Biblestudy

I just finished a wonderful biblestudy with 6 other ladies here in Houston. It's No Other Gods, the Living Room series, by Kelly Minter. (There's also a book form that is not labeled the living room series - not the same concept.) It is an eight-week biblestudy with recipes at the end of each chapter. The purpose is for women to get together, share a common meal, and share how the study applies to their lives currently. What led us to start this was that Beth Moore facilitate this from her blog, giving us a list of questions to discuss every two weeks. We met 5 times over the summer, switching houses/hosts each meeting. Women all over the country participated - all 50 states were represented. Some women met in houses, others did it by themselves. I know that we all have a "little buddha man" or golden calf mentality when we think of idols. But as one of my fellow biblestudy goers said the last night at our last meeting, it doesn't have to be a tangible, material object. Near the end of the study I started prioritizing what was important in my life and what was taking too much of my time. I realized how much we were flying through money this past summer. Derek & I sat down and crunched down on the budget. We've gone back to the cash system so we can both see the tangible leftovers from the month. I feel so relieved having a stopping point. Sometimes it's so easy to keep filling my life with stuff, only to realize how empty you still are after each purchase. As we were in the process of this, stuff around the house starting falling apart. New tires for the car were needed, refrigerator leak which caused hundreds of dollars of damage to the wood floors, the front yard has a fungus, the oven wouldn't shut, my new engagement ring that replaced the one I lost a year ago irritates my finger so that I don't wear it anymore, etc. Seems like little stuff until you start thinking about the funds it will take to fix it all. Which gets you right back in the cycle of spending.



My favorite passage in the book that applied to my current season of my spiritual life is this:
"When we refuse to bow our hearts to the functional gods in our lives, we inevitably become separate from them, and sometimes from others. The time-lapse between the emptiness and God's filling can sometime create spaces of anxiety, fear, and questioning that can lure us back to our idols. The space can also spawn urgency, hastiness, and a false need to overly explain ourselves to others. Sometimes I fight an overwhelming need to explain my decisions when really the best thing to do is to simply rest quietly in my convictions with the Lord. Sometimes the best response is a peaceful, humble non-response."

So I just need to sit back and realize that the Lord has great plans for me. What that is, I am not sure. I think the first on the list is for me to go to bed. So on that note, check out this biblestudy the next time you want to start up a new one. I loved it.