Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Bible Study

4 1/2 years ago when our family moved to Honduras I found a local women's bible study!  Yes - it was lead by gringa women who were either missionaries, or Christian women who lived in this city.  Not knowing ANYONE else in town, it was a great opportunity to get to know other women, study God's word, and fellowship.  Through the years, I've grown away from this group because I'm looking for something more in-depth, and truly wanted to read some good books.  So, I moved on...I looked and looked for something that would fill that nitch.  I found it.  I found it in an on-line bible study.  The blessing of having a Kindle, I could download the book, follow along the study, engage with women all around the world on the internet!  It's awesome!  So I have stayed.  Through many different bible studies.  The current study I am going through is called, Unglued:  Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa TerKeurst.  Now, those who know me know that I am either 100% passionate about something, or 100% indifferent.  There's really not much middle ground.  However, in the midst of that, often times I find myself speaking out of hand and without...you know...thinking first!

As you can imagine, living in a 3rd World Country, a different culture, confronted by poverty, severe lack of medical care (being a nurse that one hurts!), and children that are left to care for themselves, I get "passionate" a lot!  And...out comes that naughty tongue...before thinking...so this bible study is right up my alley!

This week we've read through the first two chapters and boy have I gotten some great nuggets of truth!  The first chapter caught me with my favorite sentence of all time (at least for now) - "Imperfect changes are slow steps of progress wrapped in grace..."  followed closely by, "Progress.  Just make progress.  It's okay to have setbacks and the need for do-overs.  It's okay to draw a line in the sand and start over again - and again.  Just make sure you're moving the line forward."  Woah!  This book is speaking directly to me.  Then came Chapter 2.  "We won't develop new responses until we develop new thoughts.  That's why renewing our minds with new thoughts is crucial.  New thoughts come from new perspectives.  The bible encourages this process, which only makes sense because God created the human mind and understands better than anyone how it functions." 

Whew!  Heady stuff!  And hits straight to the core!  I can't even WAIT to see what is coming up in Chapter 3!  And I'll be honest - in my CRAZY/BUSY/INSANE schedule - doing an on-line bible study is RIGHT up my alley!  I love it!  I love the ladies!  I love the videos, interaction and everything about it!  It's been a TRUE blessing indeed!

2 comments:

Cyndie said...

Erin,

I am moved to tears at your daily sacrifice, to bring the gospel to those less fortunate than so many of us in this world. This is my first online bible study, and I love it!!! Sometimes, I have to just stop in this crazy life and be in complete and total awe of God. He is so amazing to me.

Lisa J. said...

Thank you for putting yourself out there. From one nurse to another THANK YOU for your sacrifice. I am glad this format study is available that can help draw you closer to him.