Okay Girls! Lindsee here and I have chosen our 11 winners at random! If you would all email me ([email protected]) as soon as possible, that would be so helpful so we can get your books to you SOON!
Drum roll please…
Our first 10 winners of a Gideon Workbook are: (Make sure that if you are a winner, it is the correct comment number that I have posted!)
Comment #634: Amy A.
Comment #33: Beverly
Comment #111: Amy Hanson
Comment #88: Michele
Comment #777: Sharon Seagle
Comment #56: Rina
Comment #555: Lisa Ode
Comment #1: Rebecca
Comment #245: Brandi
Comment #372: Melody
Lastly, our winner of the Gideon Leader Kit is…
Comment #475: Stephanie
We are so excited for you, girls! Can’t wait to hear from you!
Hey Girls! Comments are now closed. Be looking for the names of our 11 winners within the hour! Thanks for your enthusiastic and honest replies! We’re so excited!
Greetings, Sisters! Siesta Summer Bible Study starts one week from today! We are fired up around here! I know your questions are abounding, so this post is to fill you in on all the details to get us good and ready for next Tuesday.
First off, let’s make sure that you know what you’ll need to participate: 1 LifeWay workbook by Priscilla Shirer entitled Gideon: Your Weakness. God’s Strength.That’s all there is to it!
We’ve been getting lots of questions about whether or not Priscilla’s video portions are required in our summer Bible study. The answer is no but only because we try our hardest to keep our summer experience at the lowest possible cost. By all means, if you have access through a group or have the financial resources to get the session DVDs or downloads, do it! To experience the whole thing is optimum! If you’re in a small group, consider all pitching in and purchasing a set then watching them together week to week. You’ll be incredibly blessed by that investment. Priscilla’s gift of teaching is saturated with the Holy Spirit and beautifully infectious. I could sit under her instruction for hours. So, get the sessions if you can but they will not be required to participate in our summer study. All of our discussion will springboard from the workbook.
With that said, I do have one really FUN thing to do before we move further into the details. We have 10 Gideon workbooks and 1 leader kit to give away! All you need to do to qualify is leave a comment on this post and let us know how the subtitle hits you: “Your weakness. God’s strength.” We’ll keep comments open for 24 hours then do a random drawing of 11 people with those specific entries. Watch for a post Wednesday afternoon naming our winners!
Are y’all still with me?
OK, then, let me fill you in on some remaining details through a simple Q&A. If you’ve been in summer Bible study with us before, our approach will be very similar.
Who’s invited? YOU! (If you’re a girl over – let’s say – 16) And you can go solo or participate in a small group! As in past years, our highest hope is to facilitate fellowship and accountability into our Bible study experiences. If you can assemble a group of friends, co-workers, family members, acquaintances, fellow church members, Siestas in your town, a tennis team or a handful of neighbors, you’re likely to get the most out of the process. (If you’ve already participated in this study, think of leading a group through it this round.) If you can’t rally a face-to-face group, Skyping and Face Time can still provide a pretty legit way to experience community in different locations. We’re not looking to be legalistic. We just want FULL benefits. If you go solo, do your best to connect with a couple of girls on line. Scripture tells us to stir one another up in the faith and to call one another to love and good works and to bear one another’s burdens and pray for one another and remind one another of God’s faithfulness. Translation: we need each other!
What’s the Goal? Spending the summer together in the Word! A summer of authentic Bible study is the surest way to a summer of victory.
When do we meet? We will launch our Siesta Summer Bible Study on Tuesday, June 11, and “meet” 4 official times: Every OTHER Tuesday from June 11th until July 23rd. Yes, by all means, meet EACH week if your small group is able but we only ask that you check in here on the LPM blog every TWO weeks to participate in our format for discussion. As much as we’re able, we want to be big on help and small on demands. Summer schedules can make weekly gatherings much harder than usual but certainly keep it up if you can. You can also choose another day of the week besides Tuesday if necessary. We’ve found that it’s the most fun and carries the most momentum when we all do it on the same day but that’s not always possible for everyone. Be free!
Here’s the summer schedule:
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Launch – I’ll post our 1st Mini-Session which I will either have written or videoed. In it you will receive instructions for discussion.
In the 2 weeks that follow our first Mini-Session, you will DO WEEKS ONE AND TWO OF THE HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN. If you’re participating in Priscilla’s weekly DVD teachings, incorporate those weekly and in addition (or instead of!!) to what we’re doing here on the blog. We will let you guys work those details out on your own.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 (2nd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)
In the two weeks that follow, DO WEEKS THREE AND FOUR OF THE HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 (3rd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)
In the two weeks that follow, DO WEEKS FIVE AND SIX OF THE HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013 (4th Mini-Session/Conclusion) – We’ll wrap it up and it will have flown by in a whirlwind.
If a graph is easier to understand than all my compulsive wordiness, here you go:
Where should you meet if you’re participating in a small group? Wherever you are most comfortable. Do what works for your group. You might meet in a different house each week so no one has to keep her house clean all summer. We’ve had some siesta groups meet in restaurants and coffee shops. Find your groove and stick to it!
So, here’s what you do:
1. Get your workbooks! Our good friends at LifeWay have promised to have plenty of them for us, but you won’t want to wait until the last minute. You can find them online on LifeWay’s web site. Here is a link where you can order the member book. And, if you’re going for the optional DVD sessions week to week, here’s where you can download the videos taught by Priscilla. They’ll be fabulous.
2. Sign up on the blog on our official Launch Day- Tuesday, June 11. For the first time, we’re going to ask that everyone participating sign up individually rather than a leader chiming in on behalf of the whole group. We think this will be less confusing and will give us a better idea of how many are participating each week just by the number of comments. We will ask a few warm-up questions that day to begin cracking open that door of community.
3. I will facilitate the study by posting a blog the 4 mornings of our meeting days. I will give you instructions on these posts for your discussion times and maybe some activities. All will connect to the previous weeks of study.
4. After your gathering, you’ll check back in by telling us something about your meeting via a comment on that same post. Don’t worry if your group can’t meet on Tuesdays. You’ll still be able to find the post and comment throughout the week.
What if…
-I want to use the discussion questions in the back of the workbook instead of the ones on Beth’s posts. Go for it!
-I really, really want to do the study but it’s not in the budget. Email us.
-I’ve already committed to doing another Bible study this summer? That’s great! Stick with it.
-I don’t want to participate but still want to be a part of the blog. We totally understand and want to see you around Siestaville this summer. Know that the Bible Study will only take up one post every other week.
We can’t wait to study the Word with you this summer!
Lord Jesus, take us somewhere we couldn’t have anticipated! Somewhere we desperately needed to go. Raise up an army of mighty warriors right here in this community!
Okay, Sisters, let’s hear your comments for the giveaway! Remember we’ll only leave it open for 24 hours!
My weakness, God’s strength…means that my dependence on Him for strength is actually the biggest display of strength I can ever show. By giving it all to Him, I reflect His power in the truest way. By yielding, I become strong. And there is never going to be a time when I can do this without Him. God bless you, Beth!
This subtitle reminds me that my weakness is where God has the greatest opportunity to bring glory to Himself when I am willing to rely on Him. Reminds me of John 3:30, “He must become greater, I must become less.”
My friend was just diagnosed with liver cancer & she is so physically weak right now! But I know God is strong & can heal her!!
“Your weakness. God’s strength.” Makes me think how the Lord teaches us to rely on Him. When we are weak He is strong ! Daily He shows me where I need Him.
How do we find other siestas in our town? It would be great to meet and do the study.
Yes, I am weak and He is STRONG. In my weakness, I must lean on His strength to carry me through. But I don’t want only those moments of weakness to be when I lean on him, but every minute of every day. Praying all these sisters experience an unforgettable Siesta Summer through the book of Gideon and develop warriors for Christ in our communities. Happy Siesta Summer!
Just had a baby and this will be my way of keeping myself accountable to staying in the Word when I’m needing it the most! All of my weaknesses are being displayed at this point in my life with the lack of sleep and trying to find my way in this ‘new normal’. I’ve memorized Isaiah 41:13 to help me get through this and am completely relying on His strength through it all! Thanks for doing a summer study when most take breaks…I NEED this!
The subtitle hits me right in the center of my heart. Mostly because I’m walking and LIVING through that very thing right now. The Lord asked me to go to medical school and by all means I don’t feel like it’s something achievable for a girl like me. He keeps reminding me that it’s not about what I can do, but instead about what He can do. All I had to do was say yes to the calling and the rest is in His hands. “Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit.” It’s a daily struggle but I keep asking Him to help me keep those thoughts forefront in my mind. And now, almost 3 years after I heard the calling I’m just 2 short weeks away from submitting my med school apps. HE IS FAITHFUL! So “Your weakness. God’s strength.” I am ALL about it!
“Pardon me, my lord,” Marketa replied, “but how can I save America? My clan is the weakest in Maine, and I am the least in my family.” (Based on Judges 6:15 NIV)
Not I, but Christ who lives in me! 🙂
Our family ha recently went into full time ministry and this subtitle hits me more and more each day. We are learning we must fully rely on agin because we are nothing but weak without him! And His strength!
Where would we be without God’s strength??? I know I need His strength everyday because I am so weak in myself. I especially have needed strength because my health has been such a struggle lately. Looking forward to the study and enjoying it with a few friends. So thankful for LPM, you all bless me big time.
My Weakness; God’s Strength – God works all things together for good to those who love Him and that includes my weakness. I love our LORD for taking my mistakes and showing His deep love by forgiving me and then teaching me to depend on His strength through my weakness.
My weakness, His strength became very real to me when our daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. I claimed that verse over and over. , His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
After her death it became even more real, so this is a verse with very deep meaning for me.
He is always strong… But when I am weak i am not as likely to get in His way… I am just still and I know He is God and the Glory is His.
Gods strength, my weakness has become very real to me in the last few months. My husband of 50 years passed away on Jan. 7, 2013. I had always felt very capable until that day. My strength
Left me. Never have I looked to the Lord Jesus as I have in the past few months. I believe this study is just what I need. I am desperate to get my joy back.
It is God’s strength and Grace that pulls me through when I am weak
“My weakness, God’s strength”! God has allowed me to be in a place where I am very aware of my weakness. One daughter in a wreck where she was caught in between 2 cars, just finishing therapy, my second daughter was just diagnosed with lupus. My second son a “special need child” having physical and mental problems. My adopted twins having to deal with a brother causing them emotional stress. 8 people in a household of chaos! I am very weak right now, and the only thing holding me together is God’s strength!
Our family has recently gone into full time ministry and I’m reminded of this constantly! We are learning more than ever that we are nothing but weak without his strength!
“Your weakness. God’s strength
I immediately thought of the teaching Priscilla Shirer did in last year’s simulcast about the offering up what God has given me and give thanks (speaking of the 2 fish and 5 loaves). It was a slightly different concept but it has to do with contentment. This was a significant teaching for me and impacted my idea of thankfulness for what God gives me. This includes my weakness. So I signed up. Excited for it! Christen
When I saw the title, I got excited about it. I really like Priscilla’s studies. Also, I think the title intrigued me, because I have a lot of weaknesses and I’m so glad God likes to work through them!
My weakness, God’s strength: daily provision for parenting teenagers, being a good wife, trying to do my job and keeping my flowers alive when I forget to water them. 🙂 how wilted I feel at times. Amen, God is able.
It’s not about me — truly I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me; otherwise, I am nothing. He’s my all!
I have the feeling God is going to use this study to speak directly to me. I try so hard to be strong on my own and of course it never seems to work out as planned! Realizing my weaknesses and depending on God’s strength is a daily challenge and I look forward to learning more.
It excites me! Because God’s power is made perfect in my weakness, I have hope!
Fits me perfectly right now. I just started leading break free in my back yard. The first session we were 14. And we are now 20 Two days later. I Was very prepared in prayer And study but just when I saw all those faces all sorts of insecurities started flowing on me. Still I know God Will use me just where I am know. My weekness God strength
My Weakness God’s Strength
For me my weakness is that I am a control freak and in the midst of it all I realize just how little control I have. In His strength He makes me realize on a continual basis just how much I need Him in spite of myself.
My weakness. God’s Strength. When I read the subtitle, the phrase from the song we all learned as children came to my mind. “When I am weak, He is strong.”
Looking forward to the Bible Study.
If I could just grasp this…..that in my weakness He makes Himself known. He makes Himself known. His strength carries me and teaches me through my weakness.
I am weak, but He is strong!!! Thank you Lord!!
My small group and I prayed for weeks about the Bible study we would bring this summer with our Large Women’s Group and one week before you announced the Siesta Summer Bible Study the Holy Spirit led me to the Gideon study. After listening to the preview videos and the passion Pricilla shows for the ministry of women, I knew without a doubt My Girls and I would load up our bible bags for the summer and study Gideon, The Impossible made Possible by The ONLY Possible God! We can hardly wait to see God at work with our little impossible group!!!
My weakness…..God’s strength… Totally where I am this year! My elderly mother had 2 strokes in Feb & I live 600 miles away. How can I do this, but in His Strength? Monthly visits to relieve other caregivers, college-age dtr with needs, time away from family, grieving what was lost & yet so grateful to still have my mom…Only In His Strength.
My weakness, God’s strength… I sooo need this because I am weary! Death of daughter, son in Iraq 3 times, my husbands knee surgery, 4 bulged discs in my neck, adult daughter moving back in, my son in baf accident…wrapped his truck around a tree…only by the grace of Gos is he alive and I just plain need the encouragement of the Lord! This is what I need! His strength more of His strength! Help me Lord Jesus stay strong in You!
This title means trusting in Him to be the strength in everything!
I really need to see His strength because my weakness(es) are always right in front of me.
“your weakness, God’s strength”. Wow, it really hit me when I read it. Because right now I am feeling very weak in many areas of my life. Knowing God will be my strength gives me much needed hope and peace right now.
Your weakness. God’s strength.
It hits me that in my weakness I am humbled and made aware that without God, I am doomed. His strength -and all that it dows through me- receives all of its proper due. My grave. His grace. My giving up. His glory.
When I think of my weakness and Gods strength, I think of all the times I doubt myself and even my walk in Christ. How sometimes I feel like I’m not good enough, or I’ll never measure up to anything. I’ve had so many moments where I have felt defeated, and moments where I have felt like a failure. I always think of Gods living hope, and how all the times I’ve doubted myself, because life is uncertain, I know He sees strength in me, even when I don’t see it in myself. He’s so confident in me, as long as I follow His word, and His guidance, He will always be there to provide.
Hoping God can take my biggest weakness and with His ultimate power, turn it into a a strength that glorifies Him! AMEN!!
My weakness Gods strength. Boy do I need Gods strength. I’m making a big move to Puerto Rico this summer and away from my family and friends. I so need his strength to get me through. My weakness is I don’t know if I can start my life over with out the support of my mom and sister.
Dear Beth!
My weakness God’s stregnth!
My pride, God’s humbleness!
My fear, God’s comfort
My selfishness, God’s selflessness!
My shame God’s confidence
My brevity of life here, God’s eternal life with Him!
Looking forward to the summer study!
Love from the soggy plains!
Betty M
Illness, fraility, nursing, hospitals, and doctors have never been my thing. As a matter of fact, until recently, being in such situations made me physically ill and reduced me to tesrs.
After spending all of January and most of February 500+ miles away from my immediate family while helping care for my dying parent, I realized that God had placed me there as a testimony to my faith and my father’s. there were so many times I was able to call on Him to help comfort others who lost family members. Until the end, my father’s love of God was a shining beacon of light to others in the same situation.
God transferred my fears and weaknesses into arms of strength to comfort others, and my shyness into a quiet, calming witness to His glory.
My weakness + His strength = His glory!
My weakness is not showing my faith…I know my faith is strong but I still try to take charge instead of waiting for God. I need as much time in the Word as possible to help me.
I really like that subtitle because I’m one of those stubborn people who often believes that she can do it on her own strength. God often reminds me of my weakness and the way I need to rest in him.
I’m in a season of God revealing many things I need to work out of my life, aka: weaknesses. When I read the title it just made me smile. God is always so faithful to turn our “bad” for His “good”! Looking forward to the study!
Just being completely honest, the subtitle scares the living daylights out of me! I know I am so weakand God’s strength can intimidate me at times . I’afraid He will challenge me to be weaker to allow Him to be stronger.
I am just so thankful that God CAN use me in my weakness!! It is a theme in my life right now that when I feel the most inadequate, the most ill-prepared, the most insecure, God works in a mighty way!!! I want to participate in this Bible study so badly!!… It’s not a available in Canada though, so I am hoping I will “win” this copy so that I can join in!!!
Gideon: Your Weakness. God’s Strength.
It reminds me not to live in fear, but faith in God’s strength because God has proved himself so many times to me.
I can be thankful for my weaknesses because they allow me to depend on His strength. This is exactly what God has been showing me over the last few months. I’m so excited to begin this study! His timing is always perfect!
My weakness, His strength.
I’ve got a whole lot of weakness right now. Oh, how I need His strength. So thankful that He gives it readily for the taking.
I have noticed that at the times when I am totally out of strength to carryon that God is my strength and carries me till I am able to walk again.