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.
Proverb 31:26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.NIV
Tami
Platte, South Dakota
“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight…” Philippians 1:9 NIV
Proverb31:30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.NIV
Norma,Rowlett,Tx.
“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind{both in inclination and it’s character}is stayed on You,because he commits himself to You,leans on You,and hopes confidently in You.”
Isaiah 26:3 amp
Kate, Charlottesville
Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!”
Ps. 139:23, 24 NIV
Search me, O God, and know my heart
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Rebekah – Fulton, MS
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4, ESV
Saw this as another Siesta’s verse and thought it was totally appropriate considering this is the last week at my current job and I don’t have a job as of yet…He gives peace though! 🙂
Phil. 2:3,4
Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. James 4:10 NIV
I missed verse #8 (oops!) so here it is:
Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, & patience. Col 3:12 NIV
“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Jennifer, Sun City, AZ
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:23, 24
Marie, Denver: LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritence.
Psalm 16:5-6
Sarah Deible, Bremen, Ohio
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
Erin,Oregon. “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Joy, Tri-Cities: “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Laura, Southaven, MS: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5 NIV
Diane, Cambridge-Narrows, NB, Canada
Hebrews 4:16, NIV “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Phil. 2:3,4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vein conceit
but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your owm interest but also to the interest of others.
Heather, Ontario, Canada
Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices (Ezekiel 36:31). NIV
Nina, Moore OK
Isaiah 40:31 NIV
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Amy, Granby, CT
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
Steph, Ontario, Canada
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.”
Genesis 15:1
Leslie
Wisner, La.
“You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north.”
Deuteronomy 2:3 NASB
Allison-Randolph, MN
“But he knows where I am going.
And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”
Job 23:10 NLT
Dawn (Chambersburg, PA)
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Kaitlyn from Gainesville, FL
“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.”
Micah 7:8, NIV
Jennifer – Lansing, MI
“I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.” Psalm 31:5 N.L.T.
Kim, Loveland
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.Psalm 16:8 ESV
Kalonni, Van Meter, Iowa: Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord! Psalm 27:14, NET
Anna, Little Elm, TX
“In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call Me ‘my Husband’; you will no longer call Me ‘my Master.’ … I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.”
Hosea 2:16,19
Fran, Jackson TN
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV
Melinda-Cheney
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Psalms 100:3 (NIV)
Philippians 3:13b but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead
Kathleen, Ashland.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Matthew 5:44 NIV
Ann — Cripple Creek, VA
For the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 NIV (Re-memorizing — drew a blank quoting the other day!)
One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4 NIV
Becky, Alberta, Canada
“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!”
Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Robin from Arkansas: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Col. 3:12 NIV
Jennifer, Marietta, GA; “I cling to You, your strong right hand hold me securely.” Psalm 63:8
Melissa in Smithfield, RI: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Is 64:4 NIV
Heather, Lansing MI- Psalm 34:9 (NLT) Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.
Angela, Amarillo, TX
However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” I Corinthians 2:9 NIV
bernadette, mtn home, AR She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her. “You are the God who sees me” for she said “I have seen the one who sees me.” Gen. 16:13 NIV
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
11 Ch 7:14
“Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Amy from Norfolk, MA
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3
NIV
Paige, Flatwoods, Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. II Chronicles 7:14 NLT
Cathy, La Grande. “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible
Jeremiah 23:24
“Can any man hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
Brandi L.
Danville, IN