So Long Insecurity - Week Seven Discussion

Okay, here are our discussion questions for this week from Beth.  For her full post, click on the link at the right.

"Your assignment this week is to read CHAPTERS 12 and 13 and answer the following questions. (You will NOT want to miss Chapter 12. It's what the guys on the survey had to say about women's insecurities. Don't wait too long in the week to read Chapter 13 either. It's a little lengthier.)



1. Based on Chapter 12, name one "I already knew that" moment and one "that's new to me" moment, if either applies.


2. Based on Chapter 13, how does a weak will play into our insecurity?


I am looking so forward to your answers! Let's recommit to our journey together even if you've already read the whole book. Jump in here and discuss it with us and let's see several hundred more comments this time. In the spirit of 2 Corinthians 8:11, "Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it." Translation? Let's finish strong! "

10 things you might not know

Hey Girls,
Have you had a chance to read through today's post and comments on the LPM blog?  It is really quite interesting and hilarious!!!
I thought it would be fun if we do it on here to....only if you want to, though.
List 10 things about yourself that are interesting/ unique/ not very many people know about you.
I'll go first (this is what I posted on Beth's blog)

1. I love drinking water when there is a wedge of lemon in i
2. I love to travel and also love to fly. My favourite place in the world is Israel.
3. I hate surprises. Please do not give me a surprise party for my birthday!
4. I love my dog (a miniature schnauzer) but I hate that he barks so much. If only Cesar Milan lived closer!
5. I love to play the piano.
6. I hate to talk on the phone and will avoid having to make phonecalls.
7. I am in week 4 of a "couch to 5K" training program and I haven't collapsed yet! My goal is to run a 5K in mid-May.
8. I love to give and receive pedicures.
9. I like to straighten clothes on shelves when I go into a store.

10. I avoid housework.

So Long Insecurity - Week Six Discussion

Hey Siestas,
Where has the week gone? Sorry I'm late posting this weeks discussion questions.  I'm looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts.  This has been a fun - and at times, gut wrenching - journey with you!

From Beth:  "Ok, we’re about to get to a part of the book that I found highly interesting in research. The next several chapters involve the insights from the men’s survey and I bet a few of their comments will pop your eyes open, too. In the mix of what we have ahead, we’re going to be focusing on men-related insecurities then soon after that (in coming chapters) we’ll focus specifically on women-related insecurities. Each of us has a tendency to be less secure around one gender than the other and, according to the survey of over 900 of you, we’re almost evenly divided between the two. I pray we’re going to gain insight into some gender-related insecurities and stumble upon some much needed freedom. I really want you to read the portions about the men even if you don’t have a mate or a specific man in your life. If we have resistant, resentful hearts toward men, we can’t just avoid them altogether. They comprise the other half of our population so it really is imperative in our pursuit of wholeness that we get a grip.
Your assignment for this week is to read CHAPTERS 10 AND 11 and answer the following question:


1. Based on Chapter 10, in all truthfulness, has your historical tendency been to view men (generally speaking) as gods? Or devils?


2. Based on Chapter 10 and your own day-to-day observances, what differences do you see between men’s insecurities and women’s?


3. On p.208 in Chapter 11, I suggest that women who struggle with insecurity tend to be particularly taken with 2 divine attributes: omnipotence and omniscience. Did either of these resonate with you? If so, how?


We are liable to have some LIVELY conversation this week! I can’t wait to see it happen! Just one little thing I want to throw out there: some of you may have some pretty big hang-ups with men because you have a background of abuse like I do. If it plays heavily into one of your answers, by all means, share what pertains but I’ve learned along the way that it’s best to stop short of graphic descriptions. Most people have a hard time knowing what to do with those kinds of mental images. I’ve told every graphic detail in counseling situations but, publically, I try to stay general. It’s just too much for most listeners and readers. They have compassion but they just don’t have the answers. We know Who does.


Go for it, Girls! I’m so honored to take this journey with you."

Living Proof Live Toronto March 2010

Okay, here's the scoop on the LPL event....


We got there before the doors opened, adorned with our pink boa's. Up until then the weather had been warm but all of a sudden that day, it got really windy, rainy and cold, and we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes.

Before we got there we talked about seating strategy, so we had a few girls run ahead to grab seats in the centre, on the floor, as close to the front as possible.
Have any of you ever been to a LPL event?  I'm sure this was one of the smallest ones - 3,400 women.  When I went to Charleston, W.Va in  2007, I think there were at least 7,000 there.

Travis and the team taught that song "Do it Lord, Do it Lord, Do it Lord, we are praying, Do it Lord, DO IT, that Your Glory may be seen", so I have that still reverberating through my head!

When Beth came out, she came off the stage and started to walk down the left aisle.  I had told the women that if she does that, to wave their boas to get her attention, which they did.  She came over and spoke to one of the women and said she loved the boas (as if she's never seen them before) and the woman gave Beth the boa which she graciously accepted and then tied it to the podium later on. 

Just about the time she was taking the boa, I noticed that she had a Tim Horton's gift card in her hand.  For some of you, that means nothing, but here in Canada, Tim Horton's is a Canadian icon.  They are a huge chain of Coffee/Donut stores and they are just a way of life here. 

I really love their coffee, so after the SMT Celebration, I sent Beth and her staff a letter thanking them for the event, and as a welcome to Toronto in March, I included a Tim Horton's gift card and said that the first thing all of us do when we get off the plane after a flight, is head straight to a Tim Hortons, so if they wanted a true Canadian experience, thats what she and her entourage should do.  I also included a pair of Canadian "olympic" mittens, that everyone was wearing during the Olympics, and I told her that in March it can be quite cold here, and Wayne Gretzky even wore these mitts during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Anyways, I have to admit that when I didn't receive a response or an email about my letter, I was pretty disappointed.  But then I rationalized that she receives so many letters and gifts, she can't respond to every one.  Kind of like the comments on her blog.  By Friday I had forgotten all about it, in the excitement of everything else. And then when she came down and I saw the Tim's card in her hand I thought "I guess someone else sent her a Tim's card too" but then just as I was thinking that, I also saw that she had a bright green sheet of paper in her hand, and I remembered that I'd written the letter on that colour of paper.  And the next thing I knew she said   "Is Judi here????"  

Of course I jumped up and waved at her.  And then. shock of all shocks, she came straight over and gave me a hug and said  "Bless your heart, you came all the way to Houston for the Scripture Memory Celebration".

(definitely not my best side) (and notice how the cameraman got it up on the videotron too!)

My girlfriend was trying to get my camera to work to get a picture, but she was hitting the wrong button.  So these pictures were all taken on another woman's phone camera.  Thank you, God, for cellphones with cameras!!!!

After that she went back up to the stage and tied the boa to the podium.

It tood me a while to recover from all that!!!!

Of course, the best was yet to come.  Her message was called "I'm Up to Something New" and she spoke on Isaiah 43: 18-19  which were her memory verses for January of this year.  "Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. " 
She memorized it in The Message version:  "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.   Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?   There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands."

Her main points were:

1) God is up to something new.

2)  God rarely does a new thing the old way.  She talked about how in vv  16 and 17, they were dwelling on what God had done when He redeemed them from Egypt.  This time they were in captivity in Babylon, but God told them He was going to deliver them, but in a new way:  a sea in the desert instead of a desert in the sea.

3) God an do something brand new in an old place (with an "old" person, in an old problem)  We don't always have to start in a physically new place for God to do something new.

On Saturday morning, she talked about the parable of the new wine in old wineskins in Luke 5:38.

4)  Just patching up the old won't result in something new.

5) We too must be up to something new.  We need to receive the newness and walk in a fresh path.  She took us to Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness," and made a profound statement:  "Anything I continue to rehearse is going to define my mood."  I may not be able to change how

I feel, but I can call to mind a new way of thinking so that my downcast spiral will have hope.
6) God grants new mercies for each new day.  In God's self-disclosure in Exodus 34, the first thing he said about Himself is "I am compassionate"
7) One day we'll go from a new thing to a New Everything  (Rev 21: 1-5 & 2 Cor 5:17)

I think this picture sums up the weekend so beautifully:  Girlfriends worshipping together and supporting one another in our journey of faith.......

So Long Insecurity - Week Five Discussion

Oh My Goodness!  I totally forgot about the SLS Blog/ Study today!!!  My excuse is that I am going crazy running around tying up loose ends for the Beth Moore LPL conference tomorrow.  The bus leaves its first pickup point at 9am, but I need to be there for 8:30.  I'm SO PUMPED!!!!!!

It seems like most of us don't get our answers in till the weekend or later anyway, so maybe you haven't even been watching for this......anyway, here it is:

"Hey, Girls! You are doing such a fabulous job with your group discussion. I've especially loved watching you respond to one another. You really are such a tremendous and unique community of women. I'm honored to journey with you here. Let's continue hearing from all those who have been active from the beginning but let's also hear from more of you out there who are watching and reading but haven't really jumped in here and participated. I promise you that when we wrap this thing up, you will be far more satisfied with the experience if you personally invested in it.
We are reaching the halfway point in our journey and have arrived at a place of utmost importance in our pursuit of wholeness. Your assignment this week is based on only one chapter of the book: CHAPTER 9. As you will soon discover, it is not a chapter you just read. It's a chapter you actually do. A chapter you actually pray. Please take it seriously. Everything ahead of us hinges on this experience. It is placed at this point in the journey prior to the prescriptive and practical phase of the book so that the way is cleared and our dignity restored enough to move forward. It will help place us in a posture God can bless with the rich kind of confidence He wants for His people and activate the power we have within us to think and FEEL differently. That's essentially where the remainder of the book heads.


Here are your very simple assignments this week:


1. Do (don't just read but actually do) Chapter Nine. In your comment to this post, simply reflect back on your time with God and share anything specific that you received from it.
2. Go to last Saturday's post (3/6/10) and look at all the verses in the comment section. You will find a wellspring! Pick five Scriptures that speak most powerfully to you right now - five that you feel like you need the most - and write them on the inside of the back cover of the book. (This should be a lot less intimidating than what I asked you to write inside the front cover at the beginning of our journey!)


And that's it for this week! I want the prayer journey to stand by itself and clear the way for mighty works ahead. We have some of our most eye-opening moments in the second half so stay with it, Girls!


Since we only have one chapter this week, this is a great time for many of us to play catch-up!


I am packing this very moment and about to head to Toronto for our first 2010 Living Proof Live. We can't wait to see a God-show in Canada! Come on, Canadian Sisters! We've got plenty of room for you!


I love all of you very much."

So Long Insecurity - Week Four Discussion

Good Morning Siestas!
This week we have a treat - Beth has done a video for us! You can watch the video here and then see the questions for this week below.
If you haven't already, go to the LPM blog for the post on Week 4 (link is at right) to see what Beth has written before the questions.
Let's take Beth's advice and get past beating ourselves up over the ways insecurity has made a fool of us! It's time to get some freedom!

So Long Insecurity Discussion from LPV on Vimeo.

Okay, here are this week's questions:
Since Beth is giving you four this time around, she says you're welcome, if you prefer, to pick two of them to answer in your comment:

1. What part of Chapter 7 hit home with you most and why?
2. (If you're choosing only two, please include this one.) Based on your journey so far in chapters 1-8, list your own personal top three reasons why it's time to deal with your insecurity. (We're not looking for right answers. We're looking for YOUR answers. Don't copy off your fellow sojourners' papers on this one. Grin.) So that you don't get your numbers confused here, list your 3 reasons under A.B.&C.
3. Based on Chapter 8, briefly describe a recent trigger of insecurity and whether or not it got a rise out of you.
4. Also based on Chapter 8, what does dignity mean to you?