My baby is safest when...

Since I am no longer working and getting paid for it, I switched over from night Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) to morning BSF.  (If you do not have a current Bible study group, you need to check out one in your area.  It has been the greatest encouragement to me.  I wrote a post about it last year, and you can check it out here to get some more information.)


This year we are studying the life of Moses.  Today we talked about Moses's early life.  If you are unfamiliar with it or need a short recap, here goes: The Israelites were living in Egypt.  The Pharaoh was afraid of how numerous the Israelites were becoming.  He tried many attempts to try to stop the growth of that nation with one tactic being for the Hebrew mothers to throw all their newborn baby boys into the Nile River.  Moses's mother fixed a small basket for him and set it afloat on the river where he was later discovered and saved by Pharaoh's daughter.

How courageous was that momma?  Being a momma now, I can't imagine sending my daughter off on a river.  I can't imagine being asked to give up my baby.  Our leader reminded us that Moses was never safer than when he was in that basket.  Likewise, Eleanor will never be safer than when she is in God's hands.  That reminds of something else I have been told-We are immortal until God calls us home.  Both of those things are just sweet reminders of the Lord's plan and protection for us.  But also very convicting, have I trusted the Lord with my baby?  I can plan and prepare, just like Moses's mom, but ultimately I have to leave her in the Lord's hands.

Wow, so much to take away from BSF, and it is only week 2!

Be encouraged!

The Lord has been sweet!

Last fall hubs and I started a Bible study with high expectations for great friendships and accountability.  It didn't really pan out.  Maybe more on that later...

I recently started Bible Study Fellowship.  If you don't know what that is, is a group of ladies (they also have it for men, but they meet somewhere else) from different churches that come together once a week for Bible Study.  We are currently going through the curriculum for Genesis.  (They go through a different book each year.)  We sing a little, break into small groups to go over our weekly lesson, and listen to a sermon. 

I highly recommend starting.  At the beginning of each month, they have a newbies class.  I thought I would be the only one, but surprisingly, there were about 5 other ladies. 

If you know me at all, I struggle with anxiety of starting new things or meeting new people, but the Lord has been really gracious with BSF and has allowed me to feel right at home. 

Small groups are also a hodge podge of people--old, young, married, single, pregnant, with children, without.  I appreciate hearing their different viewpoints from different stages of life.  Also, my grandmother and mom did this earlier in their lives, and in a way, I feel connected to them.  

Just within the three weeks that I have been going I have been blessed to have the Lord recall to my mind spiritual truths throughout the day and week, to wrestle with understanding a truth in Scripture, to want to do my study throughout the week.  Yay God! 

If you are currently not being poured into by other believers or having accountability, I definitely suggest you find a BSF in your area.  


http://www.bsfinternational.org/

 

Why is praying so hard?

We just started this book with my small group Bible study. I am really excited because I need something very structured for my quiet time to be productive.
Recap of chapter 1:
"Our trust in ourselves and in our talents makes us structurally independent of God.  As a result, exhortations to pray do not stick."--So true.  The reason I don't pray is because I think I can do it by myself.  Or the only time, I do pray is AFTER I have tried everything I can possible think of.

Look at the question above: What is it like when you talk to God?

Recap of chapter 2:
The author gave a great comparison of prayer to a family dinner.  You don't sit at dinner and think about the conversation, we, instead, focus on the person with whom we are talking.  The same is true with God.  "A praying life feels like our family mealtimes because prayer is all about relationship.  Many people struggle to pray because they are focusing on praying, not on God."

Check out question #10.

Hopefully, blogging about prayer and my struggles with it will be an encouragement to you, but also an encouragement to me to continue and be consistent with my time getting to know the Lord.  

Linking up here