27 July 2013

What I've Learned Since .....

I'm not one to linger in a book study for ages.  I get bored easy especially if I have already read the book and took something from it. Does that make sense?  However, I knew this particular book "I'm Not Good Enough" and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves" by Sharon Jaynes was a needed study.  We started in February and ended this month. Now you are thinking, "Vivian, that's 6 months!" Well, yes, but Girlfriends only meet twice a month! That is only 12 weeks! And there were a couple of times we didn't meet. So, about 10 weeks worth.

I'm glad we did it!  It maybe a study we revisit every couple of years.  It's not just for women! Even though the book is written for women, I believe I could do this study with families or in a group of mixed gender.  Cover it in brown paper so the men can't see the title (LOL) and print up the Lies and the Truth along with a few key notes to pass out.  If Girlfriends revisit it in a couple of years or so, that's how I'll do it.

It's been a learning experience for me.  I've watched spiritual growth in several women AND that has been a joy!  There's been meetings when it was just me and one other lady.  There's been meetings when there would be 7 or 10 of us.  From this I've learned we shouldn't meet when Spring break is taking place, Summer shouldn't have a deep study more of a devotional and do more fun things, homes get bigger responses than meeting out in restaurants and coffee shops, our church Family Ministry Center (FMC) gets a bigger response than restaurants and coffee shops, Homes vs FMC there is a tie.  Our FMC is a house. People are more comfortable in houses, women are more comfortable in houses.  There is less noise in houses or "Sunday School" rooms because ... here's why we had to leave our dear Starbucks ... LOUD music! We were meeting at 5:30 PM. I kid you NOT that music was turned up around 6 PM. It seemed louder!  There weren't more people in there either. So I don't know if that is a ploy to get people to leave so more can come in or what but its a shame there aren't more coffee shops around that don't play music.   Oh, we aren't the only ones who had this problem! My Pastor has a men's group called Man to Man. They were meeting at Chic-fil-A on Saturday mornings. Couldn't hear each other! So, they moved to the church's kitchen.  Now, Chic-Fil-A does have a children's play place ... So, I really don't know what those guys were thinking! LOL  Anyway, as Girlfriends approach it's 1 year in September, I have learned a thing or two. :) I'm looking forward to learning more!!

With the Moms In Prayer Group, the only time numbers count is when there is only one. LOL Our main prayer target is Bowling Green High School. BGHS is in our church's neighborhood.  We started our chapter in January. Sometime in May, I over heard a conversation that made my heart LEAP with Joy! For the 2012-13 school year the police were NOT called to the school for any felony!! However, on the heals of that news, learned another school police had to go to 6 times!! We also pray for the schools our individual children attend. Like mine will be at Drakes Creek and Greenwood; another lady's will be at TC Cherry.  If moms come with children who are grown, we pray over their children's needs: work, family, etc. It's not for only young children! Its for all moms with children at different stages in life!  In Bowling Green, KY there are 3 registered Moms In Prayer groups.  I highly encourage moms to get connected to a Moms In Prayer group!! PRAYER is the BATTLE!

The Prayer Squad grew out of the Moms In Prayer! It's actually women in training to learn to pray. Now, there is NOT any one way to pray.  Sometimes, people don't realize there is a better way of praying.  Prayer isn't about getting that lousy husband to pick up his socks, it's about the praying wife's attitude toward her husband.  Prayer isn't about trying to get that lazy kid to do the homework, but about the praying mom's attitude and insight into her child.  Prayer isn't about getting God to do what I want but about me doing what God wants.  Prayer changes the heart of the person praying!  Sometimes we need to change the way we are praying. A good place to start is with scripture! Praying using scripture teaches us God's will! Praying His words back to Him aligns us with His will.  We aren't left guessing what His will is when we pray scripture prayers. Something begins to change in us! "Oh, this is what God is like!" or "Oh, this is what God desires for me and my family!" or "Oh, I didn't realize how deep God's love runs!" ... I could go on and on!  You should have seen me the week we did "God Is Good" and the one "God Is Just" ... Those two GOT me!  AMAZING!  I could spend a life time on those two attributes of God and still never fully understand His goodness and His justice!!  His good and our good; His justice and our justice ARE totally different!  What He desires of us and what we demand of each other are in conflict! I bold and underlined those two words for a reason. God desires and we demand.  Because God is Love, He doesn't "demand" His way. He commands His way leaving us the choice and then loves us when we don't choose His way. We demand things of other people and of God, then when it doesn't go our way "Well, so-in-so doesn't deserve my time of day!"  See the difference?  Again, I could spend every blog on this one subject and never touch it in the way it should be done. It's so deep! It's so vast!

So, here's where I'm at. The things I've learned since September 2012!  Looking forward to next week!!

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