Welcome back to the Bible Cafe, as we discuss our first week of study. If you want to jump right into today’s discussion, go right to the end of this post and start sharing!
We have more than 150 women participating and I wanted to thank you for your comments during the study. Some women are sending their comments by email, not quite comfortable with the online format, and that’s just fine. As you’ve noticed I am holding you accountable to your study. Your participation is what matters, not how you answer the question. Last summer we learned this during our group study: “We can feel inadequate or inexperienced and even intimidated when we study together. In our own minds, we’re ‘Not Perfect’ because another person says something more spiritual or more powerful.” If this speaks to your heart, then read the full discussion we shared on Being Perfect.
We’ve just finished reading our first week of Ruth: Loss, Love and Legacy by Kelly Minter. We started our study on day one, reading about the journey Naomi took with her husband and two sons and ended our study on day five, when Naomi begins her journey home. We looked at the decision to go forward or turn back, and watched as Orpah and Ruth made their individual choices. In our study, Kelly introduces us to the concepts of weeping forward, hesed, and prolonged obedience vs willpower. Everything is working against Naomi and Ruth, and we are about to walk forward into their journey of redemption.
I enjoyed this comment that Ginny posted last week: Something that has spoken to me already is what Matthew Henry said about “leaving something isn’t always the best solution”. It’s easy to want to run when you’re in a hard place, or to just “disengage” so to speak. But that’s not always what God wants us to do. We’ll talk about this today in our group question below. Be sure to post a comment.
Enjoy this short video clip from Kelly Minter, posted on YouTube
Last week we asked you to describe your present season of life in One word. These are the words that describe our online group:
Anticipating-2, Anxious-2, Blessed-4, Busy-2, Calm-1, Checking-1, Dependent-1, Determined-1, Discouraged-1, Discovery-1, Drought-1, Exhausted-1, Fearful-2, Finding-1, Full-1, Grateful-1, Grieving-1, Growing-2, Happy-1, Healing-2, Hectic-2, Loneliness-2, Longing-1, Mourning-1, Nervous-1, Newborn-1, Overflowing-1, Overwhelmed-2, Patient-1, Recovering-1, Remission-1, Renewal-2, Restless-1, Stressed-2, Stretched-1, Suffering-1, Thankful-1, Tired-1, Transition-4, Uncertain-1, Unemployed-1, Unfocused-1, Unfulfilled-1, Unworthy-1, Well-1, Wondering-1, Worried-1, Yearning-1
Prayer Requests
We have more than 150 women participating in this study and know that each of you are unique with special prayer needs. We’d like to pray with you, so please post your prayer requests here.
Kelly Minter Quotes
- The people had a history of turning to God during seasons of punishment but forgetting Him during seasons of prosperity.
- Bread is always available at His table for anyone willing to return.
- Although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what truly matters.
- It’s possible to cry and walk.
New to this Study or Just Catching Up?
If you are just starting the study or catching up, here are the posts you’ll need to read:
How to Register for the Study, Subscribe to the Blog and Find a Workbook
Our Thoughts While Reading Week One
Group Discussion
In the workbook on page 22 Kelly Minter writes “Although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what truly matters.” Has a certain hardship in your life caused you to turn around in your weeping, or to weep going forward? Please share your personal experience.
***Feel free to include your own questions or responses to this week’s lesson. You can answer the group question or post a new question in the comments below.
Weeping backward comes naturally to me. I have had so many disappointments in my life from the people I loved the most, starting in my childhood, so my first reaction is to retreat when I am hurt. A few years ago my husband and I had severe marital problems that almost ended in divorce. We had a very small child at the time and I made tried to plan, through the tears, a way out for my daughter and I. I met obstacle after obstacle until I realized that it was not in God’s will for me to abandon our marriage. After I came to this realization and stopped fighting it and humbled myself, things got much better. I had to fight many tears and weep forward, and so did my husband, but in the end we were able to reconcile and rebuild our marriage. I learned such a valuable lesson and now try (“try” being the key word) to put his will over my pride and hurt feelings instead of fleeing.
I believe that for the longest time I was weeping in place. I was struggling with everyday things because I always felt sick. I thought it was just my Fibromyalgia and that I was just going to live like that forever.How depressing is that right? Now that I have learned that I’ve had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for over a year and a half I feel relieved in knowing that there was something actually wrong with me and there is hope for me to get better. Cancer is not a good thing but I think I’m the happiest cancer patient ever lol. I could get sucked into depression and being sad about having cancer but it doesn’t change anything. I am currently weeping forward knowing that I am healing(physically and spiritually). I am looking forward to a better life cancer free and full of GOD’s love.
Hi everyone, sorry to be so tardy in my post!! I have to do my readings on the weekends and so this past weekend I got caught up on them!
After reading about weeping forward, it occurred to me that that is precisely what I’ve been doing for the past 6 months, only without knowing it. You see, my 10 month old daughter passed away from a very rare and horrible disease on 12/31/09. The last 6 months have been terribly painful, but something beyond me, and beyond my control, has been literally moving my feet and my heart forward for me. Through my daughters illness and her death my faith in the Lord got renewed as I never thought it would …… when most people would’ve given up on their faith from all the hardships being thrown their way, that was when I found mine. I thanked, and still do thank Him for giving me my daughter, and even for taking her away. I was chosen to care for her; to use my talents and intelligence to come up with different ways to deal with her many issues. And when neither she, nor I could take the pain anymore, He gently lifted her to Heaven.
My blog is all about my daughters life and my journey of faith. Here is the link to it if anyone is interested: http://www.littleladyleahspage.blogspot.com
you have my deepest sympathy for the loss of your daughter Jesus loves all the little children and now she knows no pain i think its awesome that your faaith deepend all the while you and your daughter were struggling,i will remeber to pray that the lord continues to lift you up and comfort you and bless you in all that you do.
Gods Blessings to you
a freind in christ ,tracy greve
Cannot wait for this next week! Such an amazing study…applicable in all areas of my life!
I definitely think weep going forward. My father has recently been very ill and he made it through a very challenging surgery. I praise God everyday that he is still with me developing a relationship with my 2 year old son. They have a very special bond and I pray to God that he will grow to have memories of Papaw. I weep going forward, out of praise to God for continuing my father’s life on this Earth. I just weep at the miracles he performs daily.
Hi everyone. I am in the process of catching up. Satan had ahold of me for awhile again. So I guess I am in weeping backwards stage still: my husbands health was dragging me down again and has done so for the past fifteen years, and Satan always knocking on the door, pushing, fear, stress, discouragement,
and disappointment into my life ( seems like the last ten years). So I am looking forward to weeping forward with this study. QUESTION; if we are all weeping does it mean our tears are Blessing from God or Blessing to God?
Blessing and prayers to all of you,
Susan
This year has been an incredible “learning” year for me. 4years ago, after suffering several miscarriages, my husband and I welcomed our son,Samuel, into our family. All through my pregnancy we were unaware that Sam had Down Syndrome. His birth was very difficult for both of us but after several weeks in the NICU, we came home and I hit the ground running. We did not talk about “it”, deal with “it” – just kept trucking along. And then we found out that my husband was a carrier for the gene. Again, we counted our blessings and kept moving along. “All is well!”, we would tell family members.
Until I started drowning. Slowly but surely. With depression, anger, hurt, confusion, fear.
It all came to a halt last summer when I was unable to follow my husband to Va after he accepted a position there – I could not. I could not pack my children up and move. I was paralyzed with all of those emotions.
I knew I needed help. I needed to weep, to get on my knees and look straight up and stop hiding. For the losses of our miscarriages, the loss of the “perfect” baby, the fears of the future, my subsequent hysterectomy a year ago..
I weep often still as I find my footing, as I try to reconcile with my husband, to unite my family. But the indescribable pain I feel has brought my eyes up towards my Saviour who truly is cradling me in grace and love, even while I weep. It is the first time that I have not ran from Him but to Him. And He has accepted me, tears and all.