Saturday busyness

Last night ended late and the alarm set to go off 5:45am, I beat it by getting up at 4:30 just because the dream I was in, was stranger than fiction and it is still baffling me as to WHY was I dreaming that scenario anyway.... and that I remember the details.. bizarre.. So I got up and worked on putting together a handout for a bible study that I facilitate on saturday mornings. The broadcast was of Susie Larson - author of "the uncommon woman" which I heard on a Family Life Today radio broadcast over two days this week.. alot of truth and perserverance lessons in it for Godly living in crazyiness of today.. If your interested in it, send me an email and I will forward it to you. lorindasue62@msn.com

Saturday mornings look like this; I go to an accountability group with friends at 7am-? and are currently doing Beth Moore VHS (1970's) "A Womens Heart" on the tabernacles-powerful stuff, and than I head quickly to ERC and lead a womens study 9-11ish, we are doing Beth Moore DVD's "Living Beyond Yourself" on the fruit of the spirit.. another very powerful teaching. The first one with friends in the morning is new study for us and for my growth. The second group is a study for women in our Alpha program where for many it is a whole new experience and some they are lifers in the church and christian upbringing and are JUST getting it that God is real-we are in week 2. I co-lead this with a friend Susan and so she is really the "hard worker" in pulling all the details together, I show up (late usually trying to pull myself away from the first encounter of the day)... Being that I have gone through this one about 4 times, and so it is also one that I grow in just "re hearing" Gods truth reminded. And the more times I hear it, IT'S STARTING TO STICK IN MY ability to recall as she works through the topic of the day and where the scripture is that she will use or what it says.. Thick skull, it takes a while, but that is my new resolve to learn scripture more committed to memory for recall other than the response of "I've heard it before and know it's somewhere in the bible"!! ah, the light bulb goes on!

Today I stepped into an opportunity; one of the ladies in our thursday Alpha small group discussion, had kind of a break through on Thursday nights topic of "healing" as God is revealing some stuff to her, about Him and about herself. So I called her Friday and invited her to go to lunch with me after our Saturday study (she's also attending).. she accepted gladly.. Now she is a 74 year old, outgoing, spunky woman who has been widowed several years and probably doing her first study ever. Saying she is overwhelmed is an understatement. She came in this morning and just says "I just don't have the feeling about Beth that you ladies have, but I want it" so I encouraged her to not take notes on the fill in the blank sheet, we'd give her the answers but to just stay focused on Beth's teaching (no distractions) and perhaps listen for ONE statement or a word that might speak to her. When it was over, She is weeping with joy that everything Beth had said was as though she was speaking directly to HER. I think at 74, no multitasking needed, because she stayed focused rather than keeping up with filling in the blanks and losing track of the teaching. So this was what led into her and I having lunch and some good conversation. At 74 years of age, she's for the first time feeling that she is learning what she has never heard before or grasped in the realness of GOD as more than a religion of legalism but to have a relationship with. I also don't just nod and agree, I press and prod and ask specific questions based on what she has stated. (she's never had that before) so she revealed just a touch of what has been her own secret or guilt, and is ready to let more of it go that is holding her back.. Now I wasn't really fishing for being her mentor, but I offered to help find her a one on one mentoring relationship with someone to walk with for whatever period of time... and she said that she wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone but me..!!!!!!! so I just breathed easily and thoughtfully for a second and said okay... I can do that BUT we needed to have some ground rules (oops I was going to set them) 1. This relationship was going to be about growth in Christ, digging into learning, honesty, sharing what was being stirred up, asking questions and that she understood I'M NOT AN EXPERT, but that I would help her find answers whether it was something I've learned or I had to get back to her on it cause I would have to ask someone else. Her response was YES. 2. the best way for it to be consistent was that she was committing to attending for the next 9months or so to the Saturday morning study with us, and that we would get together after these studies if she had questions, situations to talk through, whatever, but whether we only meet at the church, go for coffee perhaps or on occasion a lunch.. Keeping it focused but low key expectations of the other on time and be flexible. See what unfolds. She said YES.. God is good.

Whew! I'm peaceful with this, kind of feeling while I was thinking this was a ministry direction I was heading, wasn't so sure I was ready to do it just yet.. but Luke 12:12 and the holy spirit will give you the words to speak....