Hey, you mighty warriors!
By the time you get this SSMT post, I will be on my way to Nashville for the videotaping of James: Mercy Triumphs. It almost makes me cry to see the actual (recently settled-upon) title in print. So much time and focus and prayer and frustration and second-guessing and bewilderment and wonderment – and learning and thrilling and growing and wallowing – go into the whole process of a Bible study journey. Many tears. Healthy laughs. Big eye-openers. Rich conversations. Moments of, “What on earth was I thinking??” Above all, so much desperation for Jesus. If God doesn’t pour His Spirit into it, it will fall flat like a collapsed pup-tent. That’s the God’s-honest truth. After 14 journeys similar to this one, I know just enough in advance to be dangerous. Enough to start shaking (not with anointing but mostly with anxiety) when the outline first goes on paper. I know now how life’s going to go on in the middle of it and how all sorts of unplanned ups and downs, woes and joys will mark its pages. I know now how I’m going to end up writing about things in my life and family that haven’t even happened yet. Some of them will be wonderful. Others will be painful. It’s kind of like starting a new journal. There is a certain amount of trepidation because you simply can’t guess what will fill those pages. It’s a stomach-knotting blend of anticipation and raw fear. But what I forget sometimes in that anxious moment when I know there’s no turning back is the grace. The goodness of God. The fact that I’m invited to believe He was the initiator of it, as He is in all things faith (Hebrews 12:1-3) and that I don’t have to assume complete control over it. I’m invited to remember what life the Scripture has and how much this woman has to learn.
Good grief. I’m sitting in a salon chair about to bawl my head off. (Writing this to you on Friday.) I’ll try to rein this one in and quit being so dramatic. This is no time to wear you guys out about the James Bible study because Melissa and I still need you to pray us through until the complete manuscript is turned in at the end of summer. The beauty of all the studies prior to Esther is that they were pre-blog and I didn’t gnaw you like a bone throughout the whole ordeal. It’s too late now.
Make no mistake. The studio audience, the LifeWay video crew, and I need your prayers like crazy this week. Yes, pray for us during the day when preparation is taking place but especially pray for us in the evenings on Monday (tomorrow) through Thursday. That’s when the actual sessions will be taped, two per night, back-to-back. And pray big things for the participants, too! They are so incredibly important in the process. Pray for them to get totally caught up in the Scriptures and in what God is speaking into their lives and be oblivious to the cameras. Pray for them to experience a powerful encounter with Christ through His Word and for Him to do something utterly remarkable in each life. THEN, pray for that anointing to also transfer just that heavily to the women who will one day watch the series on the other side of the screen. I requested a smaller group of participants this time (like I have at Life Today – the perfect size!) but that means the cameras will be much more obvious to all the ladies in the audience. Pray also for us to bond in the Spirit right from the beginning.
Thank you so, so much.
I won’t get a chance to blog much (if at all) while I’m in Nashville but Amanda and Melissa will chime in. I will try to get on Twitter a time or two a day perhaps so, for those of you who like that, we’ll stay in touch that way. (@BethMooreLPM – writing that kind of thing always makes me want to throw up in my mouth.)
After the sessions are complete, the video team and I will spend all day Friday doing some additional taping that won’t require an audience. Later in May they will come to Houston and we will do yet more taping. At that time (later in May), I’ll do the intros to the session and also an on-camera dialogue with Melissa over the project. She has been a huge part of this journey. In fact, she was the first of the two of us who felt drawn to this book of the Bible. She is not a camera hog and won’t let me add her name on the cover but it would be a crying shame for the women not to get a chance to connect with her on screen. She has zero interest in entertaining but she has a huge interest in studying. That’s enough to make her push past her discomfort and get on the screen. In case you’re not up to date on her part of the project, she is writing extra study portions 2-3 times per week of Bible study for the student that wants to go deeper.
I am always reluctant (as both my daughters are) to mention two of us instead of three. Amanda, Melissa and I are, as my people would say, thick as mud and we don’t like to pair off. As I mention Melissa often in this process, rest assured Amanda is cheering us on and praying for us every step of our way. She is not actively participating this time in the editorial process (I miss her so much) because her focus and energies need to be on her family but we three women are together continually.
SO, did you think I’d forgotten what we’re doing on here today???? No ma’am. I most certainly did not. All I’ve just told you led to the Scripture I’ve chosen as my ninth verse.
Beth, Houston. “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Yes, Sir! If this selection resonates with you, join me with it! I’d be honored to memorize with you. I will say it over and over this week. Maybe you will, too, and He will hear us each time and find joy in it. I pray with all my sappy heart that the Spirit of God loves to hover over this community.
OK, so what are your verses, Sisters??? DON’T YOU DARE QUIT!!!!!
I love you to pieces.
Jenell, Springfield MO – Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
“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.”
Michelle, West Des Moines, IA
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
i hope you don’t mind me posting here that i gave my siesta scripture book to my son, who is suffering from severe depression, tried to take his life and is entering a christian program to get help. as broken hearted as i am, God showed me how much the verses i’ve been recording and memorizing are perfect for tim! i’m sure they were for me as well, but God definitely picked the ones that would reach tim in his time of desperation.
in addition to those verses, i’ve been memorizing matthew 5-7, Jesus’ sermon on the mount. thank you so much for those little index card books that i was able to pass on to my son.
I will be praying for your son and for strenght for you.
thank you so much janell!
Melissa, Greer, SC
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver,
and her profit better than gold.”
Proverbs 3:13-14, ESV
Mary, Satellite Beach, FL
“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!” ~ Isaiah 30:18 NIV
Gretchen, Thousand Oaks Psalm 34:4-7 NLT
I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; He saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the LORD is a guard, he surrounds and defends all who fear Him.
-thus says the LORD to you, Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 NASB
Shiffra, Vicksburg MI.
“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7 NIV
Brenda
Chicago, IL
Psalm 116:7 NIV
“Be at rest once more, O my soul,for the LORD has been good to you.”
Carol, Hartley, Iowa
Psalm 100:4-5
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Woodstock, Ga.
Be careful how you live- not as unwise but as wise.
Ephesians 5:15 (NIV1984)
Kim and Abby
Psalm 43:5 (NLT)
Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
Rachel
Fullerton, CA
Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV)
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Jeri, Stillwater, Ok
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NIV)
Missi, Bargersville
“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
The NET Bible
Gretchen from Buffalo:
Psalm 118:8
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”
Becky, Charlotte, NC
“And I have put My words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of My hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are My people.'”
Isaiah 51:16 (ESV)
Lynda, Ocala, FL: Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 NIV
Psalm 80:7 (ESV)
Restore us, O God of hosts; let you face shine, that we may be saved!
Barbara
Midland,Texas
Traci
Vadnais Heights, MN
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding~
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will direct your paths.”
Jaclyn, Houston. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25 NIV
‎”Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” – Philippians 4:6
Katherine Atlanta “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58
Jane, Irvine, CA: The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
Elaine – Brea, CA
Doing the same verse as you, Beth, but in the NKJV….
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
it’s getting harder and harder to memorize all these scriptures…. pressing on…..
Deanne, Laguna Hills, CA
“We live by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
4 He awakens me each morning;
He awakens my ear to listen like those being
instructed. (Isaiah 50:4b) HCSB
Debra, Sulphur Springs; Psalm 121:1-8 NIV
I will Lift uo my eyeys to the hills “WHERE DOES MY HELP COME FROM” my help comes from the LORD Maker of heaven and earth. He wiil not let my foot slip. He who watches over me will not slumber indeed He who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep. He watches over me, He is the shade at my right hand, the sun will not harm me by day nor the moon by night. THE LORD WATCHES OVER MY LIFE, He watches over my coming and going both now and forevermore.
God’s protection and restoration from Alabama to Georgia God bless everyone with much prayer and love
Pam H. Buena Park, CA “If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, (even there Your hand will lead me.) Psalms 139:9 NASB
Traci, Rock Springs, Montana
I’m with you on this one… fits me perfectly right now, this week!
“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Teresa, Granite Falls,NC Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will recieve you. 2 Corn.6:17 KJV
Karen, Clarksville “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captvie every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26 NIV
Carolyn
Oceanside,Ca
Cheryl, Redlands, CA: 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV) “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
Tesa
Perry, GA
Isaiah 55:10 & 11
verse 11 this week
…So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Greenacres, FL
“The Lord will fight for yo and you have only to be silent”. Exodus 14:14 ESV
Alicia Fannin, NE KY
“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 23:21 KJV
&
“…therefore, let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5:2b
Naomi from Colorado Springs: Memorizing in English and Spanish:
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14
Aguarda a Jehová; EsfuĂ©rzate, y aliĂ©ntese tu corazĂłn; SĂ, espera a Jehová. Salmos 27:4
Donna Benjamin, TUSCALOOSA, AL: “Can ANYTHING ever seperate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or clamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? NO!!! despite all these things OVERWHELMING victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:35&37 NLT
Melissa, Naju, South Korea
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6 ESV
Emily in Oklahoma City
“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 wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV).
I love you and the book of James!! I cant wait to hear all He does through you and this study..praying!
Nicole
Keller
Psalm 119:37 (Amplified Bible)
Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity (idols and idolatry); and restore me to vigorous life and health in Your ways.
Marcy, Sandia Park NM And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV
Sharon. Lakeway TX
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…”
James 1:2. ESV
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.”
Isaiah 59:1
ESV
Heather, Lewiston: “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
(Switched my verse when I read yours. I will be praying ALL week for you [what an honor to pray as you tape!] and will claim this verse along with you… for you AND me!)
Chrissy, Detroit Lakes, MN: “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Teresa Naples/FL
Psalm 29:2 ESV
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.
Fort Mill, SC
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Romans 5:3-4 KJV