Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith-Filled Friday!

I hope it’s been a good one for you so far! I’m a little late in the day posting this, but I wanted to be sure to share with you another challenge I’m going to attempt this year. It’s called the P31 Challenge and is headed up by Sara Horn, author of My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife.

From the back cover…

Author Sara Horn always admired the Proverbs 31 wife, but when she became a busy writer and mother, she deemed this model to be dated and impossible. Or is it? Join Sara as she heads into a one-year domestic experiment and offers full access to see if this biblical model can be embraced by a modern woman—even one who can’t sew.

With humility and humor, Sara sets out to pursue the Proverbs 31 characteristics through immersing herself in all things domestic, but when her family's situation changes and she must return to a full-time job, she's forced to look at the Proverbs 31 woman with a whole new viewpoint. Through it all, she and readers discover:

what it means to be a godly woman and a wife

how investing in family and faith refines priorities as a spouse and a parent

how mistakes are opportunities for growth

This thought-provoking, surprising, and entertaining personal account will inspire women to try their own experiments in living out God’s purpose for their lives.

***

I’ve been intrigued with her book so far and I’m always up for a good challenge! Won’t you join me…

Sara has posted the first challenge on her blog this week and it’s the perfect place to start…check it out here.

I’ve actually done really well this week with this challenge! I found a great new Bible reading plan for the year called The Bible Program for Shirkers and Slackers. You can find more information about it here.

I came across a blog post about the reading plan on Pinterest and learned a new technique to go along with my quiet time called S.O.A.P. Here is a little more information about how that works. I have really enjoyed my quiet time this week using this new method and would encourage you to try it out!

{perfection not required}

So, don’t forget to check out the P31 Challenge! I’m sure Sara is going to have some really fun challenges for us to do together and I love that I’ll have some accountability through her Facebook Page.

Until next week…I’ll be sharing more about Beth Moore’s latest Bible study, James.

May you have a blessed weekend!

Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith-Filled Friday!

Do you ever find that your life seems to be spiraling out of control because of your surrounding circumstances? Do you ever feel like it’s just too much to handle?

Me too…

This has been a really rough week for me…emotionally. I’m really not sure what it is…circumstances, hormones, people…probably some of each. It just seems that nothing is going right…the way I think it should go at least.

When you find yourself falling into a pit and struggling to climb out…what or who do you turn to?

I have learned that there is only one source that can help me and that is my mighty & powerful God! Too often I allow myself to get too wrapped up in this world…circumstances, people, events…

Stormie Omartain in The Power of the Praying Woman says it like this…’we risk waking up one day with that empty, insecure feeling in the pit of our stomach frightening us with the thought that our foundation may be turning into sand and our protective armor may be becoming as fragile as an eggshell.’ I’ve felt that this week. She also says about herself, ‘There wasn’t anything else that could satisfy the hunger I felt inside except more of His presence.’

So, that is why I’ve come to the conclusion this week to lay some things down use for the next 30 days and draw near to God (James 4:8). Stormie will help me do that while I read and pray through her powerful book, The Power of a Praying Woman. There just happens to be 30 chapters…one for each day of September.

(If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, no need to worry about me…it’s one of the things I’ve decided to lay down. I will continue to share here on my blog…my artwork and more of my reflections over the next 30 days…I think my blog posts will still post to Facebook…I just won’t be checking Facebook for the next 30 days. Feel free to contact me through my blog if you need anything.)

I can not wait to see what God will do in my life in the next 30 days! If you have any desire to draw close to God, won’t you join me? Stormie says, ‘I want to help you draw close to your heavenly Father, to feel His arms around you, to maintain a right heart before Him, to live in the confidence of knowing you are in the center of His will, to discover more fully who He made you to be, to find wholeness and completeness in Him, and to move into all He has for you.

You can purchase her book through Amazon by clicking on the picture below. If you want it immediately…get the Kindle version…you can download free applications for your computer, iPods and phones to read it if you don’t own a Kindle.

From the Back Cover

"I have come to know that God can smooth my path, calm the storms, keep me and I all care about safe, and even make my way simple when I ask Him to carry the complexities of life for me. But these things don’t just happen. Not without prayer."

Prayer is powerful—but do you know how to pray for yourself?

It may seem easier to pray for your spouse, your children, your friends, and your extended family, but God wants to hear your requests for your life too. He loves it when you come to Him for the things you need and ask Him to help you become the woman you have always longed to be.

Stormie Omartian has led nearly 2 million women into deeper, more fulfilling prayer lives. Now, through her knowledge of Scripture and candid examples of her own epiphanies in prayer, she shows you how to:

• draw closer to God
• know His plans and purposes for your life
• receive comfort, help, and strength for every day

Trust Him moment by moment with the concerns of your heart and discover the awesome power prayer will release in your life.

***

‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.’ ~James 4:8

If you have any prayer requests that you’d like to share with me, I’d love to pray for you. You can leave me a public comment below or contact me privately.

Have a blessed day,

Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith-Filled Friday!

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a Faith-Filled Friday post, so I thought, even though it’s late in the day…it’s better late than never! So, here goes…

My Bible Study group finished up our Jonah study a few weeks ago (It was amazing!) and we came to a group decision to begin a new study by Henry Blackaby and his son, Richard Blackaby called, When God Speaks – How to Recognize God’s Voice and Respond in Obedience.

I was very excited that the ladies in our group picked this particular study out of several other options. Several years ago I did Henry Blackaby’s study called Experiencing God – Knowing and Doing the Will of God. It was seriously a life-changing time in my Christian walk.

You can find more information on both of these studies at Lifeway Christian Stores.

Through this past week’s study of When God Speaks, I was reminded just how important it is to be in God’s Word, the Bible, on a regular basis…preferably daily. How else will I truly know what God wants to tell me and teach me?

‘Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.’ – Deuteronomy 8:3

I would like to encourage you to begin a daily reading plan through the Bible if you haven’t done so already. I began a One Year Bible reading plan in September 2010, so I am now over half-way through the Bible. There are some days I do good and other days, not so good. So, please don’t get discouraged if you miss a day or two or three…just jump back in as soon as you can. I like to remind myself that’s it the quality of reading I get in, not the quantity…I’ll eventually get through the entire Bible if I continue plugging away at it. It also puts a smile on my face knowing that Satan can’t stand it when I keep plugging away…even when he does his best to condemn me for missing a day or two. I thank God that I know that Satan has already been defeated…it says so in God’s Word. =)

Check out this cool website

for Bible reading plans and applications for your computer & cell phone.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Thank you for reading my Faith-Filled Friday post and please feel free to leave a comment about your own faith walk. I would love to hear about it and encourage one another. God Bless!

Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith-Filled Friday

After being out of town for a week, I am diligently working on catching up on my Bible Study, Jonah by Priscilla Shirer. Even though I am behind on watching the weekly videos with my Bible Study group and doing my handbook work, I made myself go to Bible Study Thursday morning. To be honest, my first thought was to just drop off the snacks that I had signed up for this week. I figured I would sit in on the discussion and then leave when the video began since I still needed to watch Weeks 3 & 4. I am so glad I stayed and watched Week 5!

God spoke right to me through Priscilla’s teaching and it was exactly what I needed to hear yesterday. You see, Mike (my husband) and I had a misunderstanding the day before and my mind went off on a rabbit trail for a few hours. I am so blessed to have two very special girl friends in my life that meet with me on a weekly basis to help keep me on track with my walk with God. Fortunately, our weekly meeting was on the day Mike & I had our little misunderstanding. They both graciously listened as I spilled my heart out and then prayed with me over the situation. Thanks be to God that He prepared me to talk to Mike about my thoughts and feelings in a rational way (that can be quiet difficult many times), we addressed the issues and have a better understanding of where we are both coming from.

I must tell you, Mike & I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in April and it still amazes me that we misunderstand each other. LOL! It also amazes me how much we have grown just over the last several years. God is so good and He continually works on both of our hearts…softening them…so that we can ‘see’ one another and have rational conversations with each other. In that, we continue to learn from one another and draw closer to each other as we walk together with God.

If you have read this far, you may be wondering why I just shared that with you. Well, that’s what I learned on Thursday…

“Sometimes your greatest message is the mess of your life.” – Priscilla Shirer

“God intentionally allows you to go through painful experiences to equip you for ministry to others.” – Rick Warren

Rick Warren also says the for God to use your painful experiences, you must be willing to share them. So, that’s why I shared this experience with you this week. I know for certain that God has laid on my heart the hurts and challenges married couples face on a daily basis, the big and small. Mike and I have been through some very difficult times together, but we have continued to work through them and we have no intention of giving up on one another. We know that it is not God’s will for us to go separate ways. His plan is for us to be together forever…through good times and bad times. With Him, we will make it!

I pray that if you are experiencing a difficult time in your marriage, that you will first turn to the only One that can truly help in all situations and then find someone that you can trust that will listen and pray for you as you work through the situation at hand.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Pamela

Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith-Filled Friday!

I have been thinking about starting Faith-Filled Fridays for some time now and just sat down a few minutes ago and decided now was as good a time as any to jump right into it. So here we go…

My goal with this weekly post will be to share with you snippets of my daily walk through out the past week with God. It may be such things as what I’m reading or listening to, events that are happening in my life, lessons that God is teaching me and so forth. There will probably be no rhyme or reason to it all, but as I’ve learned over the last several years…that’s LIFE!

Well, let’s get started…

Two weeks ago, our Thursday morning Bible study group began a new study by Priscilla Shirer entitled, Jonah – Navigating a Life Interrupted.

Here is the blurb from the back of the book…

You Can’t Escape Life’s Interruptions

They shock us: they shake us; they compel us to change. You can’t escape life’s interruptions, but you can change your perspective on them. Dive into the study of Jonah and discover that what you see as an interruption may truly be God’s divine invitation to a life so much bigger than you can imagine.

I have completed Week 1 of this study and I want to share with you a few insights I’ve learned already…

• The Book of Jonah is not really about a man swallowed up by a big fish.
• Jonah was the only prophet who received instructions from God and ran from what God told him to do.
• I planned one thing for my life, and yet my current situation looks nothing like what I had in mind.
• I hate interruptions!
• I have to decide to yield to divine intervention at the cost of my own plans or continue on my own path instead.
• I don’t mind following Christ as long as His path eventually converges onto the one I already have chosen.
• When the Lord speaks over my life, separating me unto Himself for His purposes or allowing circumstances to derail me from my original plan, I should consider it my personal invitation from God to join Him in His work.
• I will be continually frustrated as I run from or ignore His attempts to guide me toward His best for me. His best includes predetermined purposes that I’ve been specifically equipped to master.
• God’s plans for me are so overwhelmingly beyond anything that I could ever imagine that my feelings or ability to reason His directives cannot be the determining factor for choosing obedience.
• Engaging in God’s will is not always comfortable or convenient, but it is worth it.

Wow…am I in for the ride of my life or what!?!

If you’d like to join me, grab a member book and download the audio or video of each session HERE.

Now, I have one last thing to share…

Here is the latest song from my all-time favorite Christian artist, Shawn McDonald...

I love the lyrics that say…’Tell me why do I run when I am in fear? Why do I run when you are so near?’ Hmmm…sounds a lot like the story of Jonah.

Have a Blessed Weekend and Keep the Faith!