Hey Summer Bible Study Siestas! It’s time for Gathering II! Remember, all comments to this post are meant to come AFTER your small group meeting as a way of sharing a highlight with us from your time together. Try to limit your feedback to one regular-size paragraph and be sure to remind us where you’re from and how many are in your group. Only one group member is requested to give a report but if something huge is happening in your life through the study and your leader didn’t share it, by all means, post an individual comment so your Siestas can give God the praise He’s due.
If at all possible, please watch the video for your instructions for this week’s gathering but, just in case you can’t get it to work or can’t spare the time, here are the activities in writing:
1. By now you’ve been well introduced to the concept of the study. We’re cleaning out our thought closets. On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you individually need this particular subject matter and why?
2. Look on p.13 at the quote in the margin: “Who I am and what I struggle with are not the same thing.” In what way did that statement resonate with you? What struggle do you most tend to define yourself by?
3. Look on p.23, Day 4 of Week 1 at the interactive where Jennifer says, “In your own words, describe worry.” What was your answer?
4. Go to p.44 in Week 2 and focus on the part of the study where Jennifer talks about “faulty assumptions.” I thought this part was incredibly insightful. What is one of your faulty assumptions?
Have a great time with one another and may Christ’s Presence and power be evident in every gathering! You are loved and prioritized here at LPM.
Good morning, my favorite blog community on the planet!
The “Moore” girls are all together at a rented beach house having the best time! AJ, Melissa, Annabeth and I got here yesterday and all the boys will join us tomorrow. Til then, girls just wanna have fun. We’ve already laughed like crazy, made a ton of fun of each other (it’s usually AJ and Lis making fun of me in particular but I got in a few good ones). We also got especially tickled at Annabeth who was in her jammies last night at about 10:30, sitting on our laps in the den where we were watching TV. She was smiling big enough to eat a baby elephant, squealing, kicking her legs and looking from one of us to the another – Mommy, Aunt Lissy, and Bibby – as if she were about to bust out with “Par-tay! Par-tay! Par-tay!” She’s just killer cute. AJ brought her camera so we’ll try to post some pictures while we’re here. AJ and I brought our “Me, Myself and Lies” workbooks so we won’t fall behind. A five day stint is way too long to take a vacation from the Word lest our men arrive to the 3 Brides of Frankenstein. I am not sure what Melissa brought for spiritual enrichment but I saw her Greek New Testament in there by her bed. Maybe we can spend some rich devotional time parsing verbs this morning.
Speaking of “Me, Myself and Lies,” AJ got an email from Jennifer Rothschild’s husband yesterday saying that she is going to be on the Dr. Phil show this very day. Can you believe your summer Bible study teacher is going to be on network television like that? I think I’m scheduled to be on Jerry Springer at some point with my family. I’ll keep you posted on when. We’re waiting for a couple of situations to come to a head.
OK, we’re going for a walk and I need to get Annabeth’s diaper changed and her swim suit on if I can bear the love. I also need to pull Melissa’s hind end out of the bed. We did not come here to sleep. We came here to “Par-tay!” I’ll check in with you really soon so that, just in case you didn’t get to head to a beach with a temperate climate of 105 degrees for the Fourth, you can live vicariously through the Siestas Sledge.
We love you, Darling Things. I especially do but I only get to say that because neither AJ or Melissa know I’m posting this.
Can you believe it’s already July 1st? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Where has the summer gone? Well, actually, in Houston we’re ready to say good riddance to it but I don’t think it’s going anywhere soon. As if we didn’t already have the hottest summers in the Wild West, we are setting record temperatures here this year. There is no font big enough for me to type the word “Bummer” as large as I feel it. I do not like hot weather. Especially hot, HUMID weather. But I’m not one to complain. I just walk out the door in the morning and yell at the top of my lungs, “GOOD GRIEF!”
On to much more important things! It’s time for Verse 13! We’ve made it over the hump to the second half of our commitment and I’m really pumped. Yesterday morning on the way to work, I said all the verses in my spiral out loud to God. To His great glory, I did indeed get my Psalm 112 segment memorized and it has been no small delight to me this month.
My selection this time around is coming from our SSBS, Me, Myself and Lies. Jennifer mentions it in Week Three. I’m a little ahead of you so, if you’re staying on schedule, you probably haven’t seen it yet. It’s Proverbs 7:4 out of the NASB. Since I primarily use the NIV, I had never seen it worded like this before.
Say to wisdom “You are my sister” and call understanding your intimate friend.
That’s what I’m saying! “You are my sister” to wisdom and “You are my intimate friend” to understanding. Now, that’s what I call some mighty fine soul mates. Try hanging out with them, why don’t we?
OK, let’s hear yours! Name, city, verse, and reference with translation abbreviations. Hit it, Siestas!
Thank you for praying for all of us at Living Proof Live in Stockton, California! God gave us a fresh revelation of His Son this weekend (out of Revelation, as a matter of fact) and what more could we possibly ask except for the courage to act on it? For any of you who were there, thank you so much for allowing us the privilege of being your servants. I’ve thought about you constantly since I got home. I loved seeing the myriad of you at In-n-Out. I wouldn’t leave California without an In-n-Out cheeseburger if my life depended on it.
There are certain songs I play and sing when I’m especially aware of Christ as the ultimate, uncontested love of my life OR if I’m especially in need of remembering. This is one of them. I have no idea how many times I’ve played it and Mark Schultz has no idea how many times I’ve sung back up for him. Not that he’d want to hire me and take me on the road or anything. But if he did, I’d walk one thousand miles, one thousand miles it’s true, if he were heading straight to Jesus.
I would walk 1,000 miles 1,000 miles it’s true I would walk 1,000 miles Just to be with You
[Chorus]‘Cause you’ve got my heart and you’ve got my soul You’ve got this promise too I would walk 1,000 miles Just to be with You
If I could live 100 years Before my life is through If I could live 100 years I’d spend them loving You
[Chorus]Cause You’ve got my heart and you’ve got my soul You’ve got this promise too If I could live 100 years I’d spend them loving You
If I could write 10,000 songs 10,000 songs it’s true If I Could write 10,000 songs I’d Sing them all for you
[Chorus]‘Cause you’ve got my heart and you’ve got my soul You’ve got this promise too If I could write 10,000 songs I’d Sing them all for you
(Mark Schultz, 1000 Miles)
SO, Siestas, what song reminds you personally that Jesus is the love of your life? I wish we had room for all the lyrics but here’s what I’ll request instead: the name of the song, the artist and the one line that especially gets to you.
Let’s build each other up in the Spirit this Monday morning. Jesus is so worthy.
I am at the Houston airport about to board my flight toward Stockton. So excited to see you California girls! A day or two ago Melissa sent me an answer to an email question she’d received to see if I’d approve it. Not only did I approve it, I asked her if she’d let me post it because a number of you might have had similar questions about Bible translations. This particular question pertains to the Message translation but we get similar questions about all sorts of translations. This is the kind of thing she and I did with our Lit class. It was so much fun. Man oh man, I love having my two daughters on this blog team so much. One thing you can count on around here is all sorts of different type posts! So let’s move from Amanda, Annabeth, and me at the Tea Room (where we did INDEED have some deep spiritual conversation amid our coconut cake – make no mistake, AJ is the deepest thinker in our family) to Melissa, our resident Bible technician. We all love serving you so much!
Off to California! Pray us a ton of Jesus!
The question in a nutshell:
I am having a very hard time putting my mind around using the Message as text for this first lesson…When I look up the Message in the Bible Gateway, it doesn’t even resemble NIV, let alone some of the other translations. I am not a KJV gal, but this is a stretch. Please help me understand. Sincerely with a searching heart.
OK, here’s Melissa’s response to the question (which has been tweaked some for purposes of posting it on a public forum):
Dear __________________,
You ask a very good question. What I appreciate most about people who are concerned with particular Bible translations is that they display a respect for the integrity of the Word of God. They don’t want people messing with it or putting their dirty little hands on it. And I totally get that.
We believe wholeheartedly in using many translations at Living Proof. To be fair, the Message is a true translation and not a paraphrase which people often assume. Eugene Peterson translates straight from the Greek and the Hebrew while a true paraphrase usually re-words or “paraphrases” an existing English translation and not the original languages. Peterson’s approach, however, is to elevate contemporary meaning and significance over the original meaning and traditional biblical idiom(s). As Fee and Stuart explain, “Peterson’s intent was to recapture the tone, to bring out the subtleties and nuances of the Hebrew and Greek languages while keeping a sense of the firsthand experience for contemporary readers. Peterson often asked himself, “If Paul were the Pastor of my church, how would he say this? or “If Jesus were here teaching, what would it sound like?” (see Fee and Strauss, “How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth”, 33). Even though Peterson is a solid scholar and a brilliant artist with language, I would not recommend using The Message as a primary text but as a supplementary text. And my guess is that Eugene Peterson himself would never have intended for The Message to replace major English translations like the NASB, ESV, or NIV that have all been birthed by major oversight and translation committees. When used in a supplementary manner The Message really is an absolutely beautiful translation. I personally use the NASB as my primary text along with consulting the Greek and the Hebrew but I don’t consider my reading or study complete without comparing a plethora of English translations (including NASB, ESV, NRSV, NIV, NLT, KJV, and many others). I would keep in mind that every English text of the Bible is a translation except the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. To take it one step further, every translation includes some interpretation. There is just no getting away from that. And even those who have had the opportunity to study Greek and Hebrew are still studying human languages. God spoke and continues to speak through human beings, a fact that is downright humbling and astounding in and of itself.
I totally hear your heart and understand your concern which is that you would like to use the closest “literal” rendering of God’s Word that is available to us and if that is the case I would use an NASB or an ESV. An NIV is still a mediating translation but keep in mind there are great things to be said about mediating translations. Many would argue that there are serious advantages to a good mediating translation which is why so many Pastors and lay-people still use the NIV. There are three major types of translations and each have different goals: Formal Equivalence, Mediating, and Functional Equivalence. All three of these types have pros and cons which are worth contemplating and the best thing to do, in my opinion, is compare all of them and then study up on what the editors and translators were trying to do in the first place. It is always a good idea to read the Editor’s notes in the front of a particular Bible. The introduction will usually explain the method behind the translation theory and also the person or committee that was involved in the translation process. This is, of course, a very brief response and much more could be said on the matter. If you continue to have questions concerning translations I would do some intentional reading into translation theory. A very user-friendly and readable book on this very issue is called “How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth” by Gordon Fee and Mark L. Strauss. I highly recommend it. I hope this helps you! Blessings to you.
Hi ladies! This week has been quite a ride! We are so excited about our summer study and we love how excited you are, too. It’s been really fun seeing all of your pictures. I squealed when the group pics started rolling in late Tuesday night.
I have a few new details about our summer Bible study:
A) Jennifer Rothschild, the author of Me Myself & Lies, has a blog!
B) Jennifer wrote a song based on Psalm 19 called “Let the Words.” Her hope was that women would connect with the song and use it to reinforce the idea of words (like the ones we say to ourselves) being “acceptable to you, Oh Lord.” A free MP3 download of the song and a music video are available here.
C) LifeWay has provided a free download of the first week of homework for anyone who doesn’t have their book just yet. You can get it here.
I’ve done my MM&L study the last two mornings and it is already impacting me so much. I don’t know about you, but I really need this. Mom and I had lunch at a cute little tea room today and we had our own discussion about our thought closets. That was nice because I had to miss my group’s first meeting. (Jackson was sick, but he’s all better now.)
By the way, Mom and I looked like lunatics at the restaurant because we took pictures the whole time. How could we not document and therefore blog about Annabeth’s first lunch at a tea room? When Mom grabbed a tiny tea cup off a shelf and positioned it in Annabeth’s hand for a photo op, I thought we were going to get kicked out. Thankfully we didn’t. If I’d had to miss out on coconut cake because of her misbehavior, it would not have been pretty.
Here are some pictures from Annabeth’s first tea room experience – the first of many.
Annabeth with the cup that my mom was apparently willing to purchase today. It was a very risky two seconds.
Praise the Lord.
Annabeth realizing we were going to have to take Bibby back to work.
*UPDATE – The Stockton tickets have all been given away.*
Anybody want to go to the Stockton, California Living Proof Live this Friday night and Saturday till noon but can’t spare the money for a ticket? Girlfriend, I betcha your Siesta Mama can get you in! Please call Living Proof Ministries toll free at 1-888-700-1999 and ask for Susan or Kimberly and, thanks to the Siesta Scholarship Fund, you’ve got yourself a ticket. Call right away! If it’s after work hours, call any time from 8:30-4:30 CST on Thursday or even Friday morning, for crying out loud. IF YOU WANT TO COME, WE WANT YOU THERE.
We can’t wait to hear from all of you who are participating in our Second Annual Siesta Summer Bible Study! This is your official sign-up post. This year we are thrilled to be going through Jennifer Rothschild’s Me Myself & Lies (workbook only) and we launch with our first gathering today through the post below this one. But first you need to sign in by posting a comment right here. If you are participating solo, please sign in with your first name and city. If you are participating with a small group, only one of you needs to sign in, but please include all your group members’ first names and then the city from which you’re participating. We can’t wait to see the group God is pulling together so speak up, Girlfriends!
We at Living Proof Ministries are so honored to be your servants. Let’s stay in the Word!
*After you have posted your sign-up comment, you can upload a photograph of your group (or of yourself if you’re doing it individually) to our guest book. If you don’t have a picture yet, just come back later! Like our comments, pictures will be moderated.
I HAD TO GET BACK ON HERE AND TELL YOU GUYS THAT YOU ARE THE CUTEST THINGS I’VE EVER LAID MY EYES ON! I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN MYSELF! HOW WONDERFUL TO SEE YOUR FACES!
*From Amanda: As I’m moderating these pictures, many of them are showing up as question marks. I’ve been deleting those. If yours doesn’t show up after, let’s say 12 hours, you might want to try again.
*If you’re having trouble viewing the video, you may need to download a newer version of Adobe Flash Player. You can get it here. Thanks for the tip, Adrienne!
Hey, Siestas! Let’s kick off some summer Bible study, why don’t we? I’m a little over-excited, too, but hold up before you write back! DON’T COMMENT YET! Your comments to this post are meant to FOLLOW your group meeting as a way of sharing a highlight about your time together. Again, please DO NOT WRITE COMMENTS until after you meet. If you’re participating solo, please watch the video first and do the exercises for yourself, THEN comment with your brief responses.
Here’s how it goes:
Please watch the eleven minute video for instructions for your small group and, if you can’t watch it together, no big deal! Each of you try to give it a look before your meeting. These videos will be posted indefinitely, so it’s no problem if your group can’t meet until later in the week. I’ll always write the instructions in the post just like I did last summer in case anybody has technical difficulty watching the video.
Here are your 3 interactive exercises for today:
1. An icebreaker just so we can have the opportunity to be ridiculous: What breed of dog do you most resemble in demeanor and why? If you don’t know your dog breeds, describe your demeanor to your group and let them help you.
2. This one will help us get to know one another’s priority needs right now. Get out a pen and paper and craft a one-sentence text message with a limit of 160 characters that starts with (and includes) these words: Please pray for me. I…
3. Have one group member read Psalm 19 out of The Message to the rest of the group. (See below) After she reads the whole psalm, have members lock in on the section that describes what the Word of God (called by other names such as “revelation”) does for us. Mention each benefit of studying Scripture and have group members who have discovered one of those benefits give short and specific testimonies as an encouragement to the rest.
You’ll pray and dismiss then designate ONE GROUP MEMBER to comment with a report about your group. Please limit the comment to a normal size paragraph. Each member will then complete Weeks One and Two of homework in their Me Myself & Lies member-book by our second gathering in two weeks. If you can’t get all your homework accomplished, meet anyway! A little Bible study is FAR BETTER than no Bible study! Thank you so much for participating!
I love you like crazy. Beth
Psalm 19 A David Psalm 1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.
3-4 Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
4-5 God makes a huge dome for the sun—a superdome! The morning sun’s a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape.
6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.
7-9 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree.
10 God’s Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries.
11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool? Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.
Isn't "siesta" the Spanish word for nap? Yes! Then why are our LPM blog readers called siestas? One time Beth typed out the word "sistas," referring to our blog readers, and her spell checker wanted her to change it to "siestas." The name stuck! You can read about it here. If you read this blog, consider yourself a siesta! It's just another word for sister.
