Hey Siestas,
We are at the final segment of our Book Study. Some of us have some catching up to do. Thats okay.....we'll leave this blog open for awhile and hopefully we can all post updates once in awhile, even after all our SLI answers come in.
So here is the SLI portion of Beth's post for today. Be sure to read the full post at the LPL Blog!
"It’s time for us to finish up! I am so grateful for your partnership through this journey. You were such a big part of the inspiration to write it (not because you’re insecure or anything… but because I knew I’d have a little company if I went public). When it came out, reading it together seemed only fitting. Thank you for your willingness to enter in. As for the rest of you, I can only imagine that you will be relieved to have this hog off the blog and I equally thank you for your patience.
Let me say quickly before we get to the final set of instructions, I loved reading about your life passions last week! One of my favorite sets of comments from this journey! (And, separate from SLI, your testimonies of receiving Christ impacted my whole Easter weekend. Superb. I felt that God delighted in it and that, Sweet Thing, is my favorite feeling.)
This week’s assignment? Finish this baby up! Please read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer the following questions:
1. Based on Chapter 17, on a scale of 1 to 10 (one-almost none, ten-over the top), how big a part has fear played in your life? After responding with your approximation, please share what, if anything, in the chapter resonated with you.
2. Reflect over the journey as a whole. What (again, if anything) lasting and of God will you take away from it?
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ladies. You are a great joy to me. May the God of peace sanctify us through and through – spirit, soul, and body – until we are wholly overtaken by Him. (1 Thess. 5:23) This alone will be the essence of wholeness.I love you."
Durant, OK
ReplyDelete40’s
Married
I zoomed through the book, by having Beth read it to me as I drove, but now I feel behind, because I didn’t get to take the time to respond the last 2 weeks.
I’ll just try to put the answers to last week’s questions all in one answer to the answer to #2 this week.
#1-Like others, I’m not sure how to rate my fear on a number scale, but I guess it’s about 6. I don’t know what specifically that I’m afraid of, and I always know that I should be trusting God (Proverbs 3:5-6), but my loved ones are always telling me that I worry too much, so I guess I’m afraid of all those things Beth listed on page 322.
#2-
First, I have to tell you, that since I had already listened to the whole book, before you told us to quit reading ahead, maybe it’s a good thing that I’m now on week 3 of discussing it with a few women at church, so maybe since I still don’t feel completely secure now, maybe I’ll feel more secure after doing it with them. I realized that I said the word “maybe” 3 times in that long sentence!
So, besides all the obvious blessings we have all received from the book, EVERY CHAPTER,
it reiginited my passion to help my grown daughter overcome HER Insecurities and to help other grown women, teenage girls, and all of God’s little girls!
That is my passion.
So, that is why I am facilitating a discussion group of this book on Wednesday nights. Since beginning that group, I have felt insecure about that!
That is why I bought the book for my beautiful, 20 year old daughter who is studying hard in college to become a Christian counselor and also, has the desire to someday be a Christian Wife and Mom. I just hope she can take the time to read it soon. She knows that her “love language” is “words of affirmation”, and that she is insecure, although she knows that she is wonderfully and fearfully made!
That is why I work with 1st-3rd grade girls on Wed. nights and go to youth camp in the summer and do other groups with the middle school and high school girls.
That is why I pray for my daughter (and my sons) everyday.
That is also why I pray that I, myself, will be more secure and stronger for them!
Thank you so much, Beth! and Thank you so much Judi and all of you!
(Wish I could go to a simulcast of this!)
I finished reading the book this morning so I'll answer the questions before I forget what I wanted to say!
ReplyDelete1. My fear level is about a 2 or 3 now but as a young woman it was probably about a 9, especially before I became a Christian. I have said before that my worst fear became a reality and when God walked me through that, even though it was extrememly painful, I learned that I would be OK as long as I trusted Him. Not only am I OK I have more passion and purpose now than I did prior to that hard time. Trusting God PERIOD does work!
2. I think the desire to see young women, even children come to understand that their security resides in Jesus Christ and not in anything this world has to offer is most important to me. God has used my journey with grief and betrayal to give me opportunity to reach out to others who are hurting. Beauty for ashes. I want to continue to do that as God gives me opportunity.
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts as we have done this together. I have been blessed by the things you have shared. I love how honest you have been and I think that is part of the road to security. Being open and honest with each other about who we are and what we struggle with. I hope that we can stay connected through our blogs and email. God bless each of you.
1) I have to say that this chapter (“What are You Afraid Of?”) resonated the most out of all the chapters in the book, and I’ve even taken a few days to ruminate over it before posting my answers to this week’s questions.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter could not have come at a more perfect time for me – in fact I am wondering if God timed it exactly so!!!
When I was first reading through the chapter I thought to myself “I don’t think I have any fears related to insecurity – except maybe fear of huge heights, etc”. But then on Thursday I learned that the cruiseline that I have 36 people booked on for a “Steps of Paul” tour in October has cancelled that sailing and has offered to re-book the group on the next sailing 2 weeks later. Sounds not so bad, except that some of the people can only take time off in October, and then the nightmare for me has been trying to re-schedule their flights at the same fare. So far the best I’ve found for them is going to cost them another $300 per person!! A wave of panic and stress came over me. And then it hit me – a HUGE fear that I have is that I will look stupid or incompetent!! Even though this situation has been completely out of my control, I still feel responsible.
So the whole idea of “trusting God….period” is really coming at a time when I need it desperately! I’ve been able to pray and tell God that no matter what happens, I will trust Him. Not just that He will do what I want Him to do, but I will trust…..HIM, because He is trustworthy.
2) Lynn, I have so appreciated having you in this group – that you’ve been able to share with us about your biggest fear becoming a reality, and living not just through it, but beyond it. Thank you for sharing that with us! I think it has helped us all learn that even if our terrors come to pass, God is still worthy of our trust.
I have also learned so much from the rest of you ladies. Thank you for your honesty and openness. It has been a real blessing going through this book with you and I hope we can do it again sometime real soon!
I too want to say thanks to all for going through the book together. It has been good to connect and has given me courage to discuss it honestly with other people asking about the book or the simulcast (we are excited to be hosting it at our church). Thanks Judi and Lynn for leading us through and posting the questions.
ReplyDeleteFor the final chapters...
1. If I answer honestly about the role of fear in my life I would say it is fairly high. Around a 7. Although I don't operate on that level all the time I realize that the line between fear of failure and drive to do the best job possible is a fine one for me! I resonated with the comments on page 323 where Beth is talking about trust and saying that 1) It wasn't the real thing and 2) It constantly failed to treat the core issue. I need to "take every thought captive" and be sure that I am thinking long on the right things! And that goes with the second thought that really spoke into my life on p. 330 that we should not let up until our hearts are consistently secure.
2. What I am taking with me for the journey can be found succinctly worded on p 297, "[This is] a battle that can't be won timidly or accidentally. We need to discern between truth and lie.
And Trust God who is the Truth.
Just want to let you know Judi did all the posting, thank you! Judi I'm wondering how your Revelation study is going with the women that came for tea.
ReplyDeleteLynn, the study is going amazingly! Tomorrow is Session Five already! It will be a heavy one - from Revelation 6 - all about the 7 seals. I previewed the DVD yesterday and Beth approaches the lesson with trepidation, but does a fantastic job. I think this is the longest session..... 1 hr, 24 minutes!! I don't know how she has the energy to speak so passionately for so long. Well, I do know - its the Holy Spirit empowering her.
ReplyDeleteI think the women have been very impacted so far. They are all really enthusiastic.
I know that for me personally, it's giving me a new appreciation for the majesty of God, the sacrifice of the Lamb, and it is increasing my confidence in knowing that God is in control!
Thanks for asking.
p.s. the women who came to the tea are all asking if we can do it again. :-)
Judi that is so great! Isn't it exciting that they want to do tea again! God is at work and you obeyed and went where He was leading!! I have watched up to session 9 I think and I am so thankful God is in control! I haven't done the study I'm just watching the DVDs maybe over the summer I'll actually do the homework. We start Jesus the One and Only tomorrow and I'm excited to get into it.
ReplyDeleteIt is so great to hear about your studies and how God is working through you. I'm so inspired by your stories. I am wondering about encouraging the Revelation series for Fall at our church. When they say light homework, what does that mean time wise?
ReplyDeleteNicole, the "light" homework is approx a day's worth of homework, compared to her other studie which have 5 days worth. Usually there are about 4 or 5 questions. This coming week (5) for us i noticed that there are 8 questions. Some of them are review of what she taught in the DVD.
ReplyDeleteI will warn you though, that the DVD's are quite a bit longer since she has to cover so much material. Today was the longest so far - 1 hr and 24 minutes!! So you have to be able to plan accordingly, and either have shorter discussion times, or have your Bible study last 2 1/2 hrs instead of 2. (Ours is 2 hrs and I find I am always hurrying everyone!)
Thanks Judi. Those are helpful words. We always seem to be hurrying. We have an hour and forty five minutes and it just flies by. That is a good problem I suppose. The neat thing that has happened though is that a number of the tables are getting together outside of the study time to further the discussions.
ReplyDelete1. I am a lot better now that I used to be. Back in high school/college I was probably around an 8. Now I think I'm more of a 5 on my good days, and a 6 on my bad days (which are quite frequent).
ReplyDelete2. Yes I've finished the book, and this study, but I am still on my journey towards security. As I travel along, I will be taking two things with me. One - fear can control your life, but only if you let it. With God's help, you have the power to overcome fear. Two - trust God with all things. I try to force changes to happen in my life, only to get frustrated when they don't work out. I need to trust that God has me in this place, at this time, doing this particular thing for a reason. He has my best interests at heart.
Okay, I wasn't going to mention this, because I realize that not everyone focuses on details like I do. But since this woman made the following comment on the LPM Blog re: SLI, I'm going to voice it and see what you all think:
ReplyDelete"Author: Betty
Comment:Hey, Beth, What I have to say I have been chewing on for 8 days...after being amongst the 300,000 women who heard you on simulcast, I have a comment.
You spoke about know and believing we are loved by our heavenly creator...that we are loved with an everlasting love, I love those verses in Jer. 30, and you even sighted your "nose" as an issue in the whole accepting of yourself progress.
Here is the hard ?....if that is true, and you believe all that you shared, and that cosmetic surgery is not a Godly option...how can you defend hair coloring? Besides the decreased price tag, I think that it may be in the same vain...no pun intended!
I would love for you to share your thoughts...as a 54 year old, with gray hair and flabby arms...I still believe that I am special...especially from the inside out!
Betty"
Okay, my question is this: On the cover of a book about female insecurity, with a big chunk of it pertaining to being secure about our looks, why did they airbrush Beth's neck???? Just from watching her recent DVD's, seeing her up close at the SMS & LPL events, I KNOW that she has a very wrinkly neck and she has even commented about that part of her aging process. On the book cover her neck is very smooth. I was really surprised to see that she allowed them to alter it, in light of the subject matter.
Did anyone else notice, or am I just overly critical?
Judi, I did notice that as well. Beth did talk on the blog about not wanting her picture on the cover at all but I'm not sure she has the total say in the cover of her books, publishers have some of that for sure.
ReplyDelete