"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law."
- Galatians 5: 22-23
First, I want to say a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope it was wonderfully full of good company, beautiful memories, and delicious food!
It was a crazy week for me last week and blogging was not something that I was able to do. Besides our regular packing and getting ready for Thanksgiving and visiting family in Pennsylvania, we added a Wednesday afternoon Powder Puff football game and another family member. Last Monday night we welcomed a foreign exchange student from France into our home! We are so blessed with the opportunity to have her, and a special treat to introduce her to Thanksgiving (and 100 more family members) and American Christmas. Please keep her in your prayers, as it is very difficult to be away from family & friends, especially at the holidays.
Faith - Faithful - Faithfulness
How often do I use these words? How do I use them? What does "faithfulness" mean to me? These are some of the questions I ask myself before I even begin the study.
This week's reading, 2 Chronicles 20:1-30, gives us one example of how God is faithful to his people. There are many examples in the Bible of his faithfulness to his followers. Do you have a favorite story of God's faithfulness? How has God been faithful to you? You can share your example / story in the Comment section (if you are reading this in your e-mail, you'll have to click on the title above to go to the website to leave your Comment).
As we read 2 Chronicles 20, we realize this is not the full story of King Jehoshaphat. I strongly encourage you to read 2 Chronicles 17-19 to find out what led up to this. It's a great story and a quick read! It fills in some of the blanks and gives even more hope to those of us who make mistakes or wrong decisions in our lives.
In the study, questions 1-6 are leading us through the reading and pointing out some things which we should pay special attention to. On Friday morning, please be prepared to talk mostly about the Group Discussion, Personal Reflection, questions 7, 8, 10, 11 and the question in the "Now and Later" section.
I know we are all very busy and may not have time to sit and do the whole study at once. One method I use, is to do the reading when I have a few minutes, then when I find another few minutes I work on the questions. "Chuncking" is the term some people like to use for this method! I like it because it reminds me of the candy bar and anything associated with chocolate is good ;) This method may take me all week, but that's okay. One of my personal goals, and something God calls us to do, is to spend time in His word everyday: this is one way to spend 5 or 10 minutes everyday, reading and reflecting on what God has done and is doing for us. And while I am still working on my personal goal of a daily time with God, I always come back to the idea that He does so very much for me, I should be able to take a few minutes everyday and listen to His advice and thank and praise Him. How do you spend time with God?
For those of us meeting in person on Friday morning - and remember you are always welcome, even if it's your first time - please bring your favorite scissors! We are going to multi-task by talking and cutting and helping prepare for Christmas. Don't worry, I'll bring the band-aids - hee, hee!
I love you all and can't wait to see you on Friday morning!
Your Partner in Ministry,
Shelly
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