Hey, my Dear Siestas! It’s time for our second gathering of SSBS3! As promised, below are your written instructions in case you have trouble with the video greeting. REMEMBER, your comments to this post are meant to come AFTER your small group gathering or your solo experience to tell us how your time went. We hope all of you participating will check back in with a comment at some point over the next several days. (One leader checks in per group and each solo participant checks in.) This is part of the accountability process and will immensely help you stay with it through the very last page. As always, please put your city at the beginning of your comment. Thanks so much for joining in!
Summer Siesta Bible Study – Week 2 from LPV on Vimeo.
Your discussions in this gathering will revolve around different points in your homework. Two from Week One. Two from Week Two:
1. Look back at the middle of page 12 where Kelly had us look up Deuteronomy 23 and Judges 3 to get some background on the Moabites. Read Deuteronomy 23:3-5 together if you’re not watching this as a small group. In your small group, I want you to talk about a few things that have happened in your lives that Satan would love to use to curse you. You can think of it conceptually more than literally if that helps. At the end of class today, I want you to claim that fifth verse together in prayer and believe God to turn those curses into blessings!
2. Turn to the middle of Week One, to the bottom of p.21 and the top of p.22. I loved Kelly’s discussion about her friend “weeping forward.” What do you think that means? Several of you share a season in your life when you feel like you wept forward and several others might consider sharing a season in your life when you wept backward. Most of us have done both at some point in our lives.
The next two are from Week Two:
3. OK, Day Two has a portion that is vintage Kelly Minter and one reason why I love her writing so much. Look at the second paragraph on p.42 where she tells about her sister, Megan. If you were writing a novel that was secretly about yourself right now and right in this season and you had to name it in the form of a question, what would it be?
4. Turn to p.45 and review the part of your homework concerning Psalm 126. Please read the psalm together then discuss your answers to the “Personal Response” question: Practically speaking, how can you sow in your weeping? Don’t miss how much this section has to do with your second discussion question today.
In closing, one of you read the Elizabeth Barrett Browning quote at the end. Let it lead you into prayer and don’t forget to claim those blessings from our first discussion question today!
For all of you participating in the fellowship meal, consider the recipes on pages 62-63 and either do them or some Italian equivalent.
I am so happy to study with you! Stay in the Word and I’ll see you in two more weeks!
Washington, IL solo
1. One “curse” I have seen God turn to a blessing would be losing a job I loved (many years ago) due to a coworkers unfair and untruthful accusations. It was a very difficult time, but though that God opened the door to a job at our church. Since then I have been blessed to lead many years of women’s studies that have grown and shaped my life and enjoyed the blessing of ministering to so many wonderful women.
2. This made me think of the Amy Grant song “Better Than a Hallelujah” how God loves the honest prayer from a breaking heart more than a Hallelujah sometimes. He does not expect us not to weep through difficult situations, but use them as a chance to run to Him. I remember the night I returned home from the hospital after our youngest son died I cried more tears than I thought was humanly possible, but I also so clearly remember it as the time I felt God’s presence in a way I never had before. I could literally feel His arms around me giving me the strength to move forward. Many times we have to weep to be able to move forward.
3. My title is not original with me, but perfectly fits the place I am in: “Can We Turn the Page Now?”
4. I have been facing a long-term, very difficult, daily circumstance with co-workers that has caused a tremendous amount of weeping and at times I have allowed it to completely steal my joy. I have been trying to “sow in my weeping” by keeping my focus directly on God and not the circumstance. Trying to keep my head and heart in His Word, seeking His will and direction. Trying to continue to serve Him faithfully, not giving in to discouragement or despair as I wait for God to move. Today I placed a copy of Deuteronomy 23:5 on my desk to remind me that God will use even this for blessing.
I love that Amy Grant song and I agree that God desires honesty and realness. My name for God this year is “the God who sees me.” He sees the real anyway. I might as well be honest and transparant.
Mom and Daughter
Colorado and Oklahoma
20s and 40s
1. Curses to blessings…
Mom- Financial struggles, parents passing away but heaven bound, a family member’s affair that resulted in two lives coming to Christ
Daughter- Ended relationships that resulted in lessons learned instead of emotional disasters, an unpleasant job situation that has/continues to build character
2. Mom- Feels that she has childhood that causes her to weep backwards but the Lord is continually helping her move forward and praise Him for bring her closer to Him as a result.
Daughter- I have a tendency to weep forward when I let lack of control create fear in me. The future becomes intimidating and scary, and I continually have to lay those fears at the Lord’s feet.
3. Mom- Am I Glorifying God in my Life Right Now?
Daughter- Where the Heck Am I Going?
What is the Next Gigantic Step?
4. Mom- To sow forward, you must keep on praying, reading, and going forward. Don’t stop trusting and obeying the Lord.
Daughter- I like to journal and see the work of the Lord over days and months of a hard season. To witness through my writing my heart being transformed and then be able to give the Lord the glory He is due.
Hey Michelle,
Nice to hear from you this evening God is on your side
and don’t let Satan tak control of your life God is in control okay. God Loves you very much.
God Bless,
Casimir Zigulis
Dorchester,Mass
Fort Mill, SC- party of one. 🙂
I am definitely trying to weep forward right at this very moment. I recently stepped down from a being a staff member at church. We are currently trying to find a new church home. I’ve never lived in the same town and tried to find a new church home before. Every time I go out I run into people from our old church I grieve about what I left behind BUT I know that the Lord asked me to step down and I know that He is other plans for me. Sooo I am trying to lean on him and grieve the loss of my church family but know there is a greater plan in all of this.
My question sentence would be, “Are you sure I heard you right?!” I do keep doubting myself but every time I ask that I get some kind of confirmation that yes I heard right it’s time to move on and keep looking ahead. I just have a hard head and seem to ask it over and over!!!
I LOVE this study and feel like I have been spoken to in this study every time I crack open my Bible and the study guide. 🙂
I hear you about that weeping forward! At the beginning of the year, my husband wanted to start going to a different church. He didn’t feel comfortable at the one I had attended since I was a young girl… so I prayed about it, and we went. Next week he will be helping at VBS (as will I)… but I still miss the old church. However, I do see changes in our family life so I know that God has a greater plan!
Love ya siestas!! Chino Hills siestas – 6 (added new member). Favorite novel question: What are you waiting for? Consumed some excellent oatmeal/choc chip cookies when together! Were surprised (as Ruth was) by the gifts our hostess had for us!
White House, TN:
Have to begin with honor to Vangie(sp?)…all 4 of us had a pink shirt on when we met & we did not plan this…so “it’s all about Vangie”. Congratulations!=)
1) Things Satan would love to curse: break-ups, issues with friends, job loss, history of family strife
2) Weeping forward: moving forward with faith in God
Season of weeping forward: empty nest and child moving to college, breakup with a boyfriend, new careers
Season of weeping backward: breakup with a boyfriend, death of family members
3) Novel titles: Why am I so afraid of the unknown? Why am i always waiting?
4) We did not get specific, but did talk about Psalm 126:5 and grief so deep that brings joy.
Thank you for your commitment to God’s people, us women. Much love to you all.
We are in Round Rock, TX.
Normally, we would have met on Tuesday night, but my little boy got sick so we rescheduled it for Thursday night. I was so sad when once again, my little boy was throwing up yesterday morning, so our group was not able to meet this week. I had a yummy dinner ready and we were all sad that it didn’t work out to meet in person. But I did request that our group email our answers to each other. And the blessing in that has been that a couple of ladies specifically said they were able to share more openly and vulnerably writing things out, particularly as they answered question #1. This doesn’t replace what will be a very special bond that the Lord gives us as we meet face-to-face for our remaining meetings, but I think it was a good and safe place to start for the women in our group.
The ladies I meet with are precious! The things the Lord has done in their lives and the ways that He has turned curses into blessings is by His grace and power alone. But it is so exciting to see what was pain and heartbreak in our lives turned into something good that has now influenced multiple generations (because we are mommas or grandmas). And in some cases, we’re still struggling in the areas that Satan would want to use against us but trusting that He will turn them into blessings.
A continuous theme about “weeping forward” was trusting the Lord and His promises for our lives, letting Him have His way with us and believing He has a plan, that does include suffering at times. A lady with grown children described how moving from season to season with children is also a way of “weeping forward”, trusting God with our children and when they’re grown, learning to let go “knowing your job is done”.
Some of our titles include:
“Can You Hear Me Now?”
“There and Back Again”
“What is My Purpose?”
“When Will I Depend on You for My Daily Joy?”
We can weep while we sow by reaching out to others even though we’re tired from dealing with daily mommy struggles; by continuing to pray even when we feel like every prayer is falling on deaf ears; leaning on Him for daily strength; and hold onto truths and evidences of God’s faithfulness–meditating on Scripture throughout the day and placing verses in strategic places to read.
Hope ya’ll have a wonderful weekend enjoying the return of the sunshine. 🙂
I was so touched by your entry. I lost my dad in 1998. I was 32 and he was 59. Both of us too young. I have some wonderful memories of him. Much of them are the same as you have with your dad……Christmas, car, wedding, etc..
He was such a good earthly example of fatherly love. Aren’t we blessed to have had such a thing? Bless you.
Celeste
Laguna Niguel, Ca
1. We spent quite a bit of time on this question. Our group shared our weaknesses and the ability to seek the Lords promises to overcome. It is especially sweet to have someone that is totally new to bible studies in the group. Brings a new perspective and allows all the other women to share with her the awesome things that the Lord has done, continues to do in their lives.
2. Our newbie shared that she and her sister are in the process of relocating their father to an assisted living facility. This is the weeping forward part as their father daughter relationship has not always been the best. She so wants her father to be pleased with the facility and desires to be there for him. She also really feels the Lord drawing her close to Himself. You should have seen the faces of the other women light up as she shared this.
3. This brought a round of laughter and smiles and my one word for the season “turmoil” clearly reflects my novel Seriously, Lord can I handle this?
4. All reflected on clinging to the Lord in times of sowing while weeping. And doing the next right thing. Persevere. Know His promises over our lives and press into Him.
He is our Abba (Daddy).
I am so excited to see the Lord working in a person’s life to reveal Himself. It gives our group such a special opportunity to share our testimony’s and our love for Jesus.
Molly
Married
Boston, MA
Solo
1. There are so many things Satan could use to curse me: my perfectionist mindset, wealth, the music industry. God has overwhelmingly turned these into blessings by making me humble, giving me a husband with a beautiful personality that helps balance me out, and showing me that He is the only source of peace and happiness! I often wonder how I didn’t end up on the other side of the fence. Certainly by God’s amazing grace!
2. Weeping forward describes a season or event of sadness, disappointment, loneliness, etc. We have a choice to let these times make us angry, bitter, and apathetic – or we can choose to strengthen our faith and persevere claiming the joy, peace, and hope of Jesus. Weeping backwards: In music school, after audition disappointments, I continued to conform myself to this world’s idea of success. I got further and further from my goal, not to mention exhausted, disillusioned, and bitter. Weeping forward: Choosing to trust in God’s deliverance and restoration from an eating disorder.
3. My novel: God, can you be finished with me already?!
4. The biggest way I can sow in my weeping, is to give the control over to God. Trust His plan, believe in his great love for me.
Our San Diego group now consists of seven members; all of us cozy in the living room. Since this gathering focused on hardships that God has molded into blessings, it was interesting to hear the secret lives of our members unfolded before us. We have a Katrina survivor, divorce survivors, those who have grieved the loss of a parent, the loss of a fiance, the loss of faith, hard transitions and painful relationships. When talking of how in the world these awful things could be turned into blessings, it seemed so bleak. But the revealed outcomes of each story showed God to be our security, protector from physical harm, impetuous for change, parent, sovereign Lord and healer of broken ties. He doesn’t always bring the ties back together, but he can mend the ends and connect them to new relationships for different blessings we had not foreseen. And although sometimes our weeping has us frozen or moving backwards, we see God carry us when it feels like, as one of us put it, we’re “two hops forward for every three back.” When asked to come up with the titles of our life during this season, a three letter title of “WTF?” was quick to come up! More honest titles followed: Why can’t this happen now? Why am I spread so thin? Why can’t I sleep at night? Now what? Am I doing it right? Are we there yet? And as we study, we realize there’s not a thought represented by our titles that Ruth herself probably didn’t think.
Tonya and I had a great time of Bible study this week at the Outback Steakhouse following dinner and dessert-although we proudly resisted the Chocolate Thunder Down Under and ordered carrot cake and cheese cake:).
-We discussed some of our difficult times, such as infertility issues and growing up with a mom who suffered from cancer, and how they could have led to bitterness and anxiety.
-We were reminded that it is okay to weep, as long as we are doing it in the right direction. We don’t have to get it all together with a smile on our face before we continue on our journey.
-Both of us are loving this study and eagerly await to see what happens between Ruth and Boaz, even though we already know! The anticipation nearly kills us.
Sydney, Australia.
Sorry its taken me all week to catch up on homework because I started late. But SO HAPPY to be doing this!!
1. The enemy has tried to destroy relationships in my world and I am believing for a miraculous restoration.
2. I am weeping forwards right now but so often wanting to weep backwards. I believe weeping forwards means acknowledging that while you might not want to be here in this moment you know that God has a better plan than you and that eventually there will be a harvest of joy whether that is here or in Eternity where it all becomes clear.For me this means trusting that whether I ever go back to Africa or not God has a wonderful plan and there was a reason He led me to study Midwifery in this time.
3. In the essence of the Sara Grove`s song I would call my novel “Painting Pictures of Egypt”. For my sequel I would also have “Are we there yet?”
4. Everyday practice being present in the now. Praying for and looking for the God moments everyday, not just waiting for the future to happen and for abounding happiness to find me. Satisfaction is only found in God yet somehow I keep forgetting this!. I don`t want to allow my weeping to send me into mediocrity in my relationship with Jesus. I want to share on a real level with people and encourage them to keep seeking Jesus.
Loving this study! Best thing I have done this year!.
Hey Sarah! Praying the Lord directs your path as you trust in Him (Prov 3:5-6). I like that song’s thought-provoking message. Actually, I LOVE that entire Sarah Groves CD (Conversations). I just about wore it out during one season in my life. Have you ever heard of Keith Green? He’s with the Lord now but he sang a song with a similar theme called, “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt”, except it is more on the funny side.
God will definitely use your study in Midwifery. Watching babies being born is one of the most memorable experiences I have from Nursing school. The whole affair is not pretty, and yet it is SO BEAUTIFUL. I would tear up at times as if I was part of the family (not professional I know, but I couldn’t help myself).
Out of curiosity, which part of Africa were you at? I think it is so cool that you live in Australia! It is one of the two remaining continents I have yet to visit. Well, I just wanted to say “hi” and let you know I am praying for you.
Love and Prayers,
Eposi
Elyria,Ohio…. I really had to give some thought with my answers this week… I think that I get stuck with past decisions that were made in bad judgment and not listening to the Lord… THe title of my book would be Are you kidding me? … This is such an interesting question to give to others to think about.. I think that sowing forward is to weep with hope.. I think that weeping is good for the soul but it must be forward because I have wept backward and it is not pretty… Loving the study.. Girls I have the cd Kelly has written that goes with the study.. It is sooooo good… if you can get it.. if you leave in NE Ohio.. let me know… I can get it to you….
Our group met on Thursday…in Ardmore, AL. We had three new attendees. We discussed all four questions. Our favorite was if we were writing a novel what would the title be. Here are our responses.
What next Lord?
When can I have carbs again?
How am I going to get through the next three months?(The lady who penned this question’s husband will begin stem cell treatment for bone cancer next Friday, July 16th)
What can I do next?
Where do I go from here?
The ages of our group were 66 to 37. If was a wonderful night. We learned so much from each other. One member is truly weeping forward and setting a Christ like example for us all.
Hernando, MS – I am loving this study. It is a little harder doing it on my own without a small group, which is what I am used to, but it is keeping more disciplined. I have always done Beth’s studies so it is nice reading from another woman’s perspective. I thought you might like to know that in this season of my life, my book would be called “What happened to my size 6 body??”
Blessings to all my Siesta Sisters!
Michelle
Elaine, Faith & Sharon
New Orleans, Louisiana
(Sharon on mission trip this week)
1. Faith: years of living dangerously. Elaine: bad choices in the past.
2. Faith: weeping forward – leaving Jorge.
Elaine: weeping forward – walking away from unequally yoked relationship. weeping backward – momentary relapse into that relationship.
3. Faith: “Where’s all that stuf I thought was soooooo important?”
Elaine: “Is Gary your choice Lord?
4. Faith: we can definitely move forward into blessing while we are weeping if that weeping leads us to prayer, repentance, obedience and a closer relationship with God. No tears last forever and sometimes they make for very fertile ground.
Elaine: weeping forward is when you know that obedience to God is your only wise choice but it breaks your heart to do so. It is your faith in God that takes you forward, as you bravely venture forth into the unknown, trusting in Him. He never disappoints and blessings abound.
So sweet…love all the pics! I am only just learning to have relationship with my father. Thrilled that my daughters will share a relationship with their dad similar to the legacy left for you!
Whoops! Left my last comment on the wrong page…oh well!
Here is the info on our group:
1. Some of the ways the enemy has tried to destroy our families – sexual sin, selfishness, isolation, lack of intimacy, and divorce. Instead we have experienced – healing and joy, testimony of God’s faithfulness, new relationships, new hope, 21 years of marriage, and perseverance in the Lord.
2. After much WONDERFUL discussion about the concept of weeping backward and weeping forward, we decided we loved the simple comment by one of our ladies – weeping backward is focused on self and loss while weeping forward is living in trust with eyes fixed on Jesus (who is the author and perfector of our faith!).
3. Much laughter ensued during this portion of our morning together. Unfortunately, none of us could come up with a good question to describe our life during this season and so I kept coming up with song titles (I am a worship leader and kids’ choir director at our church so, of COURSE I think in terms of music). Some of the song titles I blurted out were: Will I stay or will I go? What’s love got to do with it?…there were a few others but I don’t remember them now and didn’t write them down. But this was a much needed time of laughter together! As well, our beloved Naomi reminded us to be careful about our words because blessing and curses are in the tongue. Will we speak out truth or give Satan access by speaking doubt and disappointment over our lives? This was a strong word and we were encouraged!
We are all amazed that everywhere we go now, God is speaking the same thing – will we be honest with Him and speak our hearts to Him, even if we are feeling like things are His fault. He already knows how we feel…will we acknowledge what we feel? Even though Naomi ended chapter 1 blaming God, she was real and painfully honest about her assessment of her life to that point. Some of our conversation settled around the concept of gratefulness since a couple of us have read Mark Buchanon’s (sp?) book, Holy Wild which poses the thought that ungratefulness is the greatest offense before God. What an amazing rest of the summer is ahead of us…thank You Jesus for blessing us even though we don’t deserve it! We love You!
Lisa in Bethany OK. solo (sort of) Three of my friends have the book but don’t want to do it in a structered way but we are all loving it.
1) I am late responding because I am recovering from surgery that was necessary for my health but at the same time means I can never have children. It was a sad decision but I already feel better physically. I have had so many friends and family taking care of me and I realized just how blessed I am. I read so many comments on this blog from people who wish they had one friend and I have an abundance that I will never take for granted again.
2 & 4) My dad is the caretaker of a rural cementary and when I was young we would walk through the gravesites. He would point out people who had passed and then say the ones they left behind never got over the grieving. He told me it was ok to be sad but that I still had living to do and you had to keep going and not let the sadness take your life too. He also would tell me that weeping forward watered the ground so that things would grow but that weeping backward is the same as watering the ground of a crop that has already been harvested just a big waste. Can you tell we were peanut farmers?
3) My title: Is there a 12 step program for perfecutionists? I was reading a Christian fiction book and it had this word in it. It is a combination of a perfectionist who misses the mark and then persecutes themself. I am very guilty of that and it hinders me in helping others. God is teaching me to get past both of these problems.
PS: In one of Beth’s studies she advised us to not force our narrowing on another. This has been a great help to me in overcoming legalism. When I read her post about A Heart Like His I couldn’t help but think she might be forcing her narrowing now on the person she was years ago. It was the first time I thought that I do that to myself too. What a great lesson to learn.
Bridgend, South Wales. UK.
1. Family issues that have been passed down.
Claiming the verse for my generation and any kids to come.
2. Weeping forward: Claiming his promises for a future and a hope when faced with disappointment
Weeping backward: all too often.
3. When will I get it?
4. Remind myself of what I’m moving forwards towards. Soak up God’s promises in His word and remember the fact he can redeem and restore broken situations.
Thanks for this study; the accountability really helps!
Solo – Greenville, SC
1. Abuse, betrayal, past, child’s death – Satan works hard. But the Lord has/is redeeming every season.
2. I have lots of ‘weeping forward’ times but by far the toughest one was & is pressing on without my daughter by actively choosing to trust my Lord over and over – (His compassions are new every morning b/c we so need them to be!) Thank you so much, Lord!
3. “Does Having A Pair of Reading Glasses in Every Room Mean I’m Old Now?”
4. Sowing while weeping:
-press on in obedience no matter how I ‘feel’
-keep serving where He has placed me
-rest when I need to rest
-believe what God says about Himself & me
-remember that God gives me His strength *(love Ephesians 1:19-20)
This picture is us; we are all sisters 🙂
Question #1
Financial situations with a first home purchase and all the upkeep that comes with that & the stress it brings
Wrong relationships, autism in a child
Loneliness as a young mom with husband gone in the military; realizing that long held convictions were based on people’s opinions and not God’s Word
Our parent’s backgrounds and the influence it had in all of our lives,a newborn with serious health issues (that is now in graduate school)
Questions #2
Realizing when things go wrong, that those very things are still in His control
Watching your children in their own struggles; putting the past behind
Realizing that living this life does not guarantee things happen pretty
Walking through family problems (in-laws,etc)
Question #3
“I Can’t be Bothered; I’m Hugging my Grandkids”
“Why are you still in your pajamas?”
“Lord, can you just ignore that prayer to give me patience?”
“Okay, God, can you tell TR when the rapture will be????” (TR is her son)
Question #4
Be genuine (no masks) while you on keeping on with your eyes on Jesus…
Others are watching and paying attention to how we deal with the issues we face
I had to do a doubletake when I looked at that pic… there is a very similiar one to it in my Mom’s wedding album. The dresses her bridesmaids wore look almost identical to the one in your pic! I love the book titles!
Houston, TX Group of 6…
Every session gets better and better for us. We had a great meeting everyone is sharing more and more and even when we get stuck on a question we help one another go deeper in their answer. It was funny to hear one of us after admitting the quality that satan could use as a curse say, “and thats whats wrong with me”. We had to remind her that she was not in a counseling session and that didn’t mean anything was wrong with her, just something satan can use against her. But we do admit we have become a support group or as I like to call an encouraging group of sisters.
Our book titles were:
“Huh?”
“You want me to do what?”
“Dude, are you serious, that is Holy dude”
“Should I Unpack My Bags?”
“So you go to Church, Huh?”
It’s interesting because not all of our “weeping forward” some of us have our testimonies as to how God helped us through that time period, while the other half of us are desperately “weeping forward.” We see how much we can relate to Ruth and Naomi, we almost can slpit the group in Ruths and Naomis.
Solo, West Linn, Oregon
1. God blessed me with a private retreat last weekend in the breathtaking Columbia River Gorge to meet with Him in His Word and be able to listen to Him as He spoke through this awesome study. Believe it or not, I considered this opportunity a curse! Last weekend was my daughter’s weekend with my husband, who I am currently separated from and in the middle of a messy divorce. After a stressful, insane week at work, all I wanted was time to play and laugh with my daughter! I also grieved over the wonderful memories of previous Fourth of July’s in one of our favorite places in the world. God so ministered to me in the midst of the mess and spoke to me His plan of provision. How awesome is He!
2. Weeping forward is so where I am right now! This so resonated with me in so many ways and was not only a Word spoken directly to my heart but also for a dear friend who is faced with a difficult decision right now who I had to call immediately after reading this to share it with her.
3. My book title right now: “Seriously?!”
4. So many days I just want to curl up in the fetal position and hide under my bed! I feel like I can’t stand under my immense grief and brokeness. I use the excuse that I do manage to put one foot in front of the other and go through the motions of life as rationale for living a graceless, merciless, unloving life. HIS mercies are new every morning! HIS love never fails! HIS grace is sufficient! I just can’t walk around the field in circles blubbering! I don’t have to sow 100 acres but I at least need to seed a flower bed.
Louisville, KY
Solo
1. Satan has attacked in different ways over the seasons of my life…marriage trouble, broken relationships in immediate family, work conflict. I love 23:5 because I have seen God work in each of those attacks and I can look back now and see how they were turned into blessings…restored marriage, reconciled some relationships in immediate family, opened door to change jobs.
2. At first this was hard for me to understand what it meant, but I feel it is hanging in there, doing what you know is right even though it grieves us and keeping our eyes forward. I have wept both ways in my life. I am in a season of weeping and I’m praying for strength to keep my eyes forward.
3. I’m not a creative person when it comes to writing, but I would have to say my title right now would be “Lord, how long will I have to stay in my seat?”
4. Boy, I am currently weeping because life is “on hold”. My husband is in the middle of a heavy travel schedule over the next 3 years and trying to buy out his brother’s shares in our small company at the current time. I can’t plan anything right now and it’s about got me at my wit’s end. Things are so unknown right now, I’ve never experienced this before, such a stand-still. And I feel God is saying that I, as a wife, need to be supportive and NOT try to get involved and push and control the situation. I feel I am being told to “sit still”. I am trying to sow God’s Truth into my heart as I weep. My head knows He is sovereign and in control and loves us and knows what’s best for us. I’m praying that truth will be soaked into my heart.
This study has been a suprise to me and I’m thankful of what I hear the Lord already speaking to me through it.
Checking in from all over the US and Canada with Living in His Design online bible study group. We are all enjoying the study.
Before I give our answers…congratulations to Vangie!!!
1. Curses to blessings
Parents praying their childrens children will be worse than them, and the blessing is having amazing kids.
Moving so many times could be a curse however with each move it has been the right direction and God has blessed.
Changing churches could have been a curse but God has made it an amazing blessing.
Extended family relationship in which some areas have been meant for evil however God in His timing is turning it to a blessing.
2. Weeping forward means moving through any situation and showing God using you in it, moving forward to unknown places and trusting God to be in control and to guide and direct paths.
3. Our titles
Does this end in therapy?
What’s next Lord?
Am I doing this right?
Why didn’t they see Christ in me?
Will I get this right?
4. To sow in our weeping to us means to Show God is always in control, Abide in Christ, Pray, Read His Word, and Trust God to guide and direct our paths.
Clover, S.C. – Solo
1) I’ve had an awful year at my workplace secondary to a vindictive, obviously non-believing, powerful person. Satan would love to use this and believe me, there has been plenty of opportunity. In some cases, secondary to others’ lack of wisdom, he has.
2)Right now, I have been weeping forward and so “Ruth” is full of encouragement for me. And for others with whom I work — I typed up a paragraph or 2 from “Ruth” and emailed it to a co-worker who appreciated it. (I tried to get her to do the study, too). Weeping forward means trusting God to bring a harvest in the fullness of time despite how painful-awful-worthless you feel in the moment.
3)Am I Out of the Furnace Yet? or Why Can’t I List on My Resume What Really Happened at that Job? or Is There No Smell of Smoke? (I hope)
4)Sowing in your weeping is similar to weeping forward. I think I have been doing that recently. Because of the lies that were made official about me as well as others, I had to firmly believe I was who God says I am. In fact, I have a Buddhist friend with whom I work who is a supervisor, and she asked me how could I continue working there, because “as long as I could scrape something off the road to eat, I would have quit if I were you.” I told her that the only reason I could continue working there was because every morning I got up and said to myself: “I am who God says I am.” She told me she liked that(??)! (She knows what I believe.) At any rate, it is not time for me to leave, because God is keeping me there, and I finally accepted that with great difficulty. Things are beginning to move in a different direction now, and I am wondering if I am beginning to see the harvest.
Andalusia, AL – group of 2 – “pausing” in midlife
This is our first post, as we are getting a late start, but trying to catch up with the Siesta group. Our words: Loss & Wandering
Wow! What perfect timing to “stumble upon” this study of Ruth. God knew what we both needed. He put the two of us together at this season in our lives – we do not attend the same church nor have we had a close relationship.
My 18-yo adopted daughter left home on June 10th without so much as a word to me or my husband, my grandmother passed away June 27th. My friend is experiencing midlife issues, children leaving home, and the 1 year anniversary of her mother’s death was the Wednesday that she read Session One – Day 03 – weeping forward.
We are both grateful and look forward to hearing God speak during this season in our lives. Loss, Love & Legacy…couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thanks, Beth & LPM for putting forth this study at this time, to Kelly for writing it so richly and succintly, and to the LORD for leading us to it.
Byram/Jackson, MS
Group of 5
We met in less than ideal conditions. We gathered at a burger joint with an encosed playplace at lunch time. Some of our small children were entertained, and some clung to their mother’s side. As we tried to have a discussion over the resturant noise, some of our members were a little reluctant to share the past mistakes that satan uses to hold us down.
Book titles were easier. From our seasoned sisters – Why Not Me?, Keep Looking Up and Out. From our embattled sisters – Crazy!, Too Much Negative, Not Enough Positive, & Why Was I Born?.
A patron of the resturant took this time to thank us for meeting in a public place & having a bible study. “It has been a rough morning for me, and hearing your discussion has helped to brighten my mood.” We shared the title of the study & urged her to read Ruth for herself.
With ? # 3 we went back to the last book title. One of our sister’s is hurting with the pain of a non-affectionate, controling mother, that she desperately wants a good relationship with.
Her sister’s desperatly pray that as she sows her tears, she will reap with joyful shouting.
Martha Helen — Brevard, NC (used to be Asheville, NC)
solo
feeling sheepish for being late in posting but i have no internet yet at home b/c of just moving. but i did do the answers on tues.! 🙂
1. Being raised in a legalistic/spiritually elite fringe group. Areas of family bondage. Self-hatred. Selfishness. Fear/Doubt/Worry. Obsession with what people think of me. etc., etc.
2. I feel like I’m in a place of choosing right now between what kind of weeping I will be doing. We’ve just relocated again so that my husband could take a new job and we are so grateful but it’s been a hard adjustment for me. This week each day I have been home alone with no car and no internet and not knowing anyone in this town and it’s hard to stave off depression. I’m not necessarily weeping over the place we’ve just left, but over the continual sense of disconnectedness and longing for community and a place that feels like home. And weeping over not feeling a huge sense of purpose in my life right now and desperately wanting to know what God has me on this earth for. We are expecting our first child in December and there are so many unknowns. I feel like I could choose each day to just cry and be depressed about my personal situation. But I am asking the Lord to help me weep forward on this one.. to not miss out on anything He wants to do and to put my hand fully in His and trust Him to be good even when it feels scary.
3. When will my heart ever be satisfied?
4. I always think of Beth’s teaching about sowing God’s Word while we weep. How often in Scripture the Word of God is compared to a seed. That as I am going about weeping, to hold fast to God’s Word. To find particular scriptures that speak right to my need and to carry them with me.. and to sow them over and over again in my heart while I weep. To say them aloud, to meditate on them, to post them around my home, to do whatever it takes to cling to those truths, those promises.
Jackson, MS area…We met on Thursday this week to accommodate husband birthdays and other events. Had our entire group for discussion this week! After a delicious salad dinner (thanks, Linda!) we had great discussion about the first two weeks of sessions. We had lots of discussion about weeping forward and decided it was “walking by faith,not by sight”…not knowing what lies ahead but knowing WHO knows, and trusting Him for everything! Also decided that we couldn’t come up with titles for a BOOK about our lives but maybe CHAPTERS instead. We had chapter titles like…”When will I ever learn?” (from our friend who described her life as “comfortable” last meeting), “How long can I be foot loose and fancy free?” from our friend between jobs, and “When can I be like (friend who is foot loose and fancy free)?” Discussion was very thought provoking, encouraging, warm…some tears shed remembering God’s goodness in providing and protecting in situations of life, lots of laughing as we share our hearts and lives. Really enjoying getting to know Ruth more intimately and Kelly Minter – already planning to move to “No Other Gods” when we finish Ruth! And Beth…you would fit right in to our group. LOOOOVVVEEEDDD the hand signs for ‘all about Vangie’ – some of us have hand signs of our own that we have created that we think you would join right in! Hope that all of you have rich blessings in the upcoming weeks as we continue this study together as ‘Siestas’.
Ohio-Solo
1. Satan would love to curse me with my lack of sustained obedience. Wow! I felt like that section on a long obedience was what I needed to read, hear, and claim! I need to love Christ more than I love the things that make me disobedient.
2. Weeping forward-God calls us to go through things in our life. He hasn’t promised that we won’t hurt and that there won’t be challenges along the way. But He has promised that He’ll be with us every step of the way and when things come to a point where all we can do is weep. He wants us to trust Him and walk forward in faith with Him even though we may be weeping along the way.
3. Where do you think you’re going, Miss Hollie?
4. God wants us to press on-He can bring us out of any tragedy. While we’re weeping, I need to step out in faith and sow those seeds. I LOVE…”Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” God’s great harvest of joy is coming!
Clever, MO
6 of us ladies from all over the US doing this on my blog ~~ and lovin’ it!!!
1. Satan tries to curse us in so many areas. The ones from our group: Motherhood ~~ Wowwee that was a BIG one!!! Our past ~~ another big one ~~ In our marriages and with family issues.
2. Weeping forward and backwards: One of our ladies didn’t really understand this concept, so one of our other ladies explained it this way, and I though it was SOOOO good: “Weeping forward, to me, is weeping while moving on with the Lord. Weeping backward is weeping while staying where you are or turning back to where you’ve been.” That was such a good explanation and all our answers lined up with that.
3. The Question: (this was such a wonderful, fun and insightful question ~~ we loved it!!)
These are some of the questions we came up with:
I’m glad I waited around, but isn’t there more?
Why the path less chosen?
What time is it? (New mama with a sweet baby girl.)
Am I standing in the middle of the desert Lord? or is this an Oasis?
Have tears ever killed someone?
Is this the Valley of the Giants?
*Where am I supposed to go now God?
*How can I let one person make me feel so bad about myself?
*so does this mean I’m useless?
*Why cant I just feel your peace?
4). Sowing in weeping: I loved how one of our ladies answered this: “We sow what we are weeping, by trusting in God, by becoming closer to Him, by staying in the Word.”
We had a GREAT meeting!! To God be all the Glory!!!
Richmond VA
7 including myself
Being that my group nobody had ever met before and we are all getting to know each other this question really helped us get to know each other on a different level. Most of my group responded to this question with the answers being family, divorce, and abuse. It was so silent as each lady went around the table and shared. I was so proud of them for opening up and letting us peak into their lives. After the study was over we prayed and lifted everyones situations up to God.
In question number two we found that we all have had situations of weeping forward and weeping backwards. I talked about how I’m going through this healing journey after being diagnosed with a blood disease. I know that I should be weeping backwards but I feel like I’m weeping forwards and God will use this as an amazing testimony one day. During this season I’ve been finding ways to serve my friends and church community. Not focusing on my circumstances. Another lady in my group shared about how her and her husband were weeping forward during a season in their life when he got a job transfer. They had to leave their church and their home and move far far away. She said that during this season of her life it was really hard but that it was like a spiritual renewal for both her and her husband. Relying on their faith for everything. We had a few scenarios of weeping backwards. One lady talked about the loss of her mother a few years ago. She said that she had lost a lot of family around the same time but when her mother died all the grief hit her all at once.
A main them when talking about our weeping forwards and backwards was that regardless of the scenario God was right there the whole time providing for us each step of the way. Even though we couldn’t see it at the time we can all look back and see God’s hand at work in our lives.
I assigned the question about our novel question for them to really think over and answer next time they come. I wanted us to really think about this one and not just answer with whatever we could think of right off the top of our head.
I really enjoyed these questions. I feel like I know all my ladies so much better and know more about how to pray for them as we continue on this study together.
Cincinnati, Ohio
We are a small but mighty group of two and we are thoroughly enjoying this study. We love the history we are being provided about Ruth and find that it is giving us a better understanding of the person that she is.
1. When we looked at what Satan would use to curse us we looked at this globally. Satan is at work everywhere and our world is such that it is very easy to fall onto a path that leads directly to temptation rather than looking to God to be the center of our lives. It is such a comfort to know and to hold dear that our curses will be turned into blessings by God.
2. We both loved the idea of weeping forward and found this powerful in how we hope we can live our own lives. We don’t want to come across as a complainer and turn our struggles back to ourselves with a “poor, poor pitiful me” attitude. Instead, we want to be empowered by God to use our struggles to not only personally move forward but to honor and glorify Him.
3. Coming up with a question about ourselves to describe the season we are in was very difficult. Reading the other responses has been enlightening.
4. When asked the question, how can you sow in your weeping, at first glance, you don’t want to because you want the attention on you and what you are going through. However, God asks us to spend our days loving and glorifying Him and this will happen when we lose ourselves to what it is that God wants us to do. If we remind ourselves of the words from Galations 6:9 we will be able to sow in our weeping. It says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
it is taking me a long time to respond mostly because I am behind but also because the generosity and kindness of the Lord is overwhelming me right now. To think that He knew before the foundations of the world that I would be going through a difficult season in my life right now and he would have another human being write a Bible study and a publisher publish it and release in time for it to guide me through this time – well it blows me away. I am savoring every part of it.
1. The biggest one the enemy wants curse with is “failed marriage” – relationship difficulties – you know the one that “you will never have a successful relationship.”
2. Weeping forward resonated with me and encouraged me greatly. For me it means taking the time of getting divorced and sowing seeds of life into my children and friends. Seeds like forgiveness for my husband, looking to the Lord for every single thing, transparency about the mistakes I have made – agreeing with God that it is sin.
3. Book title: Divorce can make you bipolar, but don’t let it!
4. I am sowing seeds of unselfish love and care in my family;I am surrendering my view of life and allowing the Lord to replace it with His view – along with other changes he wants to make. I am sowing seeds of rejoicing and gratefulness for how He prepared me for this time.
Marcia, Portland, OR – solo
Ginnylou here, just the one of me in Ooltewah, TN…
1. Satan can (and often does, I’m afraid) use my obsessive personality to curse me. I have a tendency to throw myself wholeheartedly into things, especially at the beginninng ((I also tend to have a short fuse). Satan can get me to gnaw into something with his purposes pretty easily if I’m not very careful.
2. Weeping forward; When my oldest (now 3) was about six months old, I found myself weeping a LOT from the pressure of being a new mommy and trying revamp my relationship with my husband. But, for the baby’s sake, especially, I had to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Weeping backward: I went through a tough breakup while I was in college and, again, wept a LOT. But, that time I spent a lot of energy on what “might have been”. Turns out, that didn’t matter and wasn’t helpful anyway.
3. My novel for this season: “Does it really ever get better?”
4. How to sow in my weeping: Keep moving, stay the course, forgive, forgive, forgive, lower my expectations and then lower them again.
Rachel, Shanna, and Jessica representing California, Arizona, and Oregon.
The three of us have been meeting once a week to help keep our accountability with our long distance bible study. We have truly loved each of our “talk” sessions together and have kept eachother in thoughts and prayers. This week we got to have deep conversations about some of the more hurtful times in our lives. We have all been through some trials and have come out praising God and leaping for joy!
1)unplanned pregnancy, over worked in life and job, relationship devestations.
2)We all have been in a season of weeping forward. Some are still in it wanting to weep backwards and struggling through daily. The other ladies have done their weeping and are in a season of bliss and blessing from the Lord!
3)Who?What?Where?When?Why? speaks of the confusion in this sister’s life. She is truly in a season of weeping.
Will I Have Kids? They sister is about to enter a very exciting time in her life. But, all she seems to be worried about is will the reversal work and can they have kids together?
To Be or Not To Be? Speaks of this sister’s struggle with a choice of being who God has called her to be or to turn and do what she wants with her life.
4)Our tears produce seeds that will be sown and grow into something great for the LORD!!
GOD BLESS all you Siestas!
Solo -Midlothian Va.
First -love you Vangie – Its all about you girl!!Enjoy wedding season.
Second, just loving the bible study – and when I saw Psalm 126 I thought hey that is Beth from 2005. (Smile)…I will admit the questions were hard… the concept of sowing and reaping were difficult for me in a spiritual sense. I understand quid pro quo things… but this had me move away from the immediate gratification response and think what do I sow /plant in good soil and water in one season and what I do harvest in another season. While I see that sow and harvest idea in raising the kids I had to look at my life view broader. I saw that I was really one season focused , two notes: now and soon
1- What this question made me see is that almost everything that happened bad, terrible – and harsh God turned it around for good. That every story, every tear and heartbreak – some unexpected good came… for example from my barrenness God gave us two beautiful adopted siblings who are gifts from God and a joy of my heart. In fact my now 12 year old son has accepted Christ and gets baptized tomorrow. Or the many times God saved me from the hole I dug myself in… And then turned it into something good for me or for others.
2- Right now- I hope I am weeping forward- I have many more work challenges that I can bear ( lost my best boss and now running a major $$$$ public agency for a week- boo hoo) And I have other woes at home.. I honestly right now I don’t have a chance to stand still or go back – the momentum is too strong – and God says in Gal 5:6 do not be weary in working hard and doing good for you will reap .. And again I see the same theme of sowing and weeping. I am so hopeful that my while it’s very hard now that what I am sowing at work and home will be fruitful.
3- Lord I am walking with you – But when do we rest?
4- I am trying to be kind…in the midst of this season I am trying to remember to stop and listen , respond and be kind. To mentor younger people, to show kindness and compassion even as I cry inside, to be grateful for other people efforts and kindness, to infuse Gods word and love into others even as I mourn, And I hope in the future to go back to community service… To leave my immediate circle and help someone directly like teach someone to reading or visiting the ill… I miss that …
Delilah
Berryville AR
solo
I have not posted before now, because I am behind… and didn’t want to admit it.. but God quickened my heart that there is no condemnation for being behind, and I felt He was directing me to post this…
Prayerfully, I will be caught up by next time!
Love you guys
<
Delilah,
Must be a common tactic of his because he tried it with me too! Didn’t succeed with either one of us! Yea!
Rochester, Michigan – going solo
1. Satan has the ability to use my tendency towards unbelief and that scares me the most. There are times that I feel my unbelief can overwhelm me and then am so thankful when I come across something in scripture that encourages my belief and pursuit of Christ. Not to totally cheat and go ahead but on page 74 of the next week I LOVE how she makes the comment that one can be drawn to Christ and not driven… scripture has that power and I am so thankful that I am encouraged to read more! I was raised in a Christian home, however, God was relegated to Sundays and Wednesday club. It is both my husband’s and my pursuit to make him the daily priority in our lives as well as our children’s. Sometimes it is hard b/c neither of us grew up this way and trying to parent this way without a frame of reference is difficult.
2. Oh gosh I am weeping both ways right now.. for a life we miss so much and one that soon God will hopefully bless us with. All we know is that we want OUT of the one we are in. This section on weeping backwards and weeping forward spoke so much. Our weeping forward deals more with hanging on to God so tightly with the hope of something better and all the feelings and emotions that that can mean.
3. What lessons are you trying to teach us Lord?
4. As we weep we are sowing the seeds of our faith and then having the perspective later on to see how much that faith has grown.
Lee Ann, a great Bible study for you would be Beth’s “Believing God” study. It made a huge difference in my life and I’m sure it will in yours as well. Keep the faith, Michelle, Lansing, MI
Rhonda Lima OH
Our week of meeting was today…
some of our questions were: What are you people thinking?;
What cool things do you have around the corner?; How many wrong choices do I have to make before I finally get it?.
about sowing in weeping: realizing that those difficult things we go through grow us to be more like Christ help us to, even in the midst of weeping, keep putting the seed out there.
as we closed with the E B Browning quote and prayer, was just the reminder that Kelly gave, Lord give me eyes to see! Help us not to think of the blackberries as the divine, but to see the big picture, accept them as a blessing but keep looking for Him and what He is doing!
Circleville, OH 5 of us We eat our meal together and then discuss the study. This week we had yet another great meal and time of fellowship. How wonderful it is to see that God has pulled 5 women together that get along so well and are able to help each other!
1. Things that have happened that Satan uses –
B – in the past had done missions and something was said that ruined that for her
LP – the new boss is causing all kinds of gossip and she is not wanting to be a part of that
LS – times that she hasn’t walked with God have been brought up
T – the doubts of being a good mother and wife
2. The weeping forward concept was a wonderful one. One that none of us had thought of before and could all certainly relate to. We shared some great examples of both forward and backward weeping, but we kept coming back to the fact that we need to move in the right direction while weeping.
3. Read these quickly one after another and I think it will make you smile – 🙂
T – Am I going to make it?
LP – Why is Lisa not loosing weight?
LS – When will we just get along?
B – When? When will it happen?
4. All of us loved this Psalm because it gave us hope that the tears we have shed will one day be wonderful rejoicing and we can’t wait for that!
Each of us feels as if this study were written especially for us at this time in our lives. How awesome is that since we are all going through such different things at this moment? Our group is truly special and I am so thankful for each one of them!
Thank you Beth for leading us in this wonderful study!
Our group is actually a little ahead of things, so we are meeting tonight for week 4. (We are accomodating a young college girl who needed to finish before she returns to school.) We were really awed by the connection between Boaz and our own Redeemer, and we connected strongly with the concept of weeping forward. ?We could all name times in our lives when we had to accept a loss or a move and continue to move and grow. Weeping forward is quite a concept. Our favorite piece last week? Our experiences are important but they don’t define us. Wow . . . only our relationship with God should define who we are. Can’t wait until tonight.
Sumter SC
It is interesting doing this study with my 15 year old daughter.
1. We both that that our family has been a major source that Satan loves to us but God has given us both so many blessings drawing us closer were Satan tried to use my niece to tear my daughter and me apart.Also Abbie mentioned also about a young couple and their young son but even through we do not see them any more the lord blessed us by letting us know the son.
2.Weeping forward: My mother’s death and my marriage being made strong after really thinking it was over and Weeping backwards was my father’s death, I was very angry and it took me 15 years to realize God never left me but I left him. I praise him for bringing me back.
3.Abbie- Why Is Everyone so Annoying?
Beth- Why Can’t We all just get along?
4.It’s when you are weeping but still moving forward Praising God every step of the way
Menagerie of Rockwall
7 of us total, 1 new memeber
We had a great time visiting and eating. This is the first time I have hosted anything like this at my house and I just have to say the blessings are numerous. More that I ever expected.
We answered all the questions and shared very openly but the most amazing part, for me, was our newest member. She is going through a very difficult situation, one I have experienced, and her book title was Thank You? On a week she was given the worst possible news ever, she was able to thank God knowing a blessing was coming and thankful for all the lessons she will learn during her trial. It was amazing. Instead of weeping backward, she is certainly weeping forward and sowing in her weeping.
Have a great week everyone!
Ann
Beth,
There is so much hidden in these words…anyway…I appreciated you.
Paula from Maine going solo-
1.I was sitting in my living room with my 14-year-old granddaughter watching This week’s video. Fourteen years ago my daughter was just finishing high school and found herself pregnant.It was a rough time but God told me that this child would be a blessing to me and those words closed the door on every curse of shame and condemnation Satan tried to bring. She is and has been an absolute joy!
2.Over the past few years I have had physical problems and the discouragement that has accompanied this kept me stuck weeping backward, but recently God has turned my heart forward. My little grandson was going up the steps a few days ago and almost there he turned around to look back, causing him to fall. The LORD spoke to me at that moment, “keep looking forward, looking back only causes you to fall.” Thus I am pressing ahead, sometimes with tears in my eyes, not knowing what lies ahead.
3. Can I take my shoes off? For a couple of years I kept getting this picture of standing just inside of a palace foyer. A few months ago, the Lord told me that I need to be at home in the palace as His daughter. I want to take my shoes off and curl up on my royal bed and read, rest and talk to my God.
4.I’ve never forgotten the picture Beth painted of kneeling on the ground, praying the Word and watering it with my tears. I have done much of that over the last several years and now I am on my feet with a fresh hope and sense that it is harvest time.
Washington, DC…we call ourselves Capitol Siestas – 6. We had an incredible time together. It was uplifting and edifying. The majority of our time was spent discussing weeping forward and weeping backwards. It was funny a few of us did not think that Orpah was really weeping backwards. We talked about some of the reasons we weep backwards; fear, disobedience, deception. The titles for our novels were: How to be? Are you sure Lord? Do I want more of you or do I want more from you? Where am I going? Ways in which we sow in our weeping: 1) Look for ways to be a blessing to others, 2) Going about doing good, 3) Trusting God.
We are enjoying this study so much that we talked about doing “No Other God’s” next.
Melana, Heidi and Erin in Sheridan Wyoming
1. What has Satan used to curse us? Our own choices and mistakes…others choices and mistakes..
2. Weeping forward…we felt this was productive and healing. That is a part of the process of growth, as opposed to weeping for the past and for what could have been. This is not productive. It does not lead to growth.
3. Our book titles:
Heidi-“Should anyone know that you have THAT thought?”
Erin-“What’s the plan?”
Melana-“What took you so long?”
4. How can we sow while we’re weeping? Well, first of all you need to keep carrying those seeds. You don’t know when you’re going to need them. You can’t just stop carrying seeds and thus sowing them, waiting for when you’ll “feel” better. Nothing in scripture supports…”When you feel like you’re up to it, then sow your seeds”. Sometimes the best personal ministry happens when we are ministering to others out of our own crisis or sorrow.
This is good stuff. We are LOVING it!
Melana 🙂