Book + Bible Study

I have a new book and Bible study to share with you today by Lysa Terkeurst.

       

About the book:

New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst shows you what to do with your skepticism and distrust so you can heal from past betrayals and move forward with strength and resilience.

Trust is the oxygen of all human relationships. But it's also what trips you up after you've been burned. Maybe a friend constantly lets you down. A leader or organization you respect turns out to be different than they portray themselves to be. A spouse cheats on you. A family member betrays you. You're exhausted by other people's choices and starting to question your own discernment. And you're wondering, If God let this happen, can he even be trusted?

How can you live well and step into the future when you keep stumbling over trust issues? Lysa TerKeurst says it's not simply about finding better people to walk with. It's about developing the stability you long for within yourself and with God, so you don't become cynical and carry a broken belief system into every new relationship. In I Want to Trust You, But I Don't, Lysa shows you how to

• identify which of the eleven relational red flags are stirring up distrust, so you can pinpoint why you're feeling uneasy;
• stop having more faith in your fears coming true than God coming through for you by asking crucial "what if" questions to better process your doubts;
• recognize when a fractured relationship can be repaired by considering a reasonable list of characteristics necessary for rebuilding trust; and
• understand the physical, emotional, and neurological impact of the betrayals you've experienced and start healing from the inside out.

In a world where so many things feel alarming, this book will give you a peace that isn't dependent on unpredictable people, circumstances, and experiences. Instead, it offers practical and biblical ways to make real progress toward healthier perspectives, relationships, and a future you can authentically look forward to.

About the study:

Building upon and further unpacking the scriptural concepts in her book I Want to Trust You, but I Don’t, this six-session Bible study (video access included) will equip you to:

• Identify which of the 11 relational red flags are stirring up distrust, so you're able to better pinpoint why you're feeling uneasy.
• Recognize when it's possible to repair a fractured relationship and how to do it with a five-step framework you can start using today.
• Understand what the Bible says about trusting God and others so you're equipped to make decisions that are in line with Scripture.
• Learn how to know the difference between a feeling you're having and true discernment from the Holy Spirit so you can move on from the past with more wisdom and assurance.

This study guide includes:

• Individual access to six streaming video sessions
• A guide to best practices for leading a group
• Video notes and a comprehensive structure for group discussion time
• Personal study for deeper reflection between sessions

My thoughts:

I felt there was a lot in this book that I couldn't relate to in regards to losing trust in marriage; however, she does give examples of other situations where a person can lose trust.  I appreciate that she shares some of her personal experiences and the process of trusting again when trust was broken.  She makes it clear this is not an overnight thing and will take time.  

Each chapter ends with "One More Thing I Want You to Know" followed by Remember, Receive, Reflect, and Pray.  I like this feature as it is helpful to review when you read nonfiction.   Here is an example from one chapter.  

There are single quotes on individual pages throughout the book.  Here is one.  

This is the type of book you may need to read more than once to glean information from it.  

About the Bible Study:

I have done many Bible studies through the years by a variety of authors.  I like the set up of this one with a schedule for you to follow for each chapter/session.  

The personal study days are similar to other studies I've done with questions, passages to read, and fill in the blanks to answer.  

For the video sessions notes are included as well with space to take your own notes.

Click on this link to learn more about this author and these books and to purchase.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

#iwanttotrustyoubook

Have a day of blessings!

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Another week into October, another week with my husband at home because of the government shutdown, another week of enjoying the beautiful fall weather. 

This week I'm thankful for...
~ the things my husband has done while he's been home including fix supper.  He finished working on our office and helped me go through a filing cabinet yesterday. He also went to be a WatchDOG at Caleb's school last Friday.   It is discouraging for him that he is not allowed to go to work, but he is having a good attitude about it and we continue to trust God to take care of us.

~  being able to do things with our boy like taking him to the deer lease and attending 4-H meetings.  It is fun for me as a Mom to see him in different settings.  He has so many interests! 

~ a surprise in the mail from a friend.  We became pen pals when we were little girls and have grown up together through the years.  Now we are both married and have a child.  She sent me these fall towels and wash cloths along with a sweet card. 

~  feeling peaceful and being able to trust God amidst the unknowns of this government shutdown.  We are thankful we have our "emergency fund" that we've been saving since doing Financial Peace University.  I was also able to sign up to be on the substitute list so we could have some income while we don't know how long this will last.   

~ monetary surprises in the mail.  I just think it is so neat the timing of these checks!  We had a gift card for $50 in the mail over the weekend that was from a survey I did once a month for a year.  It ended several months ago, and  I actually had thought about it last week and wondered if I was going to get the promised $50.  Then it showed up!  Then on Monday I got another $10 check for another survey.  I didn't even know that one was coming.  It's been a reminder that God is taking care of us. 

~ our loving church family.  On Sunday I had a friend come up and had me a small black velvet box.  She said she wanted me to have this.  She told me one time at a retreat we were at that I mentioned having a pair of these feet after my  first miscarriage, then I lost it and got another pair and eventually quit wearing it as I was afraid to lose it again.  She said she knew there was a pair in her mother's stuff and she searched for it till she found it.  The retreat was probably a year ago or more.  The timing was so perfect I thought for her to give it to me this month.  I thought it was so sweet of her to remember me saying that and to give this to me.  I stood there and cried and hugged her.  Here is a picture.  They are the size of a baby in the womb at 10 weeks.

Join us at Grace Alone this month for Thankful Thursday.

Have a day of blessings!

A-Z Verse Challenge

T- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Have a day of blessings!

A year ago...

We were excited to sign the papers to close on our new house on October 11, 2010.  We knew a couple of the rooms needed to be repainted....we did not want bright blue or purple bedrooms!  Plus there were some other things we wanted to do before officially  moving in.  We had it all planned out to sign the papers and then be ready to move in by the end of the month. 
Well if you followed my blog last year you know that nothing went as we had planned!  On October 7, 2010, we got the unexpected news from our Realtor that we were not going to be able to sign the papers on Monday.  The hold-up was caused because the TX Attorney General put a hold on the sale of foreclosures in the state.  I didn't understand all the legal jargon associated with this...it basically meant though that our plans were on hold because the house we were buying was a foreclosure property and the banks had to verify they were handling the paperwork correctly.  We did not have any idea when we'd be able to continue so we were in a waiting game.

My husband was starting his training for his new position.  We were renting a duplex and had assumed we'd be out by the end of October.  The days went on and on, and it was a very frustrating time.  I remember waiting to hear something, anything from our Realtor each day, hoping he'd have some sort of good news or date for us.  We even got a lawyer involved to try to help us through the process of figuring out our options.  We went to look at other houses as well because it just didn't seem this one was going to work.

It was quite the roller coaster for us all.  We didn't know what was going to happen from day to day really.  It was just waiting and praying, trying to see what God would have us do next.  Being the planner that I am I did not like not knowing what was coming. I did not like that all the plans I had made regarding the house and where we would live and not wanting to be separated from my husband and getting my son into a new school were not working out like I thought they should from my perspective. I wasn't angry during this time, I just didn't like not knowing.    

So today I remember how this time last year our plans changed suddenly and without warning.  I remember how God used this time to teach us some valuable lessons about Himself and His plan and timing during the period of unknowns and waiting.     

I heard this song on the radio this week, and I was immediately taken back to that time.  Because on October 7 and October 8 and 9 and 10 and on and on when I didn't know what was going to happen, I still held on to my faith that God had a plan for us.  He had things to teach us and used the time to bring us closer to Him and closer to each other.  We couldn't see the whole picture like He could.
 
Here is the song for you to hear.  It has such great lyrics. 


Looking back a year later, it is still crazy to me how it all worked out.  I think I am still processing it all that we are actually here!  The timing of everything fit together just beautifully.  He knew that all along, even though I could only see what was happening in the day to day moment.  Aren't you thankful that He has a bigger perspective than us? 

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #14

"O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."  Psalm 84:12

Are you trusting Him today?  Hope you have a great weekend!

Have a day of blessings!
 

'Tis So Sweet...

{Warning:  This may be longer than most posts as I share some of the story of our move and the circumstances related to that.}

Last night I was thinking that today marks the one year anniversary that we signed the papers on our old house.  Just 10 days after we put our house on the market we received an offer which surprised us to say the least.  After the offer and counteroffer, we signed the papers for the sell. 

I remember feeling totally at peace as we walked out of the Realtor's office that day.  It was an odd feeling in those circumstances of not knowing what was coming, yet being filled with the peace I knew could only be from God.  Looking back I cannot believe all that has happened since that day.  We didn't know, but we prayed, had faith, and trusted somehow God would work it all out. 

Things did not go at all as we planned when we put our house on the market.  We knew of some assistant positions that would be opening in the agency for which my husband works.  We did not know when they were opening, but we knew he wanted to apply for one of these.  We put the house on the market thinking we'd see if it would sell and really thought it'd take months to actually sell it.  We knew the house would have to sell if we were to move and we didn't want to live in separate cities.  But none of that happened as we thought.  Our house sold in 10 days and the assistant positions did not open.

Sometimes I'd have those thoughts of what if they don't open the new positions or what if he does not get one of them. I had plenty of times of doubts and frustrations when I couldn't see how everything would turn out.  We knew we couldn't see the full picture and had the "back up plan" in mind that he would just keep working where he was and if we were staying in that area find a new house eventually.

Since we didn't know what was going to happen, we moved to a temporary duplex which was amazing in itself.  We had looked and looked for a place to live and came to closed door after closed door.  The duplex ended up being near our old house and with a landlady who listened to our situation and expectations that we wouldn't be there for very long.  We still thought that the agency would announce the assistant positions, my husband could apply, and we would still get to move. 

However, all of that changed on July 29 when we found out of the tragic death of my husband's coworker M.    The coworker was the director whom my husband hoped to work with in one of his offices as an assistant. I remember the heartbreak I felt when my husband called with the news. It was so hard to understand, and we still have so many questions and grieve over this painful loss. 

So it ended up that my husband instead of being in an assistand position as we originally thought is now the director.

None of it happened as we thought it would.   Now today a year later we are here in a different city in our new house and my husband has a new job.  My mind has trouble processing all this sometimes.  Even though I never knew M, only the stories my husband shared from their work-related experiences, I now think of him and his wife every day.      

Last year we trusted that God had a reason for our house to sell so quickly, but never could have imagined it would be under these circumstances.  As for the assistant positions, it is weird to see that now at the beginning of this summer those positions were announced and opened. 

Today in church we sang the song 'Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus.   It made me smile as we sang the lyrics.  The past year we learned more about trusting Him.  I'm thankful that He has taught us we can count on Him and trust Him, even during the times when we can't see or have a clue.   

Have a day of blessings!
 

In Other Words...

My friend Debbie at Heart Choices is hosting "In Other Words Tuesday" this week. I wanted to join in when I saw the quote she chose for this week. It's a quote from Priscilla Shirer's book entitled One in a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land.

The spirit of complaint is born out of an unwillingness to trust God with today. Like the Israelites, it means you are spending your time looking back toward Egypt or wishing for the future, all the while missing what God is doing right now.

When I read Debbie's post last night, I emailed her and told her that it was just what I needed to read this week as we are still waiting to close on our new house and for it to be released from the foreclosure freeze.

If I am not trusting God with where He is taking me, I will complain and grumble. Neither of those will do any good; they will cast a negative feeling over our home. That is not what God wants (and it's not what my family wants either!).

I've been reminded lately to enjoy today without complaining and also without longing for our new home. Things have been smooth for us and God has provided every last detail. It will all work out and come together in God's timing anyway.

Have a day of blessings!

Since we've moved

I am so thankful we were moved and settled at the duplex before school started. While we were surprised our home sold so quickly, we know it was all part of God's timing that it happen in the summer and not once Caleb was in school. It is nice not to be stressed with packing and cleaning for a big move right now as we are getting back into the swing of school.

I am thankful that we are content here in our duplex. Some people have asked how we like living here and if it's okay. Yes it is different from our home. There is less room and many other changes, like no back yard to play in, no yard to mow, and I don't have a clothesline to hang our clothes. We aren't looking at these things as negatives though.

As I look at what we have here with us and think about all that is in storage, I continue to wonder if we even need all that stuff and if I want to really unpack it once we move again. So much of it just takes up space. There are some things I would want to keep like my Precious Moments, teacher stuff, and Christmas decorations. There have been a couple things here and there I've missed (like why did I pack away all my pie plates, something I realized last week when I was going to make a pie for my husband!). But for the most part I haven't felt I was missing anything major. That just goes to show you that it's not the "things" that make me content and happy...it's the two wonderful people I am living here with that makes it home.

Caleb has adjusted very well. I'm so proud of him! He continues to surprise me with the creative games and imaginative things he comes up with to play. I always laugh at all the uses he has for yarn! I told my Mom I could write a book called "101 Uses for Yarn."

As far as the laundry, I do miss my time at the clothesline. I have an alternative though...a collapsible drying rack we bought at Walmart. I have figured out when to wash the clothes so I can hang them to give them plenty of time to dry so most nights they aren't all over the house when my husband gets home. I could use the dryer but I like to save on electricity this way.

Speaking of electricity, we got our first bill for living here a month. We were pleasantly surprised at the cost! We weren't sure how it would compare to our home because we didn't know the energy efficiency of the windows and appliances here. It was low and that was for August in Texas too!

A funny story about our move...The guy who is living in our old house has the same last name as us! I told the ladies at the post office when I turned in our card to forward our mail. We have received some of his mail in the past couple of weeks. One day I even had something from AT&T that was his name with our address here! (Not sure how they messed that one up, but they've messed up pretty much everything we asked them when we transferred our service so it wasn't too surprising to see this mistake from them!) Who knows how long this will take to get straightened out!

We are continuing to wait and pray about what is next for us. We are very excited to hear something and are really expecting to hear in a few weeks about one possibility. Please pray with us. I have a whole list of things I'm praying about as we wait. God's worked out all the details of this story up to this point and we continue to trust Him.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #23

For this week's verse we have Psalm 20:7:
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

There are many things in which we can place our trust. These things won't last though. Money will run out. We could lose our health. Our vehicle may quit running. Our friends may disappoint us. In all the things we can choose to put our trust, the Lord is the only One that will not ever fail. The people around us may be trusting their bank accounts, power, or possessions, but we must still make the choice to put our trust in the Lord.

Let me know if I can pray for you this week.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Do Not Be Anxious" Seeds Family Worship

We ordered one of the CDs from Seeds Family Worship. I found some of the songs on Youtube and picked one to share with you today. We are loving our CD! Here is a link to a blog post I wrote about getting a free download of a song plus a discount if you buy a CD. Enjoy this song and verse of the Bible.



Have a day of blessings!

"God Is it True (Trust Me)" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Last week I put in a CD as I was driving. This song came on, and I paid attention to the words as I was driving. These are great lyrics.

If you read my blog you know SCC is one of my absolute favorites. His latest CD is full of songs totally from his heart after the loss of their daughter Maria.

I hope this song blesses you today.




Come back tomorrow for a music giveaway (unrelated to this song but one I'm very excited to share with you!)

Have a day of blessings!