6/28/13 Lesson Seven ~ Trusting God in Tough Times ~ Day 5

It’s time for a video chat. Click on the video link for some face-to-face time. 

After viewing the video, come back and share what impacted your life the most in Lesson Seven. Ask a question. Give an insight. This is your space.

6/27/13 Lesson Seven ~ Trusting God in Tough Times ~ Day 4

Day four of each week has extra Bible study questions that are not in the Bible Study Guide. These are for on-line Bible study participants who want to dig a little deeper.

1. Sometimes I’m down right despicable when I’m going through trials. I wonder why God even puts up with me.  What did David say about his attitude at times? Psalm 73:21-22.

What did God do for David even though he was acting like a brute? Vs 24

Where did God take him?

2. For the Christian, even death is a victory. What does Paul mean in Philippians 1:21?

3. Write a personal version of Romans 8:38-39 inserting your own fears.

How does this relate to Acts 17:28? (You know that verse by memory, right?)

What is God’s promise in Romans 8:28? God can turn every ugly situation into a display of His splendor and use it for good. Perhaps the most horrendous act of cruelty was Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. And yet, I wear a symbol of that day around my neck as a display of God’s ultimate glory revealed. 

In your own words, describe the ugliness of the cross and the ultimate beauty of the cross. Share your answer in the comment box.

6/26/13 Lesson Seven ~ Trusting God in Tough Times ~ Day 3

1. Answer questions 5-11 of the Study Guide.

2. Let’s share our answers for question 7. How does truly trusting God change the way we view our difficult circumstances? Share your answer in the comment box.

3. Share one nugget of truth that has impacted your life through the study this week.

6/25/13 Lesson Seven ~ Trusting God in Tough Times ~ Day 2

1. Make sure you’ve read chapter seven. Then answer questions 1-4 in Lesson 7 of the Study Guide.

2. I love the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Who is one of your fiery furnace friends? Share her name in the comment box and I’ll randomly pick two and send a Starbucks gift card.  One for you and one for her.

Consider sending your fiery furnace friend an email today and tell her that your Bible study today reminded you of her.

3. Remember – Jesus is always in the fire with you, even if no one else shows up!

6/24/13 Week Seven ~ Trusting God in Tough Times ~ Day 1

1. Read Chapter 6 in A Sudden Glory.

2. Have you ever been disappointed with God or mad at God? Did He show you how your disappointment was really His appointment? Share your answer with the group.

3. Grainne shared several moments of sudden glory that shone through the dark time of Killion’s death. Have you ever had an experience of God’s presence shining through a dark time in your life? I’d love to hear it. Tell about a time when God made his presence known in a personal way. Make sure and read what your other Bible study friends have to share in the comment section.

6/21/13 Lesson Six ~ Saying “Yes” to God’s Divine Dance ~ Day 5

It’s time for a video chat. Click on the video link for some face-to-face time. 

After you have viewed the video, come back and share one truth that impacted you the most from Lesson 6.

6/20/13 Lesson Six ~ Saying “Yes” to the Divine Dance ~ Day 4

Day four of each week has extra Bible study questions that are not in the Bible Study Guide. These are for on-line Bible study participants who want to dig a little deeper.

       1. Let’s look at one particular man that didn’t want to obey God, but then changed his             mind. Read 2 Kings 5:1-16.

What was Naaman’s problem?

What did the prophet Elisha instruct him to do?

What was Naaman’s response to Elisha’s instruction?

What was Naaman’s servant’s response to Naaman’s stubbornness?

What happened when Naaman humbled himself and obeyed God?

Who was glorified in the end?

Is there something that God has called you to do that you’ve been avoiding? Could it be that God’s blessing is just an obedient step away?

2. What does 1 Thessalonians 5:24 about God’s faithfulness?

He will not drag you along against your will, but He will empower you as we move forward.

3. Bottom line. Why does God want you to live a life of obedience?

Look up the following verses and note the common phrase, “that it may go well for you.”

Deuteronomy 4:40; 5:16; 5:29; 6:3; 6:18; 8:16

Ecclesiastes 8:13

Jeremiah 32:29

One more time, does God want you to obey because it is something He wants from you or for you?

I think you’ve got it!

4.  Sum up what you’ve learned this week in one sentence and leave your response in the comment box.

6/19/13 Lesson Six ~ Saying “Yes” to the Divine Dance ~ Day 3

1. Answer questions 6-11 in Lesson 6 of the Study Guide.

2. What did you learn in question 7 about when the glory moment actually occurred?

3. Looking at question 11, what does Isaiah 30:21 tell you about what you can expect from living out Acts 17:28 in your life?

4. What has God taught you through the lesson today? Please share your answer in the comment box.

6/18/13 Lesson Six ~ Saying “Yes” to God’s Divine Dance ~ Day 2

1. Answer questions 1-5 in Lesson 6 of the Study Guide.

2. What did you learn from question 2 about the sort of men and women God chooses to do mighty works? Do you fit into that category?

3. Let’s pretend you were on Let’s Make a Deal, and had to choose which door the grand prize was behind. The crowd yells, “Door number one! Door number two!” And then God whispers, “It’s Door number three.” Which one would you choose? How does this relate to obedience to God and experiencing the abundant life? Share your answer in the comment box.

4. What has God taught you through the lesson today?

6/17/13 Lesson Six ~ Saying “Yes” to the Divine Dance ~ Day 1

Read Chapter Six in A Sudden Glory.

This is one of my favorite nuggets from Chapter Six: “The life of obedience is chock-full of glory moments. Not because He simply rewards you for good behavior, but because obedience to God is the door behind which the grand prize is hidden-the sweet life of union filled with intimate moments of sudden glory in which you know, oh you know, that He has pulled out all the stops to draw you into His embrace yet again.”

In Chapter 6, I mentioned how Jason “took a leap of faith” on the zip line. If you would like to see me take the same leap, click here. Keep watching for me to appear.

6/14/13 Lesson Five ~ Daring to Raise Your Expectations ~ Day 5

It’s time for a video chat. Click on the video link for some face-to-face time. After you view the video, come back and share what impacted you the most from Lesson Five? 

How are you going to live differently  because of what you have learned this week?

6/12/13 Lesson Five ~ Daring to Raise Your Expectations ~ Day 3

1. Answer questions 6-10 in Lesson 5 of the Study Guide.

2. Would you say you are living “below the bar” or “above the bar” when it comes to living as a child of the King?

3. What do you need to do to start living as an invited guest to the King’s table? Remember, Mephibosheth still had a limp…and you might have one too. But you are still royalty. Share your answer in the comment box.

6/13/13 Lesson Five ~ Daring to Raise Your Expectations ~ Day 4

Day four of each week has extra Bible study questions that are not in the Bible Study Guide. These are for on-line Bible study participants who want to dig a little deeper.

1. After Jesus’ resurrection, he walked with the 2 men on the Road to Emmaus ( Luke 24:13-35). 

Why do you think they didn’t recognize Him? 

Do you think they were expecting Him?

Could it be that we do not recognize Jesus walking right alongside us because we are not expecting Him to be?

2. In Bible times, women had very low expectations in life. They moved about as shadows in society who had no rights and were treated as property. Read each passage and note how Jesus sought to raise expectations for each of these women He encountered in light of the culture of His day.

Women were not allowed to associate with men in public: Luke 8:1-2

Women were not allowed to testify in court and viewed as unreliable witnesses: John 20:16-17

Women were not allowed to study under a Rabbi’s teaching: Luke 10:38-4

In the Old Testament, men were referred to as “sons of Abraham.” What did Jesus call the woman with the crippled back? Luke 13:15-16 What does that mean to you as a woman. Share your answer in the comment box.

3. Consider making the words of Psalm 118:24 the first words of expectant living that pass your lips each morning.

4.  What one truth meant the most to you in today’s lesson? Share your answer.

6/11/13 Lesson Five ~ Daring to Raise Your Expectations ~ Day 2

1. Answer questions 1-5 in Lesson 5 of the Study Guide.

2. In question 3, I asked if God would get mad at you for asking Him to increase your faith. I hope you said “no.” He won’t. I promise. Here’s something to remember. God has given you a “measure of faith.” When the Bible talks about increasing our faith, that means increasing the strength of the faith that we already have…much like increasing the strength of a muscle. You have the faith. You might need to increase the strength of what you have.
Now, what is your part in “increasing” your faith?

3. Just as God asked Martha a question in John 11:23-26 (question 5), is there a question He is asking you?

4. What new insights did you learn today about raising your spiritual expectations? Leave your answer in the comment box.

6/10/13 Lesson Five ~ Daring to Raise Your Expectations ~ Day 1

1. Read Chapter 5 in A Sudden Glory.

2. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the greatest, where would you place your expectations of experiencing God on a daily basis?

3. Do you feel that God is urging you to raise your expectations in your relationship with Him? I’m not talking about wanting more things from Him. I’m talking about having a deeper relationship with Him.

4.  What one truth impacted you the most as you read Chapter 5? Share your answer in the comment box.

6/7/13 Lesson Four ~ Joining God in Continual Conversation ~ Day 5

It’s time for a video chat. Click on the video link for some face-to-face time.

After viewing the video, come back to this lesson and share what impacted you the most this week. Are you going to change the way to converse with God?

6/6/13 Lesson Four ~Joining God in Continual Conversation ~ Day 4

Day four of each week has extra Bible study questions that are not in the Bible Study Guide. These are for on-line Bible study participants who want to dig a little deeper.

1. Do you remember how you confided in and whispered secrets to your girlfriends when you were a little girl? Perhaps you still do. What does Psalm 25:14 tell you that God will whisper to you?

2. How does that relate to Jeremiah 33:3?

3. Read Isaiah 48: 1, 12, 16. What did God tell them to do time and time again? Why did He want them to listen? Was it something He wanted from them or for them? 48:17-19

4. What did Jesus tell us about how to expect Him to speak to us? John 10:1-14., especially vs 3-5 and 14-15.

Who are the sheep Jesus mentions in 10:16?

One beautiful aspect of sheep herding is that the shepherd does not drive the sheep as with cattle. He goes ahead of the sheep and calls them to follow. They follow him because they know his voice. Doesn’t that just give you chills!

5. God does speak through the whispers in our hearts, but He also shouts through creation. Read Psalm 29 and note what the Psalmist said about the voice of the God.

6. Read and record John 8:32. The word “know” in this verse is a very intimate word. It is a word akin to the way Adam “knew” Eve (Genesis 4:1) and the way God knows you (Psalm 139:1-3). How is this type of knowing different from a casual acquaintance?

When we have a conversation with God as we read the Scripture, we can approach it intellectually or relationally. Which type of conversation would you rather have with Jesus today?

7.  What one truth from this lesson impacted you the most today.  Share your answer in the comment box.

6/5/13 Lesson Four ~ Joining God in Continual Conversation ~Day 3

1. Answer questions 5-10 in Lesson 4 of the Study Guide, writing them down in your notebook

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2. What did you learn about how to prepare to hear God’s voice and see God’s sudden glory gifts? Share your answer in the comment box.

3. Share one nugget of truth you learned from today’s lesson. Share your answer in the comment box.

6/4/13 Lesson Four ~ Joining God in Continual Conversation ~ Day 2

1. Answer questions 1-4 in Lesson 4 of the Study Guide, writing them down in your notebook.

2. In response to question 1, what does how God spoke in the past tell you about how we can prepare to hear God speak in the present? Share your answer in the comment box.

3. How does this relate to question 4 in the study guide? Share your answer.

6/3/13 Lesson Four ~ Joining God in Continual Conversation ~ Day 1

1. Read Chapter 4 in A Sudden Glory.

2. What are some of the “tiger cubs” that gobble up your attention and time?

3. What are some ways you can put them in the zoo rather than let them run wild throughout your day? Leave your responses to questions 1 and 2 in the comment box. I bet we have some of the same hungry beasts prowling around.

4. What one thought really stuck out in your mind and impacted your heart as you read chapter 4? Leave your response in the comment box.

5/31/13 Lesson Three ~ Living in Sacred Union ~ Day 5

It’s time for a video chat. Click on the video link for some face-to-face time. After viewing the video, come back and tell me what truth impacted you the most this week. 

How are you going to view your walk with Jesus differently because of what you have learned?