Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Week 2 mid-week check-in

"When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased."  C.S. Lewis

Welcome to the mid-week check-in!  With the faster pace of this study (a whole book in 4 weeks), I thought it might be a good idea to check-in with everyone to see how it's going.

These first 4 chapters are fantastic!  Easy reading, with a lot of what I need: repetition of important thoughts & ideas.  How about you?  What do you think so far?  With our in-person discussions being mostly about the video, I'd love to hear (read) what you think about the book, via the blog!  It's a great way to stay connected to each other throughout the week.  And a true lifeline for those who are doing it partially or completely on-line.

The personal anecdotes and stories woven throughout these chapters often make me chuckle, because I can relate!  Except the basketball story in chapter 2, that one made me cringe, then painted a picture that helped me to better understand what My One Word can do. 

As I read, I underlined, starred, and took some notes.  One of my favorite quotes from the video opens this post.  I have more and, if you'll indulge me, I'll get around to telling you what I did with them.  But first, let me get to chapter 3!  The one I approached with trepidation because I really wasn't sure I'd be ready to choose a word by the 3rd chapter.  'Shouldn't we do that towards the end of the book, not the beginning?', I thought. 

When I sat down to read, those 3 words stared at me "PICK YOUR WORD" like a command that I didn't think I was able to or willing to obey.  I thought this chapter would be a lot of work: "here it comes, making lists, looking up meanings, researching, looking for words in Scripture... Yikes!"  I don't have time for that!  But, putting first things first, I read on.  Turns out there is a lot of good stuff in those 8 pages!  I found myself underlining & note taking eagerly.  Then came "Reflect".  Uh-oh!  Now the work begins!  Not so, it was just the same questions that Mike has asked since the first video, in a concise, do-able list!  I still wasn't ready, though. 

Instead, I was drawn to write out my favorite quotes and Bible verses from the chapters on 3x5 cards.  I'm not sure why I did this; procrastination, avoidance, an easier task?  But, it's what I did and perhaps needed to do.  As Mike says, there is no right or wrong way to make your list.  It is highly personal and the process is, too!  So, whatever you need to do to get to your list, do it!  A few hours after I wrote my 3x5 cards, my list started to form.  I was in the car (luckily a passenger) and grabbed my prayer journal (the only paper I had) and started my list.  I've been adding words for the last 24 hours and feel it's still not complete, but that's okay.

Have you started your list?  What do you need to do before you begin?  Here are my 3x5 cards:  I read them over & over and even put one at my kid's breakfast plate as a morning encouragement!   It's kind of small, so you may want to view it in Full Screen mode.



If you cannot view the video in your e-mail, please go to the blog, www.reonlineblog.blogspot.com to view!

Two final thoughts on the reading:

1) If the One Word stories in red print that are found throughout the chapters seem distracting, read them after you've finished the chapter.  They are random sprinklings of encouragement and not necessary for understanding the chapter.

2) When I take notes that have pronouns, I change them to personal pronouns to make it more meaningful and direct.  Notice my last card... I changed "we" to "I".

Have a wonderful week!  I look forward to hearing from you here on the blog and meeting with you on Friday, if you are available! 

"Change is possible.  Focus is required.  Dependence on God is absolutely fundamental."  Mike Ashcraft, M.O.W

Your Partner in Ministry,

Shelly

"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  Proverbs 16:24





1 comment:

Shelly said...

My process was a little different than what the book asked us to do - I needed a step before making a list of words that describe the person I want to become. In the end, the word that I will focus on for the next year is HONEY! I could use pages to expound on why and what it means to me - just think about what honey is, it's qualities, who makes it, and why and you'll start to get the idea. One thing I like is that it is also a term of endearment, which reminds me that God calls me "honey", He loves me! And the thing that I LOVE about this word is that I can consume it! I can, literally, eat the word, it flows through my veins and becomes a part of me. Which reminds me to eat God's word, to let it become a part of me & flow through me! Proverbs 16:24; Ezekiel 3:1-3; Jeremiah 15:16; and Exodus 3:17.