We’ve finished our online bible study Brave by Angela Thomas and will begin three new studies next week. Please be sure to register for one of the new studies and get your book in time so you are able to join us again in online bible studies. Our Brave study ends with an examination of brokenness and how God ministers to our hearts in our deepest need. No matter the shame, no matter how deep the wound and how painful the hurt…God heals through His Son. He sent us a Savior redeemer to wipe away the tears, lift our faces behind shame veils, and mend our hearts. He is King and we are His Daughters. Please read Psalm 34 and remind yourself of God’s promises to all of His children.

If you struggle with the weight of shame or anger, you’ll want to join us in the Beth Moore study When Godly People do Ungodly Things. This six-week bible study is written in three parts. The first part is a warning to believers, while the second part shows women how to prepare for attacks by the Enemy. The third part is directed to those who have been snared by seduction, and compassionately points the way back to God.

If you struggle with overachieving and perfectionism, then you’ll want to join us in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. This six-week bible study will examine the need to do everything perfectly vs the desire to rest at the feet of Jesus and know Him. We’ll look at the things of this world that keep our hearts busy and distracted, and the promises of intimacy with God. By the final week, we’ll find how to balance our lives to finish tasks and have room to sit in the living room with Christ.

Our third online bible study is The Gospel of Ruth and we dig into the lives of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. In this book we discover that Naomi, the female Job, is the center of the story. According to the author, the story of Ruth is about how Boaz and Ruth “formed a glimpse of the Old Testament Blessed Alliance, as male and female partner in a holy cause, and both thrive as Yahweh’s image bearers.”  The story begins with Naomi’s suffering and ends with Naomi holding the future in her arms. It examines this question:  Is God good for women?

Prayer Requests

Please visit our Prayer Wall and post a prayer or a praise report. Before you leave, take some time and pray for someone’s need. Lift others up as God has lifted you up. Send up prayers for the Lord to hear and answer.

Angela Thomas Quotes

• God does not flinch away from broken women: He moves closer.
• I’d rather be broken and close to God than whole and far away.
• We will never get to a place where our character lacks room for improvement.
• When it seems everything is falling apart, God’s hidden work always remains.
• We who have been broken will be the praise of His glory!

For Next Week

• Register and get your book for the next bible study starting on Aug. 29, 2011

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Write a one-line psalm of praise to God. (page 130 )
2. When you look to God, how does He see you? (page 131)
3. How does this world keep reminding us of brokenness? (page 134 )
4. Would you recommend this study to a friend? Why or why not?

We’ve finished week five of our bible study Brave by Angela Thomas and we have just one week remaining in this study. Angela has turned the pages of scripture and reminded us who are are and whose we are- visible to the eyes of God. We are reminded of His love for us and His awareness of us as His daughters. We are never invisible to the One who offers us eternal life.

Last summer I attended a womens conference where the entire theme was about feeling invisible! Ordinary women got on stage and spoke about the small differences they’ve made in the world.  God called them to be visible in His eyes and to follow His voice. Nicole Johnson gave this presentation and I thought you’d like to watch it here:

I really enjoyed Nicole’s book The Invisible Woman, When Only God Sees and gave my sister a copy of this book for her birthday. Elisa Morgan was also at the conference and she spoke about her book She Did What She Could, an inspiring look at how small things make a difference and are not invisible to God. If you are feeling invisible or know a woman who needs encouragement about her Godly worth- I recommend both books!

When you feel invisible, look Up and remind yourself you are His. Loved by the Father and promised an eternal inheritance with Him.

Prayer Requests

Please visit our Prayer Wall and post a prayer or a praise report. Before you leave, take some time and pray for someone’s need. Lift others up as God has lifted you up. Send up prayers for the Lord to hear and answer.

Angela Thomas Quotes

• Striving is an ugly thing, especially on a godly woman.
• It takes a lot of hurt to make a desert become the better option.
• God sees you and me. We are not invisible to Him.
• God is glorified when we live everyday aware and changed by His presence.
• Living gratefully reshapes the soul.

For Next Week

• Read Week Six in the workbook
• Optional: Watch the Session Seven Video (optional due to cost)
• Register and get your book for the next bible study starting on Aug. 29, 2011

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Have you ever felt invisible to God? (page 111 )
2. Have you ever tried to get ahead of God as Hagar did, when she misinterpreted God’s delay as denial and took matters into her own hands? (page 113 )
3. Based on what God is doing in your life, what name would you give Him? (page 119 )
4. Share a favorite moment from this week’s study.

Welcome back to our bible study on Brave by Angela Thomas. We just finished reading week four and learned how  trembling hearts find comfort and strength in a Sovereign God. Angela shared her personal story of fear and a beautiful story of comfort and bravery from knowing who we are in Christ. She writes “The physical body gasps for air when we cannot breathe, just as the spiritual body gasps for grace when we are in need.” We discover that God knows our need, even when He seems silent. Our fear draws us closer to the One who comforts and loves us by Grace.

Choosing to call upon God is a choice. You can believe that He hears and comforts His children, or you can believe that man determines your destiny. Throughout scripture we see evidence and examples of people calling out for God, and He answers. This is one of the reasons why bible study is so essential to spiritual growth. By staying in the Word and feeding from it, we stay out of the world and feeding on worldviews. Digest scripture words and live “under the authority of a loving, eternal God who does not flinch, doubt or guess,” as Angela Thomas recommends. Grasp the inner comfort that is given to you from a loving and knowing Father, the I AM.

Abba.

Prayer Requests

Please visit our Prayer Wall and post a prayer or a praise report. Before you leave, take some time and pray for someone’s need. Lift others up as God has lifted you up. Send up prayers for the Lord to hear and answer.

Angela Thomas Quotes

• Those who are in Christ are being made brave.
• Our Conqueror is the only One who can save us from our fears.
• Our God knows our great need.
• Exercising your faith is a choice.
• Even when God is silent and you can’t hear Him speak, He is still your only answer.
• If God were going to abandon you, He never would have sent His son.
• If God were going to abandon you, Jesus never would have gone to the cross.
• The woman who believes in the sovereignty of God finds a quick comfort in her troubles.

For Next Week

• Read Week Five in the workbook
• Optional: Watch the Session Six Video (optional due to cost)
• Register and get your book for the next bible study starting at the end of this month

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. How can you “be of good cheer” even when you are trembling inside? (page 89 )
2. How has your suffering helped you turn outward toward others? (page 97 )
3. What is your first response when trouble comes? (page 99 )
4. Share a favorite moment from this week’s study.

Welcome back to our summer online bible study at the Womens Bible Study Cafe! We just finished reading week three of Brave by Angela Thomas.  Laziness was our discussion for the week as we grabbed a spiritual shovel and started digging into the root of undisciplined. Everyone admits to lacking discipline in some are of their life, yet many of us are unsure how to correct the problem. We invest money in diet programs, self-help books,time-management systems and even personal coaches to help us overcome a lack of discipline. Did you notice a common thread: money! The American way is to grab money (often money we do not have) and then purchase our way out of a problem or situation.  Whatever we struggle with can be “purchased away.”

Yet Angela Thomas teaches us that discipline is a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. If we continue to sell our flesh we eventually fall into a pit of sin or despair. Walking with the Spirit keeps us from falling into the pit, as He guides us and intercedes. When we hear His voice inside our hearts, we need to yield to Him and listen. When we don’t hear His voice, we need to pray and ask for direction. It’s easier to yield to the Spirit and walk by faith then it is to fall into the pit and claw your way back out. If you’ve been in a pit- you know what I mean. If you have not been in a pit- watch your step. Make sure the Spirit is leading, not you.

Falling into a pit results from walking by flesh.

Train yourself to listen to the Spirit, heed His wisdom and follow the direction He leads you. Recognize the voice of the enemy and know when he wants you to stumble. Chip Ingram author of the Invisible War says “the battle is between your ears.” Remember this, when laziness tempts you. Read scripture and recognize the difference between rest and lazy, flesh and spirit. What’s in your heart guides your mind-  seek a pure heart filled with the presence of the Spirit. Learn to control your flesh by controlling your heart. Tend your spiritual garden and pull out the weeds.

Angela sums it up saying “we must maintain an intimate, consistent dependence on the Spirit of God inside us.” She says, “this is what it means to serve God from inside a human vessel.”

Prayer Requests

Our Prayer Wall has changed and now you can post prayers or praise reports as comments to the page. Please visit the prayer wall and cover these men and women with prayers. Thank you.

Angela Thomas Quotes

• The battle is real, and it is spiritual.
• The only way to change a spiritual battle is to fight in the Spirit.
• We must live in accordance with what the Spirit desires.
• The power to live a disciplined life is already inside you.

For Next Week

• Read Week Four in the workbook
• Optional: Watch the Session Five Video (optional due to cost) 
• Join our Womens Bible Cafe Chat on Facebook

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Name one way that you can begin training for self-discipline in your life. (page 75 )
2. Name one thing you can do to be more in step with the Holy Spirit. (page 82)
3. Finish this sentence: If I am Brave enough to be disciplined in my life, it would mean…..
4. Share a favorite moment from this week’s study.

Welcome back to the Womens Bible Study Cafe! We’ve just finished reading week two of Brave by Angela Thomas.  This week we studied a difficult subject and learned about the thorn in our side or in the side of someone we love. Our lesson centered on this scripture verse:

⁷And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. [Job. 2:6.] 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Amplified

When I look at the verse in the Amplified version, I am reminded the thorn is a small as a splinter in God’s Kingdom- yet often as huge as a truck in ours. When we are tempted to amplify the thorn it soon becomes the center of our lives and we take our focus off God. Angela writes “it is a thorn in my flesh until God decides to remove it or until I stand in glory, finally free.”

Angela Thomas explains the importance of thorns in this week’s study- why they are necessary and how they are removed. Our week ends with a lesson in humility- something we often experience after being pierced with a thorn. She writes “May the humility of our thorns become a beautiful coat to be worn for the glory of God.”

Prayer Requests

Our Prayer Wall has changed and now you can post prayers or praise reports as comments to the page. Please visit the prayer wall and cover these men and women with prayers. Thank you.

Angela Thomas Quotes

• Even the solidly grounded believer can give in to the pain and begin doubting her worth because of a thorn.
• Satan wants you to doubt God’s love for you.
• Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.
• The grace of God is not a secret you keep locked in your soul.

For Next Week

• Read Week Three in the workbook
• Optional: Watch the Session Four Video (optional due to cost) 
• Join our Womens Bible Cafe Chat on Facebook

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. What is your thorn? If it is a person, please don’t use names, just say “a relationship.” ( page 37 )
2. What kind of weakness has the thorn produced in your life? (page 49 )
3. What keeps you from receiving contentment? (page 54 )
4. Share a favorite moment from this week’s study.

Welcome back to the Womens Bible Study Cafe! We’ve just finished reading week one of Brave by Angela Thomas.  Our study begins with a discussion of being worn out- physically, emotionally, and sometimes drained of spiritual strength. We then examined eight lessons on God’s provision for worn out souls. Our week ended with a beautiful prayer of refreshment on page 30 in the workbook.

To finish this week, we thought you’d like to watch this ten minute video “Worn Out” by Angela Thomas.

May you find rest in your soul knowing God the I AM.

Prayer Requests

Our Prayer Wall has changed and now you can post prayers or praise reports as comments to the page. Please visit the prayer wall and cover these men and women with prayers. Thank you.

Angela Thomas Quotes

• The truth of our humanity is that no superwoman exists on this earth.
• I have squarely and firmly put my faith in His ability to run the planet. He is able.
• The Creator is well acquainted with our design.
• Sit and listen to the gentle voice of God.
• Turn to God first.
• There’s a lightness in the forgiven soul.

For Next Week

• Read Week Two in the workbook
• Optional: Watch the Session Three Video (optional due to cost) 
• Join our Womens Bible Cafe Chat on Facebook

Group Discussion- Answer one question or as many as you like

1. Complete this sentence: I am worn out because…. (page 9 )
2. How would you advise someone to live above the sun? (page 14 )
3. What can you do to observe a regular Sabbath rest?
4. Share a favorite moment from this week’s study.

Welcome to Summer bible study as we begin reading Brave- Honest Questions Women Ask by Angela Thomas. Our six-week womens bible study encourages us to become brave women who live by the Spirit and not by insecurity, fear or what other people think we should do. It’s not too late to sign-up and join us in the Brave study, just click here. Please begin reading week one this week, and be sure to also read About the Author on pages 4 and 5. As you begin your study know that Angela’s prayer for you is to encounter the truths of God and live in His power as brave women.

Each week there are five daily lessons in the Brave bible study, so you will read one per day for five days of the week. The best way to stay on track and not fall behind is to wake up 30 minutes early each day. Get your hot coffee or tea, find a comfortable place to read and begin a  daily habit of spending your mornings with God. Put God first and begin your day in His Word. We know from past experience- those women who wait until lunchtime or evening to study the bible rarely finish the study. Life happens and it often interferes with bible study.

As you read your bible study, for six weeks you’ll put God first in your life. Your focus will be on Him at the start of your day. It’s interesting when we read in the morning, we’re often reminded of our lesson throughout our busy day. A verse or a phrase will simmer in your mind and then refreshes itself sometime in the day. For me, this is one of the greatest benefits of bible study and why I desire to share it with you as I lead the study.

Please pray for the 225+ women who are participating in the Summer bible study here at the Womens Bible Cafe. Pray specifically for the enemy to back off- and for each woman to grow in her individual faith journey.

We are having technical problems with the website (wordpress upgrade affected our site design) and hope to correct it soon. Pray our blog designer will find the time in her busy schedule to attend to our upgrade needs and for the process to flow without any major issues. For now, you need to click the category  link at the top of the page called “Brave” in order to find the latest updates. When the site is updated, the updates will appear on the front page as they normally do.

We will “meet” here again next week and have a group discussion about what you read for week one. I am praying for each of you as you begin your Summer Bible Study!

Prayer Requests

Our Prayer Wall has changed and now you can post prayers or praise reports as comments to the page. Please visit the prayer wall and cover these men and women with prayers. Thank you.

Homework for This Week

• Write a letter to God on the inside cover of your workbook. Tell Him where you are in your life right now, and where you hope He leads you during your 6-week bible study.
• Complete Week One  in your workbook.
• Watch the Session One Video and Session Two Video (optional due to the cost)
• If you are on Facebook and want to have mid-week conversations with women in the group, join our private chat room
• If you want a photo next to your comments, visit the site Gravatar.com

Group Discussion- Please post a comment and answer these two questions

1. Characterize your life in this present season using ONE WORD.
2. Share a specific goal you have for being in this bible study.

Welcome to the Summer Online Womens Bible Study! This is one of our most popular bible studies, because many church and small group studies have disbanded for the summer and we know women want to continue their daily bible study. We’re leading two bible studies this summer. You are welcome to participate in one study or both, the choice is yours.  Pray over your decision and see where the Lord leads you. One of the books we’ll be reading during our six-week bible study is Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask by Angela Thomas. During this womens bible study, we’ll dig into six common issues we’re afraid to address. Rather than continuing to live lives guided by our insecurities, fears, and desires of other people, we’ll live a life of truth based on scripture. Join us in this six week online study and explore the truths of God.

Please join us once a week on Monday as we have an online discussion of Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask. You’ll read your workbook at home each day, answer the workbook questions, and then join us on Monday’s to participate in a group discussion. There is no set time for the discussions, just show up and participate! We recommend you register for the Womens Bible Cafe by email so you’ll know when the discussion has started.

About the Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask Bible Study (from Lifeway.com)

You need to have a copy of the member book in order to participate in the study with us. We will start reading week one on July 11, 2011

How to Participate in the Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask Online Bible Study

• Read the Bible Cafe Getting Started Page
• Get a copy of Brave: Honest Questions Woman Ask Workbook
• Download the Brave Video Sessions (optional due to cost)

• Introduce yourself: Post a comment below with your name, where you are from, and answer to this question- Are you worn out, suffering a thorn, undisciplined, trembling inside, invisible or broken?