Week 11: {Reflection}

Well, this week has seemed to just fly right by!  The change in the weather has been remarkable this week.  Last week, we had record-breaking, summer-like temperatures, while this past week we woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground; we saw snow flurries in the air a couple of days; and below freezing nights.  Our poor flowers...I hope they survive, but the vicious little biting bugs...well, I really hope they do not.  (Sorry, God, that I do not share the same appreciation for those kind of bugs that You created, but as I write this, God is reminding me that I guess everytime we see a bite mark or have to flail our arms to shoosh them away throughout these next few months, we can be reminded of just how much our Savior loves us to die a brutal and awful and shameful death on a cross for US and just how ugly and nasty and sinful we really are as it is only because of the fall of man that these bugs behave the way that they do!)

To be honest, I failed miserably with my devotions this week.  I don't know if it was all of the fresh air and activity of being outside all last week and then Gramma visiting us and spoiling us for a month prior to that that just did me in, but I was exhausted a lot this week.  With exhaustion comes a very ugly and ashamedly sinful woman out of it...to say I had a case of the grumps would be putting it mildly.  YIKES!  With that said, I read and studied verses 4-9 yesterday.  In the end, I guess the Lord knew I needed some extra sleep this week, but He especially knew I needed to read and study and be convicted over ALL of these verses together.  I guess He knew when my heart would be ready to hear His training and admonition and conviction for me.

Of course, verse 4 spoke to me soooo much this past week as I was able to see a glimpse of what provoking your children to wrath could really be like.  Whoa!  I won't even begin to tell you!

Then, verses 5-9 came along.  In reading the passage on the surface and considering that I stay at home with the kids and do not work outside of the home really, I really thought this passage wouldn't apply to me.  Funny how that happens that chunks of Scripture that you feel in your mind has nothing to do with you really convicts your heart and teaches you the most!  This was definitely the case here.  Perhaps, I took the passage out of contect a bit BUT I began to view it in terms of me being a slave and God and my husband being Master/master as thought I ultimately "work" for them AND THEN me being a master and my children being the slaves!

My challenge in a nutshell: 

Am I being intentional in bringing our children up in the training and instruction of the Lord?

Is my obedience to the Master and my earthly master (my husband) done with a continuous, uninterrupted submission?  With respect?  In a sincere heart?  As thought I am a servant to Christ and not just doing it to please the people's eyes that are looking OR that I may think are looking?  With a conscientious/intentional selfless service?  

As a master over my kids, do I show them love, honor, and respect?  Do I use empty threats to obtain their submission?  Do I do to them as I want done to myself?  Do I ultimately show them how the Master (God) works and is in our lives?  

 

Well, ladies, I hope your week has been a good one.  The three points to reflect on are:

1. One important lesson I want to remember from this week's reading would be: __________

2. I feel God wants me to learn: __________

3. I am going to put my faith into action by: ___________

I look forward to seeing most of you all tonight!

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Just so you know...

For this upcoming week, I have broken up Friday's verses to study (since there were 6 of them for that day) and extended the study over into Monday and Tuesday.  I also thought that since we have covered the entire book of Ephesians and perhaps are on major overload, it would be good to go back over the verses and our journals for a couple weeks after the actual study ends to reflect and process all of our thoughts and reflections throughout before starting and digging into our next study. 

This week's and the following weeks' study schedule will look like this:

Week 12:

Monday - Ephesians 6:10-12

Tuesday - Ephesians 6:13-15

Wednesday - Ephesians 6:16-17

Thursday - Ephesians 6:18

Friday - Ephesians 6:19-20

Week 13:

Monday - Ephesians 6:21-22

Tuesday - Ephesians 6:23-24

Re-read/Reflection Begins:

Wednesday - Ephesians 1:1-14

Thursday - Ephesians 1:15-23

Friday - Ephesians 2:1-10

Week 14:

Monday - Ephesians 2:11-22

Tuesday - Ephesians 3:1-13

Wednesday - Ephesians 3:14-21

Thursday - Ephesians 4:1-16

Friday - Ephesians 4:17-32

Week 15:

Monday - Ephesians 5:1-20

Tuesday - Ephesians 5:21-33

Wednesday - Ephesians 6:1-9

Thursday - Ephesians 6:10-24

Friday - OFF

Week 16:

Monday, April 30th - NEW STUDY TO BEGIN  *TO BE DETERMINED!

By the way, be thinking of some questions that I could pose to all of you on Sundays...I'm running out of things to ask and need your help!  I may hit you all up for some tonight (if I remember)!  :o)

Ladies, have an enjoyable day!

Ephesians 6:9

And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Ephesians 6:7-8

...with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Ephesians 6:5-6

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,...

Ephesians 6:4

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise:  "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

spring questions

Since the first day of SPRING occurred this past week (although it felt more like summer), I thought I would ask a few SPRING-y questions.  Have fun!

1.  What is your favorite SPRING flower?

2.  What is one thing that you love, respect, and admire about your husband that just plain puts an extra SPRING in your step just thinking about it?

3.  Three things I love about SPRING are: __________, ____________, and _____________.

4.  What is one thing you hope to accomplish or complete by the end of SPRING?

Have a super Sunday worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, getting some rest, and enjoying this nice SPRING weather!

Week 10: {Reflection}

Can you believe that we have made it through FIVE whole chapters in the book of Ephesians?!?!  Have you learned anything?  Pat yourselves on the back, ladies, and praise and applaud God for bringing you to His Word and teaching you through It on a daily/regular basis.  Are you finding that you are craving spending time with God and in His Word?  My prayer for this group has been that by holding each other accountable or developing that feeling of accountability to not only one another but to our Lord Himself, we would develop a regular pattern and a good habit of personal study, prayer, and devotion time each day and/or each week.

This week has been a tough yet refreshing week.  My marriage is not perfect - no marriage is!  This past week has revealed so much that I personally as a wife need to improve on in this marriage of mine.  However, it is comforting and refreshing to know that God has given us principles and truths to live by so that we know what a marriage is to look like and to strive for that perfection in ours...ok...maybe not perfection but at least we can have a sense of striving to better our marriages.  I guess the biggest challenge for me this week was whether my marriage displayed a reflection of who Christ is to the world and Christ's love and sacrifice He gives to the church.

Did you check out the posts over at www.goodmorninggirls.org this week?  If you didn't, here are the links to them...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Resetting the Cycle

A Kind Wife

Love & Respect

  

If you have a little extra time this weekend, I would encourage you to read them.  They are so worth the time!

  

Now, it is time to reflect on what we have studied this past week.  Here are the 3 points to reflect and answer:

  

1. One important lesson I want to remember from this week's reading would be: __________

2. I feel God wants me to learn: __________

3. I am going to put my faith into action by: ___________

Finally, with a little over 2 weeks left in our study, I have been thinking of what to do next. So, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I thought if we continued this accountability blog that we could perhaps study the book of Ruth or the book of Titus or examine Proverbs 31 or something like that.  Since I feel like my head is so full of lessons learned and challenges from this Ephesians study, I thought we could take the week or two following the final verse to process and go over all that we read and studied.  I will post a schedule soon as to what I was thinking after I get some input from all of you about what we should do next. 

I want to thank you ladies for the accountability that you brought to my own life and for sharing your thoughts and challenges and lessons you have been learning through this study.  You all have encouraged and taught me so much!  Praise God that He brought you all into my life and into this study to help me get back on track and to start focusing on our Lord again and not so much on myself.

Lord, I pray for each of these ladies in this study.  Lord, I pray that You meet them right where they are and guide them and lead them to where You want them to be.  Lord, I pray that You enable them to be the wives You have called them to be and that You want them to be and that their husbands need them to be.  Lord, we can only do all of this through Your help.  Amen. 

Ladies, enjoy your weekend!

Ephesians 5:33

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Ephesians 5:31-32

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."  This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:28-30

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.  For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

Ephesians 5:25-27

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:21-24

...submitting to one another in the fear of God.  Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.  Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husband in everything.

st. patrick's day questions

Sorry, ladies...I forgot to post the reflection questions yesterday.  I trust that you all know the 3 reflection points by now though and that you take a little bit of time this wonderfully gorgeous weekend to reflect on all that we read and studied this past week.  There was so much to be challenged with, wasn't there?!

Now, time for a little fun!  Since St. Patrick's Day was yesterday, I thought we would theme our questions around that special day... here we go...

1.  Name 3 of your favorite GREEN things.

2.  If you found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, what is the first and second things you would do with the money?

3.  Name one thing that makes you "turn green in the face" or "green around the gills;" one thing that makes you "green with envy;" and one thing that you try to do to "go green."

4.  What is your favorite marshmallow shape in a box of Lucky Charms and why?  :o)  (I know, you probably could care less about Lucky Charms, let alone have a favorite marshmallow shape, but just humor us all on this!  AND, for those who don't know what the shapes are, I included a picture!  I think those are all of the shapes!)  :o)

photo credit:nowpublic.com/health/breakfast-cereal-marshmallows

Have a wonderful day of worship and rest and enjoy the Son and the sunshine today!

Ephesians 5:18-20

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,...

Ephesians 5:15-17

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:8-14

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.  But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.  Therefore He says:  "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

Ephesians 5:5-7

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Ephesians 5:1-4

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

questions-think of it as a variety!

1.  What are some Easter traditions that your family had growing up or that your family does today?

2.  Because I have hockey on my mind right now and in celebration of the Kennett Eagles and their state championship WIN today, what are 3 of your most memorable moments in high school?  (either in school itself, being with friends, in sports, in other extracurricular activites, or whatever)

3.  What are 3 of your favorite board games to play?

4.  What do you have planned for supper this week?  (Can you tell I'm looking for some ideas???)  :)

Have a super Sunday!

Week 8: {Reflection}

We've now reached the end of the week.  Do you realize that we have now written out, prayed over, studied, and applied (through the Holy Spirit's leading) at least some of 4 whole chapters of the book of Ephesians?!?! 

Have you reached the point yet where you feel so full that all that is in you overflows and pours out in your life and into the lives of those around you?  I am challenged and humbled by how deep and how great and how long and how wide God's love is for an ugly sinful person like me.  I am challenged and humbled by each of you ladies in seeing how the Holy Spirit is working and leading and guiding you in your daily lives.  Thank you for sharing.  I don't know about you, but I am learning!  I am learning that I need the Lord each and every second of the day.  I am learning that I cannot get rid of this icky sticky sinful flesh on my power.  And, I am learning that I cannot put on the new man without His help either.  I am learning that I need Him to keep working on me and molding me into Christ's image - exactly what and who He desires me to be!  Since many of you ladies have songs pop into your heads when you read and examine the Word, I thought I would share this song with you today.

Now, time to process what we've been studying this past week.  Are you all ready to reflect again?  Here are our points to reflect on:

1.  One important lesson I want to remember from this week's reading would be: __________

2.  I feel God wants me to learn: __________

3.  I am going to put my faith into action by: ___________

I look forward to seeing all of you ladies in a few hours.  If you can't make it, may I say in advance that we will miss you!  Have a great weekend, ladies! 

Ephesians 4:30-32

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:28-29

Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Ephesians 4:25-27

Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.  "Be angry, and do not sin":  do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:20-24

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:17-19

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

sunday questions

How can it be Sunday again???  This week has just flown by!

1.  Since our verses this past week included reading and studying about spiritual gifts, I naturally thought of this question...what is your spiritual gift or gifts?  AND, how are you using that gift or how is the Lord leading you to use that gift differently?

2.  I know that we all either have kids, are teaching kids, beginning to have kids, plan to have kids in the future, have nieces and nephews, have grandkids, and/or have been a child once upon a time :) SO...what are your top 5 all-time favorite children's books?

3.  What would your dream car be?

4.  Name one unusual thing in your purse, in your refrigerator/freezer, and in your car.

5.  WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME FOR BREAKFAST NEXT SATURDAY MORNING????  =)  (Tune in this week for more details regarding time and place!)

Can't wait to start a fresh this week and hopefully see you all next Saturday morning!

Have a great day of worship, ladies!

Week 7: {Reflection}

I can't believe it is the end of the week already!  My mother-in-law reminded me today that she has been here for almost a week now (and by the way, after coming home last night from a date out and her watching our kids for a couple of hours, we found her looking up plane tickets!  uh oh!), and I just couldn't believe it.  Really?  Where does the time go?

This week has been a struggle for me personally.  Why is it SO HARD to get back into the swing of things after some days away from your home???  Nonetheless, I am thankful for the end of the week and for a couple of days to catch up and refocus to start anew this upcoming week.

Now, it's time to reflect over the verses we read and studied this past week.  Do you remember our points to reflect on?   Just in case you forgot, here they are:

1.  One important lesson I want to remember from this week's reading would be: __________

2.  I feel God wants me to learn: __________

3. I am going to put my faith into action by: ___________

I hope you ladies have a fun and enjoyable weekend!  Tune in tomorrow for some FUN and EXCITING questions!  Can't wait to hear from you!

Ephesians 4:14-16

...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:11-13

And He Himself gave some to apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;...