Archive for the ‘Ruth’ Category

A Greeting From Our Summer Bible Study Teacher

August 10th, 2010 Beth
Tags: Posted in Beth, Kelly Minter, Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

Hey, Siestas! I am so blessed to bring you this greeting from Kelly Minter, our Siesta Summer Bible Study teacher. I LOVE HER, I LOVE HER, I LOVE HER, I LOVE HER!!

All comments to this post are meant to be straight to her. Here is your chance to thank her or tell her something very specific you gleaned from the study of Ruth.

I have loved every single minute of this journey. Thank you so much for walking it out with us. I am honored beyond words to seek Christ with you through the pages of His infinitely rich Word! Let’s keep it up, Sisters.

God, come get more and more glory from this community. You are the ONLY thing that makes this work.

Greeting from Kelly Minter from LPV on Vimeo.

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Siesta Summer Bible Study Wrap Up

August 3rd, 2010 Beth
Tags: Posted in Beth, Kelly Minter, Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

Hey, Siestas!

Our six-week study has flown by, hasn’t it? And so has the summer and just maybe we lived it a bit more victoriously because we were in Bible study together! I have enjoyed every second of it and I trust you have, too. Kelly’s way on paper really speaks to me. I’ve heard many of you say the same thing. Like we’ve done in our previous summer studies, I will devote a post entirely to our teacher at the end of the week and let you tell Kelly how much you received from her tutelage through God’s Word. Try to save your direct feedback to her for that time so she’ll be able to read every single comment. Look for that post around Friday.

Summer Siesta Bible Study – Ruth Final Week from LPV on Vimeo.

I hope you’ll be able to watch the video greeting but, as usual, I want to make sure you have your instructions for our final gathering also in print. So, here goes!

As you meet in your final gathering, you’ll discuss Weeks (or Sessions) Five and Six:

The first two interactives are in response to Week (or Session) Five:

  1. Turn to p.122 and review the paragraph in the middle of the page beginning with the words, “I wonder if your life can be easily explained.” Follow your review by sharing what you wrote in reference to the “Personal Response” portion just below it, if you feel led.

  1. Turn to p.136. Kelly wraps up Week Five by asking us to have a closing prayer time over the one thing that touched us most in that five-day unit. If you feel comfortable doing so, please share that one thing with your small group or, if you’re going solo, share it with me and the rest of your participating sisters.

The last two interactives are in response to Week (or Session) Six:

  1. Turn to p.144 and look at the wonderful bold print at the bottom of the page. Review the answer to the question, “Who suddenly takes center stage and does this surprise you?” Then, glance up to the top of the next page (p.145) and share your answers to the “Personal Take.” Have fun looking over those next couple of paragraphs Kelly wrote about “you know, the women!”

(By the way, don’t you love the way Kelly had us go back to all those references that contained descriptions of Naomi? I thought it was so insightful.)

  1. Day’s Four and Five are so powerful that I cannot choose just one portion for you to review. Please glance over the entire ending to the Bible study, stretching over both lessons, and share what you have gleaned from God concerning LEGACY. God is just better than He has to be, isn’t He?

Thank you, Siestas, for a great summer in God’s Word! I respect your relationships with Christ so much. I pray that He enjoys lurking here. He is everything to us.

Be thinking about how you’re going to stay in the Word this Fall! We’ll provide some accountability by asking you around the first of September about your plan for victory!

You are so loved and highly esteemed around here. Press on, Darling Things!

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Siesta Summer Bible Study: Gathering Three!

July 20th, 2010 Beth
Tags: Posted in Beth, Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

Hey, Siestas! How about this summer Bible study? Is it fabulous or what?? I pray you are getting as much out of Kelly Minter’s “Ruth” as we are. My group of 8 is totally engrossed in it. We can’t get out on time to save our lives but that’s a good problem to have.

It’s time for our third gathering and we will discuss Weeks Three and Four or in the book’s terminology, Sessions Three and Four. As usual, I’m providing you a written version of what I share in the video greeting in case you have trouble playing it. We will have five interactives this time around: two based on Week (or Session) Three, two based on Week (or Session) Four and the final one will tie together both.

Summer Siesta Bible Study – Ruth Session 3 from LPV on Vimeo.

Based on Week (or Session) Three:

1. Turn to p.68 and review the first segment “For Discussion”: Describe a time when you were overcome by a man’s kindness. In keeping with the example of Ruth and Boaz, try to think in terms of an unexpected kindness.

2. Read Ruth 2:19-20 and review the climactic revelation in this Book of the Bible. After you read those two Scriptures, turn to p.85 and review the first couple of sentences of the paragraph in the middle of the page as follows: “It’s interesting that up to this point Naomi knew she had a kinsman-redeemer named Boaz but had no idea Ruth knew him; Ruth knew Boaz but didn’t know he was a kinsman redeemer. Suddenly these two pieces of information collided to potentially change the course of history.” Our divinely ordained collisions may not change the course of human history but they certainly change the course of our own personal history. Can any of you think of a time when God orchestrated an encounter or experience where you (or perhaps both/all parties involved) could say, “Only God could have known”? If so, share it. These would be really cool to hear in your blog comments so consider sharing one of the most meaningful examples.

Based on Week (or Session) Four:
3. Turn to p.95 and, if willing, share your answers to the “Personal Response” section at the very bottom of the page: “Describe a time when you’d done everything you could do and then had to wait for someone else’s response.”

4. Turn to p.108 and review the answer to the question in the middle of the page: “What did Boaz promise to do if the nearer relative chose not to redeem Ruth?” Then, share your responses to the discussion portion just below it where we were challenged to put ourselves in Ruth’s place. What kinds of feelings and thought processes would you have had in her exact situation?

Don’t conclude this portion of the Bible study without one of you reading the final paragraph on p.108 aloud to the rest of the group. (“If Ruth slept at all that night…) Those of you going solo can simply read it again and let it go even deeper.

5. Ask if one person wants to share a brand new insight she’s gained from this study regarding Christ as her Redeemer. (For those of you going solo, consider that I’m asking each of you the question.)

For our next gathering in two weeks, do Weeks (or Sessions) Five and Six. In other words, let’s finish up! And while we’re at it, Sisters, LET’S FINISH STRONG! You will feel such joy in your soul if you’ll see this to the last page. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if just as many women signed in at the end as in the beginning? Let’s make our goal 100%, Sisters!

For those of you joining in on the meals, consider the recipes on pages 88-89. The Grilled Chicken Salad with Strawberries sounds perfect for summer. Lord, have mercy on us, so does the pie!

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Siesta Summer Bible Study 3: Second Gathering

July 6th, 2010 Beth
Tags: Posted in Beth, Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

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!

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Siesta Summer Bible Study 3 Launch

June 22nd, 2010 Beth
Tags: Posted in Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

Hey, Siestas! It’s time for summer Bible study! For the sake of rich fellowship and vital accountability, we hope as many of you as possible are meeting with small groups and on every other Tuesday or as close to Tuesdays as possible. You are absolutely welcome to join us solo but try to stay as involved as possible in the discussions so that you’ll feel plugged in. This is what you’ll do every other Tuesday:

1. Watch the video so you’ll have your instructions for your gathering or for your solo experience. I will always put the bare bones of the instructions in writing on the post just in case there is a video malfunction.

2. (You will find these instructions reiterated in this post because it’s fundamental to the experience.) If you are in a small group, designate one person who will write a comment to this post briefly telling us about your group and your discussion. It can be a different person each week or the same. START THE COMMENT WITH THE CITY, THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AND LOCATION THEN DESCRIBE YOUR GROUP AND ADD SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR DISCUSSION. For instance, I am meeting with my Monday staff members so my comment will begin with:

Houston, Texas; 8 of us; Meeting at Living Proof Ministries. Our group is primarily made up of…The main part of our discussion was about…(And so forth).

3. If you are going solo, your comment will become the way you complete the assignments. In other words, you’ll see that I ask you to describe this season of your life in one word. In your comment, tell us what that one word would be.

Make the length of it one good, descriptive paragraph. Try not to write too much or readers will tend to skip over it.

This clip is to give instructions for your first gathering – the one you are hopefully having today or in next 24 hours. You can watch this together or your leader can watch it and pass on your instructions.

Summer Bible Study – Week 1 from LPV on Vimeo.

I so hope that makes sense! Now, here are the written instructions for your gathering just in case you can’t get the video to work. Welcome aboard! May God take us on a journey that we’ll treasure for many years. Let’s find the Ruth in us, Siestas!

Today in your small group, here’s what I am asking you to do:

1. If you don’t know each other, spend a few minutes finding out some basic biographical information about one another.  (Single, married, still in school, or in a career. Children, no children. The regular stuff. Keep in mind that everybody fits in Bible study. You don’t need to all be alike. In fact, the more alike you all are, the less you may sharpen one another.)

2. Each of you in your small group characterize your life in this present season in ONE WORD.  Have the leader record these.

3. Each of you in your small group share one specific goal you have this summer for being in Bible study. Have the leader record these, too.

4. Look at the very last verse of the Book of Judges (Judges 21:25) because of its placement just prior to the book we’ll study together this summer. Discuss several specific reasons why doing what each of us sees fit at any given time could be dangerous. After several minutes of discussion, read Jeremiah 17:7-14 and talk about how this segment relates or contrasts to Judges 21:25.

Leader: this is very important. You get back on within 24 hours of meeting and write a brief summation of your group time as a comment to this post. Tell us how many came, your city, and something about your group or your group discussion.

*UPDATE*
Here’s a link to the first chapter of Ruth in case you don’t have your workbook yet.
http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_Ruth-Sample-Chapter.pdf

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Siestas Internacionales

May 21st, 2010 Amanda
Tags: Posted in Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

About a month ago I was playing around with the web site that tracks statistics for our blog. It’s fun to look at even though I hardly understand what any of it means. That day I clicked on something called “Map Overlay” and proceeded to be sucked in by a map of the whole world. When I moved my cursor over a country, it showed me how many visits our blog had had from that country in a certain number of days. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The Siestas are literally all over the world. Even in countries I’ve never heard of! Praise our God! I called my mom and we discussed it in happy tears. For those of you who are joining us from outside of the U.S.A., know that you are dearly loved and remembered.

On that note, I want to give a couple of hints to the international Siestas who may be hoping to join our summer Bible study. (All the details of SSBS3 are here in case you missed it.)

If you are in Canada, David C. Cook is your LifeWay distributor. You can order your book from them here.

For everyone else, you can click here to see a list of LifeWay distributors by country. They may be able to help you get a copy of Kelly Minter’s Ruth workbook. I’m praying for God to work everything out for you.

Just for fun, here’s a list of the countries with the most visits this month.

1. United States (with 95% of our visits)

2. Canada

3. United Kingdom

4. Germany

5. Australia

6. South Africa

7. Japan

8. Netherlands

9. Singapore

10. Brazil

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Siesta Summer Bible Study III

May 19th, 2010 Amanda
Tags: Posted in Ruth, Siesta Summer Bible Study

Siesta Summer BIble Study III Launch

Second Gathering

Third Gathering

Final Gathering

Video greeting from Kelly Minter

_______________

I can’t believe the blog has been around long enough for us to be having our third annual Siesta Summer Bible Study! Wow! We had an amazing time studying Kelly Minter’s No Other Gods in 2008 and Jennifer Rothschild’s Me Myself and Lies in 2009.

It’s finally time to announce the book that we’ll be going through together in the summer of 2010 – Kelly Minter’s Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy! We’re thrilled that Kelly has written another study and can’t wait to dive into it with all the Siestas.

Let me fill you in on some details.

Who: As before, we want you to assemble a group of in-real-life friends, co-workers, family members, acquaintances, church family, Siestas in your town, neighbors, or whatever mix of ladies God puts on your heart.

What: Spend the summer together in the Word! Our workbook (also called a “member book”) is a 6-week Bible study on the Book of Ruth. We will meet every other week to discuss two weeks of our homework.

When: We are partial to Tuesday since that’s our normal night for Bible study at LPM. So we will launch our SSBS3 on Tuesday, June 22, and “meet” every other Tuesday until August 3. Yes, you can meet another day of the week if necessary but you’ll see when the time comes that it’s the most fun when we all do it on the same day.

I’ll give you the basic schedule now so you’ll know what to expect but Beth will  have much more to say about it closer to the time of our launch. If we don’t answer your questions now, save them and see if they get answered within the next several weeks.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 (1st Mini-Session/LAUNCH/Group instructions)

(DO WEEKS ONE AND TWO OF HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 (2nd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)

(DO WEEKS THREE AND FOUR OF HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 (3rd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)

(DO WEEKS FIVE AND SIX OF HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 (4th Mini-Session/Conclusion)

Where: Wherever you are most comfortable. Kelly’s workbooks are part of the Living Room Series. Her core group of ladies meets in her living room and they always share a meal together. In fact, you’ll find recipes in the workbook if you’d like to use them. We think that’s a really fun part of the experience. The first summer my group met in a different house each week and last summer we met in the same house each week. We’ve had some siesta groups meet in restaurants and coffee shops. Do whatever works for you and your ladies.

Why: A summer lived in Bible study is one lived in victory!

How:

1. Get your workbooks. LifeWay will 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 and on Kelly Minter’s web site.

2. Assemble your small group. You are more than welcome to participate solo or with an online discussion group, but for the sake of richest fellowship and best accountability, try as hard as you can to enlist three or four other women to meet with you every other Tuesday. Let the ladies know that the gatherings will be low on stress and high on much needed fellowship and rich discussion. Keep the emphasis on a relaxed and refreshing atmosphere where you can develop some wonderful relationships in Christ.

3. Sign up on the blog on our official Launch Day- Tuesday, June 22. We’ll ask you a few fun questions about your group.

4. Beth will facilitate the study by posting 15-minute videos on the mornings our meeting days. They will have instructions for discussion questions and activities that will be based on the previous two weeks of study. The videos will be like the ones you’re used to seeing on this blog – very casual and homemade! The idea is to incorporate the videos into the beginning of your meeting times if possible. In case the video aspect of the study doesn’t work for you, you will also find the discussion questions typed out on the blog.

5. 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 videos. Go for it!
-I really, really want to do the study but it’s not in the budget. Email me.
–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 look forward to getting started next month!
Love,
Amanda

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