Can you believe our final gathering has arrived? The summer flew by, didn’t it? As I told you in this video, you’ll make your usual comments to this entry after your gatherings but watch for a final roll call one week from today. I’m going to ask every single INDIVIDUAL (each solo participant or member of a group) who completed all her homework to sign in with her first name and location NEXT TUESDAY. You’ll recall that we did this as we launched the study and we’ll do it again next Tuesday to give a shout-out for those who made it to the last page. (No condemnation to the ones that didn’t! These kinds of disciplines can be extra challenging in the summer which is precisely why we did this.) Because we want to set up as many people as possible for victory, we’re putting off the roll call for one week to offer a little grace period to finish. You can do it!

OK, so here are our discussion questions or statements for our final gathering:

One from Week Seven:
1. On the bottom of p.148 and in the context of promised blessing, Kelly writes, “Sometimes the Lord immediately replaces what we have left [as in, said good-bye to], and other times we are left feeling empty for a time.” At several very important seasons of my own life I believe God deliberately let me feel that empty space for a while before He filled it…even with Himself. If you’ve had a similar experience, share it and discuss what purpose God might have had in it.

This line of discussion also brings to mind the segment of Jeremiah 15:17 that Kelly shares on p.167 in Week Eight: “I sat alone because Your hand was on me.” Keep in mind that God created each of us to be a very plugged-in part of the Body of Christ. We were created for relationship but sometimes God draws us into a time of aloneness with Him so that He can work something IN US that He desires to later work THROUGH US. If you’ve had a season like I just described that had a pretty profound effect on you, share it briefly with your group.

The next three from Week Eight:
2. The intro to Session Eight was so powerful and dead on. Revisit the testimony about the married friend realizing she needed to get rid of the cards, letters and emails from the first guy she ever loved. Another friend shared a similar story with Kelly that she references on p.178. We can hang on to all sorts of things from the past besides old boyfriends and, often, until we really say goodbye, we can’t say hello to something wonderful God has for us. As Kelly’s been telling us for weeks, we’ve got to make ROOM. Discuss a time you came to a similar conclusion and acted on it. OR, if you haven’t let go of something but you know you need to, ask your group members to hold you accountable and pray for you to have courage to follow through.

3. I loved Day Three! Revisit Kelly’s first paragraph on p.173. What is the “bridge between the old and the new”? THEN, take a good look at Deuteronomy 6:23 in the margin of that same page and note Kelly’s abbreviation of it in the second paragraph: “He brought us out…to bring us in.” Girlfriend, that statement deserves an index card! Why is it so critical to keep that concept (not the index card but the abbreviation!) in mind?

4. The last two days of study out of the Book of Ruth were so good. Didn’t you love the last line of Ruth 1 (V.22) where we learn that Ruth and Naomi, devastated and grieved, entered Jerusalem, just “as the barley harvest was beginning”? Read John 15:8. As we draw our journey to a close, having moved out some idols to make room for Christ, encourage one another to believe God to move in powerfully and purposefully. Speak these words over one another, emphatically and with authority: “Your harvest is just beginning!”

As you conclude, please thank God for Kelly and pray His richest blessings over her.

I’m so proud of you, Siestas! Thank you for taking this journey in the Word of God with so many of your Siestas. We made it through the summer without a famine of the Word sending us into the emotional abyss! I sure love you.

Hey, You Darlin’ Things! It’s that time again: our Tuesday for Siesta Summer Bible Study and this is Gathering #4! Please take a few minutes to watch my greeting to you via another very professional, highly technical taping (I know LifeWay must be getting nervous). There is much more on the video than what I’m writing here but, as we’ve done before, I just want to make sure you have your discussion questions in print. Please also note that we have yet another contest. You’ll find out far more about it on the video greeting but I thought it might help to have the eligibility requirements here. You’ll find them at the bottom of this post. The prizes are things you simply do not want to miss. Hint: they may be things you cannot live without…but I can.

I love you guys like crazy and I love loving Jesus with you. Hang in there, stay in the Word, and let’s finish strong!!! Here goes:

Three Discussion Questions:

From Week Five:
1. Take a look at the bottom of p.103, starting with the question, “What word in Numbers 11:4 (NIV) is used to describe their desire for meat?” Discuss a number of specific ways craving something is different from wanting it. While you’re at it, continue a discussion Melissa and I started on a walk a few nights ago. We were talking about how you can tell you’re getting out of control with something when you start trying to be secretive about it. What do you think?

2. Take a look at the top of p.108 under “Personal Reflection.” I loved this line of discussion starting with this question: “Have you ever tasted or brought back fruit from a future promise that had not been fully realized?” Discuss that whole first paragraph.

From Week Six:
3. Turn to p.125 and reread (one of you aloud to the group) the excerpt Kelly included by Charles Spurgeon. What are a few things we often try to do rather than refer our doubts straight to God? Then, read John 2:1-5 and note how Mary approached the pressing problem. As you conclude today’s gathering, have a brief time of prayer, letting those that feel comfortable praying out loud simply state their need or problem to God in one statement, something like this: “Lord, there is no more _____________________.” Or, “Lord, I am ____________________________.” Then simply tell Him that you’re trusting Him to do something about it. Try to resist fretting over it this week but keep watching for Him to turn some water into wine.

I pray for Christ to show up in such a profound Presence in your gathering this week that nobody can miss Him!

NOW, about that contest:

THE INCOMPARABLE PRIZES: In keeping with our kitchen theme (please see video), the prize will be a compilation of several kitchen gadgets or serving dishes out of my own kitchen that I have never used, several of which are still in the box. Can you resist these kinds of prizes? I don’t think so.

ELIGIBILITY:
*A group of five or more Siestas who meet face-to-face on our Tuesdays. (We LOVE our groups meeting on-line and totally dig our solo siestas but I needed a way to narrow down the contest.)

*Perfect attendance at all four gatherings. In other words, every woman who met the first time in your group has come for all four gatherings. Way to go!

HOW TO WIN: Be the first group to sign in AFTER your gathering to say that you’ve had perfect attendance. Please identify your group to us (city/location) then watch for us to confirm the winning group in the COMMENT section. We’ll also tell you how to contact us with an address to receive your prizes. Please make sure you tell us how many are in your group because I will GLADLY send something out of my kitchen for each of you. The times on the comments are recorded so the first one will automatically win.

Whew! This contest is so great that I wish I could enter it myself! But I’m afraid I’d have to win it all back.

P.S. Thank you for remembering that your comments are meant to follow your gatherings! You’re the best!