclesiastes and the excess we have in our lives. What really matters in life? I loved this quote and wrote it down so I'd remember to share it: "We work too hard and make too little. We have more than enough to live complicated lives, but less than enough to be contented." I thought how perfectly that describes so many people today. On day four I studied two areas to work to gain self-control: the mind and the mouth. Again I was reminded to be careful of the things that are allowed to enter the mind. Day five was very enjoyable, focusing on Psalm 63. Read this Psalm. I think I will make a copy of this to read often. She writes how this Psalm is a pattern to show us how to live a life of victory....starting in the morning until we go to bed. We need to be praising God all day long! The end of the booklet was a poem written by Beth Moore called "The Company I Keep." This is another thing to print and read often.
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"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1,2

Beth Moore Study: Living Beyond Yourself--Gentleness

I started on the last week of lessons about the fruit of self-control today so I thought I'd write about the lessons I just completed about gentleness. The definition she gives for gentleness is "the complete surrender to God's will and way in your life." How can we do this? Topics discussed in this lesson were on submission, humility, having a teachable spirit, and finally "gentleness in teaching." I really learned a lot from the lessons on having a teachable spirit. God can use a variety of methods to teach us. One that really stuck out to me was how He teaches us through His Word. God uses difficult circumstances in our lives to cause us to turn to His Word for answers. It offers us hope, encouragement, peace, direction, and comfort for the trials we face. We need to be willing to look to His Word for answers to life's challenges. Be willing to learn.

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"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." Psalm 119:71, 72

Beth Moore Study--Living Beyond Yourself--Faithfulness

I finished the week of lessons today about the fruit of faithfulness. The lessons talked about God's faithfulness, the heroes of faith, and faith in action. One thing I learned from this study was in regard to to the shield of faith in Ephesians 6:16.

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Beth gave some history of the shield that a soldier would use in battle. It was covered in linen and leather which had been treated with something that would extinguish arrows as they came. If the solider didn't have his shield he would be hit with the burning arrow. It was large and protected the soldier. He might not have one of his other pieces, but the shield was a necessity to be safe.

Our faith is supposed to be the same way. We are in a battle. Although we can't see it with our eyes, satan is there ready to attack at any time. Our faith must be in place to knock down the arrows he throws our way. "In addition to" all the other pieces of armor, we must have our shield of faith in place.

She goes on to discuss the weapons used by satan to weaken our faith. Those include "destructive fear" and "casual familiarity."

In closing today she had us compare two passages:

Romans 3:3-4-- "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: 'So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.' "

2 Timothy 2:13--"if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself."

I really liked this comparison. Even if we don't have faith that doesn't take away or diminish God's faithfulness. He is faithful! Praise Him! I really enjoyed these lessons. Now I'll move on to Gentleness.











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"And without faith is is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

Beth Moore Study: Living Beyond Yourself--PATIENCE

It's been a while since I posted about the Bible study I'm going through. I had taken a break from the book as we were getting ready for our trip and VBS. I just finished the lessons on patience. I felt I learned a lot from this series of lessons. I'm not sure I can put all I learned into words, but I will share some of my thoughts.

Patience is something we all desire I think. I've heard before to watch out if you pray for patience because you'll have to go through some patience-testing situations.

One of the day's lessons was called "Lest you be judged." If we have the Holy Spirit's patience, we will not be judging others. This really touched my heart because I have a tendency to be judgemental, I know I am both of people and situations. Romans 14:13 says, "Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." A quote I really liked here says, "We cannot both judge others and be patient toward them. One cancels out the other."

Another day's lesson was called "Have Mercy." Here is another quality I need to work on in my own life. The story for this day was found in Matthew 18:15-35. This story makes me think every time I read it. How could the first servant be so ridiculous about his servant's debt after all he'd been forgiven? Then I ask myself, Am I the same way? Look how much I've been forgiven by my Heavenly Father. Do I show mercy to others?

This lesson showed me patience is really a fruit I need to grow in my life.
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"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1

Never noticed that before

Today in my quiet time part of the study from the study guide Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore was reading the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. You can read it here in John 6:1-14. I have always loved this story, but today she pointed out a couple things that I had not noticed before.

First of all, Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down. Then it says He passed out the bread to those who were seated. I just found this interesting. Why did the people need to be seated? It made me think of my teaching days and making the kids sit down before we did anything.

Another thing....was that little boy the only one in all those people with any food that day? Did no one else pack a lunch? Or was the boy just nearby so Jesus used his lunch to perform the miracle?

I've always been amazed that they picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers. Something brought out in the study today was where did those baskets come from? Were they just there because Jesus knew He was going to need them? They were just out on a hillside and that's not a place where an abundance of baskets are kept.

I am enjoying this week's lessons on peace, and I'll probably share some more along those lines for another post.

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"He surrounds me with lovingkindness and tender mercies, He fill my life with good things!" Psalm 103:4-5 TLB

Beth Moore Study: Living Beyond Yourself--Joy

I finished the lessons on joy! Each day Beth Moore focused on a different reason for our joy. Of course the first and most important is to know that our names are written in the Book of Life.
When we are serious about what God has done for us, others should notice our joy. When we figure out something new about His power and love, the joy should flow out of us. When we mess up and have God to welcome us back, our hearts should sing for joy. When we abide in Him we should have joy just knowing He is there and we're growing in Him. When we walk this Christian life together, our lives should bring joy to our fellow Christians.

Have you ever noticed how many times the word joy is used in Scripture? I mark different words in my Bible and joy is marked with a blue underline. I have a lot of blue underlines in my Bible! As Christians we are to be joyful. We have to remember we can't be joyful on our own though. Joy comes from the Spirit. I want this fruit growing in me!

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"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

Beth Moore study: Living Beyond Yourself

I got a new book called Living Beyond Yourself Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit for Christmas. It is based on Galatians 5:22, 23--

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

I've been working through the lessons at my own pace, doing them along with a couple other things I'm studying during my quiet time.

This study has really been a blessing just like the other Beth Moore studies I've done. The first two weeks were about the Spirit and proved very informative to me. This third week has been about love. It is helpful for me how Beth explains the various words in Greek or Hebrew. This helps put new meaning to the verses for me and expand my mind to what they are really saying.
I wanted to share some things I learned on day 3 ("Agape: Caring Love") and day 4 (More About Agape). She details each characteristic of agape love that we find in I Corinthians 13, the love chapter. I Corinthians 13:4-8--

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

This passage is so familiar to me. It is one we hear quoted often at weddings or in lessons. Sometimes I find myself just rushing through the list instead of focusing intently on each quality of love. I found I need to work on several of these! The beautiful thing that Beth pointed out at the end is you can't have these qualities on your own. No matter how hard you try you can't do it. These qualities come through the Spirit living in you.

One that stuck out to me is "Love keeps no record of wrongs." She posed the question what kind of ability does God have to forgive and forget and how does that compare with my ability to forget wrongs.

Another one that I learned something about is love "always protects." When I hear this I think of physical protection from harm. The Greek word though is stego which means "to cover over in silence." If we have agape for another we aren't going to expose their faults to others. She tied this with I Peter 4:8, which says "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I was thinking wow as I read that and saw how they fit together so perfectly.

One more that I really liked is love "always perseveres." Agape doesn't give up, it "hangs in there."

I will probably be sharing more from the study in the coming weeks.
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"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I, For you have been my refuge." Psalm 61:1-3

Beth Moore Study: "God's Unfailing Love"

I had to say wow again at the end of the video lesson last night. The main question she asked was "Do you love God?" That should be easy enough, right? I John 4:19 says "We love because He first loved us." In Mark we find one of the teachers of the law asking Jesus, "What is the greatest commandment?" Jesus' answer is found in Mark 12:29, 30--- "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'" Notice Jesus says this is the most important commandment.

We can easily say we love God, but do we really love Him? The Greek for this word is agapeo. This is more than a brotherly love (phileo). Agapeo means "esteem, to love indicating a direction of the will, find one's joy in something/someone, with best interest."

Here are some questions to ask yourself to find out if you love (agapeo) Jesus. It is helpful to me to consider a human I know I have this sort of love for and consider the things I do for that person. Do I do the same for Christ?

These are questions Beth Moore has included in her study:
1. Does He regularly circulate into my thoughts?
2. Am I often drawn to spend time with Him? (I loved on this one she pointed out the word "drawn." There is a difference in being drawn to spend time with Him and being disciplined in your spending time with Him.)
3. Does my life demonstrate a love for God?
4. Do I often enjoy God?
5. Do I find relief or satisfaction in the obedient life?

I hope this makes you think as it made me think!
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"Today is unique! It has never occurred before and it will never be repeated. At midnight it will end, quietly, suddenly, totally. Forever. But the hours between now and then are opportunities with eternal possibilities." Charles R. Swindoll

Beth Moore Study: "The Potter and the Clay"

Last night's Bible study was another blessing for me. It was about rest. Who doesn't need rest! It seems everyone is exhausted. The majority of people are seeking approval either of themselves or of others. We have so many demands on our time. In the video Beth said "Perpetual exhaustion is not in God's will." Whoa! How true that is!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28--30

What a beautiful passage! I wonder how many times I've read that passage in the Bible. It has always been a comfort to read. Now I can appreciate it more fully since I learned the meanings of some of the words. Christ is offering His rest to us. Sometimes we just need to stop and refocus, to cease our activities and busyness. Who could be a better "yoke-mate" than Christ? If we're yoked with Christ, we're going to pay attention to Him. Notice the descriptors of Christ being "gentle and humble in heart." One of the words brought out that I hadn't paid much attention to before is the word "find." This rest is not one that is easy to explain to someone, you have to find out about it for yourself.

This whole lesson has really made me think about my time and activities. I can see how I can become so busy (or feel that I'm so busy) doing all these things that I just get worn out. Is that how God wants us to live? I don't think so. There are many noble activities that God would want us to do for our families, churches, and friends. There comes a point though that we have to realize we're human and put a limit on our activities. Something else to think about is sometimes we have to give up things/activities we really love--things that are really good and blessings to others. It may hurt to give it up at the time, but God may have just been using that activity for a time of your life as a way to open a door into another ministry or blessing for you.
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"You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed." Joshua 23:14

Beth Moore study: "Beauty from Ashes"

I was again blessed last night at Bible study. Last week's lessons were entitled "Beauty from Ashes". The key verse was Isaiah 61:3---"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. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

The lessons from the week dealt with four dreams girls have: to be a bride, to be beautiful, to be fruitful, and to live happily ever after. I know these are dreams I had. In the lessons she applied them to being a child of God and being His bride. She also talked about the demoralization of women in our society and believes our "society is tending toward a frightening reduction of emotions." I totally agree. Too many times we're told in society to deal with it, get over, move on. We need to get these feelings out though to be emotionally healthy.

The video lesson was again wonderful, and we all seem to be amazed each week on the truth Beth Moore will bring to life through God's World. Let me share with you some points she makes in her study on making beauty from ashes.

We will have trials. That is a given. We need to ask ourselves what is God trying to teach us or show us through this trial. How is this trial making me more like Him? We can have different responses to the trials: either accept it and learn from it or refuse to learn from it and rebel. When going through trials, we need to remember God has a purpose and wants to use this to make us better, more like Him and let it be for His glory. We need to let Him work and turn the trial into something beautiful. Let Him turn our ashes into beauty.

It was interesting to me to read the various references to the refiner's fire in the Word. I think I'll do a study on this sometime.
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"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." I Peter 1:3--7

Beth Moore study: "Removing the Obstacles"

I've been attending a Beth Moore Bible study called Breaking Free. It has been a blessing to attend and participate in this study. I feel like I'm learning so much about God and His Word! I'm thankful for my friend inviting me to join her.

The theme for last week's lessons (which was discussed last night) was called "Removing the Obstacles." Moore has five obstacles that keep us from living in the freedom God has for our lives (these were discussed during a previous lesson). The five obstacles are unbelief, pride, idolatry, prayerlessness, and legalism.

Last night's lesson was on prayer. She made some wonderful points that I'd like to share here today.

In the lesson she shows the connection between prayer and peace. See Philippians 4:6, 7----
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Our lives are hindered when we live prayerless lives. Is it any wonder we go around in confusion and anxiety when we aren't taking the matters of our hearts to the Lord? She includes a list of people from the Bible who prayed from Abraham to Jesus. If our Savior needed to pray, how much more do I? I loved her analogy to the Christmas lights. Our lights aren't going to be on if we aren't plugged into the Power Source. We can be "plugged in" through prayer.

There is so much more I could say, but I will leave you with this final quote that really made me think when I read it the first time. "When our lives are over and the record of our days stands complete, may the words have been written of us, Then she prayed....."
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"And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant- these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices wll be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:6, 7