Lasso of Truth

The Bible Study Guilt Trip

Do you find it difficult to make time for your Bible Study?  I admit that I do.  I could get up earlier for time alone, but since I'm up at night with the baby, and up before the sun most days to feed the other hungry kids, any earlier seems daunting.  Experts will say that if you put your quiet time with the Lord first, everything else will fall into place.  I know this is true.  On the days when I'm able to start with my Bible open, the rest of the day just flows in a way that could only be from Jesus. 

But what about when I'm not able to put it first?  Most days I'm able to find time between noon and 1pm, when the baby is in his swing, Esther is napping, and the two oldest are reading or playing outside. But the reason I'm writing with this subject today, is that sometimes I'm not able to find the time at all.  While I wrote my notes on I Chronicles in my journal almost two months ago, I only got around to posting them yesterday.  I have had two of the most frantic, non-stop, kids sick, dr's appointment, late night, husband out of town, husband home during the day (!), months of my life.  And I wasn't able to put my Bible study first.  Or even last many days. 

What do you say to yourself when you haven't opened your Bible that day?  Do you guilt trip? Do you justify? Do you shame yourself?  I've noticed that any of these options push the possibility of getting back into Scripture ever farther away.  On days (or weeks or months) like this, it's important to remember the spirit of the idea of "quiet time". It's not a homework assignment that we need to check off the list.  It's about abiding in Christ.  And we can do that while driving down the street, talking to our kids, and meditating on the Words that are already written on our hearts through memorization.  Don't worry about how "far behind" you are.  Just do your best to get back to it as soon as you can.  Even if all you can do today is open up that precious book and let it catch your tears of exhaustion. 

The Enemy, the Accuser, wants to separate you from God, and he'll use guilt, pride, shame, justification--anything he can to do that.  I've found the best defense for this in my life is to make goals, but to never make a reading schedule.  I try to never think about how behind I am. Because there is no such thing.  Every day I open my Bible and let it soak into my soul is progress.  And that's where I'm starting today.

Grab Your Bible and Join In

If you are new to the blog, there are a couple of things I want to share with you.  First, there is no such thing as being behind in this Bible Study.  And there is no need to feel like you need to "catch up."  God's Word is living, and it has a way of speaking directly to your heart, whatever state it is in.  Just join in whenever you want!

Also, I make a point to put the links to each chapter and verse that I reference (you can see them below in orange).  The links will take you to the corresponding page on BibleGateway.com, in the New American Standard version.  While I love the convenience of reading Scripture from my laptop, there is much to be gained from actually opening up your Bible and reading the words from the page.  This is a love letter written to you, and there is great value in holding it in your hand and getting to know the placement of the books, chapters, and verses.  Years from now, when you turn back to the verses we read together today, each note, wrinkle, or smudge on the page will work to remind you that God has spoken to you through His Word, and He will again.

So grab your Bible and join in!

My Old Friend

This weekend as Donnie was preparing for his sermon, he reminded me of something I had learned in the course of this Bible study.  I started scanning through my notes on the chapters of the books of the Law, and as I was looking, I inadvertently began reading snippets of entries I had made here.  I wrote about how I knew that God had led me to start this study with you.  That I felt renewed and strengthened like never before.  That I felt hollow when I had to spend time away from it, and that when I got back to it again, my spirit would awaken with joy all over again.

I sat there (in the dark, at my kitchen table) reading those words with tears running down my cheeks.  There have been so many obstacles to maneuver these last man months, and no shortage of battles to fight.  And while I have been able to write a post here and an entry there, I have missed the total immersion that we had when we first started out.  I seem to have been caught up in figuring out my new life, while neglecting the thing that gave me the perspective I need to go forward at all.

No wonder I have felt burdened and exhausted!  And I have also felt that too much time has passed--that readers have forgotten about the study anyway.  That, "Why would anybody want to follow someone who can't even get her act together?"  Does any of this sound like the voice of the Lord to you?  Me neither.

This weekend I felt my Heavenly Father saying, "Hey remember how close we were?  Remember how strong and loved you felt when I was in your heart and life every day?  Remember the joy?"  Oh, how I love Him.  The voice of the Lord is so sweet and full of grace--something I need in abundance!  He doesn't accuse or condemn.  As I sat there reading and remembering, I felt Him speaking to my heart again. "It's time you started this up again.  No more delay.  No more excuses.  No more pity."

So, by the strength of the Lord alone, we will be digging into the Scripture once again.  I don't know if you are there, or who you might be, but I'm jumping back in anyway.  I've already finished my notes on Ruth, and will be posting them here tomorrow.  It's a great one for a new start--4 chapters, one per day.  So go ahead and read up, and I'll meet you back here next time.

Love, Anna

Follow the Light

After what seems like forever being gone, this blog will be back online starting Monday, February 1.  It has been a long several months that felt a lot like being in a dark tunnel trying to find a way out.  I'll fill you all in, and then we can finally get past Judges in our study!  I can't wait to hear how everyone is doing!  See you Monday! ~Anna

Wonderfully Distracting

There is another Bible Study that has been distracting me—in the best way—from our read-through-the-Bible series.  Since I now live within 1 hour’s drive of EIGHT female family members, I thought it would be neat to pull them all together for a Bible study.  I’ve always felt close to the girls in my family, but it hasn’t always been a spiritual closeness.  I am looking forward to this changing in the next 9 weeks, as we indulge in the study of Esther.  We are in our second week, and already we have been amazed at the depth of the study.

If you are interested in doing this study, check out some of the churches near you. It’s a fairly new publication, and is very popular right now.  I would suggest finding a group that will show the Beth Moore DVDs, since it will take you much deeper than the workbook alone.  Books are available at Lifeway Bookstores.

I appreciate your continued prayer and patience as the read-through entries are few and far between.  That should change if and when we get internet at home, but there is no sign of that in the immediate future.  We don't even have a phone line in this house, so an internet jack is a little too hopeful I think! 

Someplace new

Hello!  I have missed this Bible Study blog so much in the past weeks, and I'm very excited to say that we will be starting up again this week.  So if you haven't started reading Judges, get going!  We are settling into our new lifestyle here in Texas, and are trying to find a decent routine that we like.  But before we get fully into the swing of things, I thought I would take a moment and say again how much I value the friendships that were started in Indiana.  I hope we'll talk, write, email, snail mail, and visit so much that we feel closer than when we were near.

The Sunday before we left the midwest, I got up to say a few words. (Which is not a gift of mine, but I knew I would regret it if I didn't.) So in case you missed it, here's my best attempt at expressing my feelings and the appreciation for the loved ones that we left there:

Someone told me recently that it’s a good thing we haven’t been here at Franklin Road much longer, because then we wouldn’t want to leave.  But the truth is, that by the end of our first weekend with you--in February 2005--we had already fallen in love.  That’s the mystery and the miracle of the body of Christ.  You can meet strangers for the first time, and because you recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in them--the same Holy Spirit that dwells within you--you feel as if you’ve know each other for a lifetime.

That’s what happened with you here at Franklin Road Baptist Church.  The moment we met, we recognized you as old friends, as precious family.  I know that as long as we live, we will long for the fellowship that we have had here with you these four years, a longing that might only be fulfilled as we stand side by side at the foot of the throne, worshiping our Father in Heaven.  But until that glorious day, although we are separated by a thousand miles and more, we will be working side by side here on earth.  Our goal is the same--to make disciples and glorify the name of Jesus Christ. 

It has been an honor to serve with you here, and be a part of this church family.  It hurts to leave you, but we know that God’s timing is perfect, and within His will is the only place we want to be.  We love you, and we will never forget you.

Love, Anna

A brief hiatus

Hey, everyone.  I am going to be out of town from tomorrow until next Tuesday, so I won't be able to post the Bible Study lessons for those days until I get back.  But don't stop reading!  I won't, either.  And when I get back we'll have tons to talk about.  If there is something that you want to share about the beginning of Exodus, comment on this post, and we'll compare notes when I get back. 

This is also a great time to invite someone new to join us, since they'll have a chance to play catch-up this week.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.  I'll miss y'all!
Anna

Where I explain a lot of what's going on in my life...

Hello!  It's been a while since I've written on here, but I assure you that much has been happening since my last post.  I just got back from SEMP, this seminar where students go to learn how to minister to their peers.  Basically, 10 of our high-school kids, along with over 100 others from all over the country, hit the streets of Chicago, sharing Christ's love with strangers.  And that was just part of it.  They spent tons of time alone with God in the Word, and attended two different classes each day: Apologetics and Ministry Strategy.  Needless, to say, after a week of that, I am really pumped up.  I need to gather my thoughts, but I will soon be sharing some of what God taught me this week.

Secondly, I've felt for a while that God was prompting me to start a public Bible Study on this blog. So, finally I have figured out what I'm going to do.  And it is daunting to say the least.  In 2000, after hearing the radical testimony of a missionary, I read the Bible.  I mean straight through without stopping or skipping around.  And I did it in 2 1/2 months.  What I had previously thought of as an impossibility, I now saw as necessary to really understand God's plan for the world, and me in it.  Never had the Bible, or consequently the sacrifice of Christ, made so much sense.  Well, that was 8 years ago, and I'm ready to go again. 

I don't plan on going nearly as fast as I did back then.  I plan on reading a few chapters a day, more if I get on a roll. And I'm going to post highlights of the journey here on this blog.  That way, if you are interested, you can post your own insights, questions, and discussions here with mine.  I don't know if anyone would be interested in doing this with me, but if you are, please let me know!  I could use the encouragement.

The plan is this:  I'm going to read straight through, and take notes on things that reach out to me in my current season of life.  I believe that the Bible is ALIVE, and that the same passage that speaks to my life in one way, can have a very different impact on someone else's life.  So, I'm not necessarily going verse-by-verse, but I will be reading them all.   I'm also not going to try and explain everything in there.  I'll let you know what jumped out at me, and I'll tell you how I felt about it.  I'm not a Bible scholar, but I do believe that the Spirit of God acts as our interpreter of the Scriptures. 

So that's the plan so far.  I'll start tagging each entry to coincide with the particular book, and I'll label the entry with the chapter number, so you can follow along at your own pace.  Please join me!  This is not an impossible feat.  In fact it's one that each of us should feel compelled to accomplish.  God gave us this book as as His LOVE LETTER to us, and it is our responsibility to know what it says...and just as important, what it doesn't say.

Whew.  I'm tired.  I'll see you guys in my next post.  Genesis 1-3.
--Anna

Name Change

Okay, so I changed the name, which is one of the big rules...once you start a blog you shouldn't change the name!  But the old one wasn't working for me, and it was making me not want to write.  So I had no choice.  This one is perfect for me, though, and I'm ready to write again--full speed ahead. 

Except that today is Donnie's day off, so I'm going to spend time with the fam.  Till later.

Hi!

You found me!  I have decided to start an off-shoot of my craft-blog, where I can write about my life as the wife of a pastor.  I hope to use this blog to organize my thoughts and ideas for our youth ministry, as well as post bits of insight that the Lord has given me through devotionals, motherhood, wife-hood, and life in general. 

I named the blog "Ginger Composure" for a couple reasons: 
    1. My middle name is Virginia (Ginger for short) and this is the place I will compose my middle-most thoughts.
    2. The role of pastor's wife is a tricky one.  There are expectations that no human could fulfill, yet still they are there.  I want to remain "composed" because I represent not only my husband, but our church, and ultimately the Lord.   But this is still a balancing act.  I have to be true to the personality and humor that is part of who I am.  So I proceed "gingerly."  I guess the name is kinda corny, but I like it.