It’s been a long journey full of ups and downs, tears and laughter, and lessons that are molding me into the person I am today. After the loss of my daughter at almost full term (35 weeks) in the summer of 2009, God blessed me with a community of other believers that invited me into their small group because he knew I would need them. Oh, and how true that was!!!! And since that time, I have come to know Christ and desire to spend time with him daily. Through multiple women’s connections groups studying various books of the bible and the lessons and conversations we have in my other small group, I feel God is teaching me and empowering me to be so much more. He's calling me to do more than just attend the groups. He is molding me to lead and filling me with the desire to bring other women together!!!! Seriously?!?!....ME???? He wants to use little ‘ol me to do this and teach me so MUCH MORE!!!
OK…..so I prayed about it for over a year.....and little by little God started revealing to me that it was time. I'd get those feelings that would just not go away. Through many answered prayers and signs that it was time, I decided that I wanted to lead a study but I was not sure which book to do. How would I know what to lead? What are the next steps? I had no clue but I knew I would figure it out. I found it interesting that there were so many signs that the book of James may be the book I would choose. I studed the book of James back in 2000. And here it is 12 years later; he is using me to lead a group to do the another study. And there is absolutely no coincidence that my church, Heartland, is also studying the book of James and Darryn Scheske is leading us into a deeper understanding of who James was. I have been filled with so much support by those in my small groups, my pastor, and those that have been on this journey with me. God is calling me to come completely out of my comfort zone and step out in faith even thought I feel inadequate in my ability. I trust that by putting God first and being obedient in what he is calling me to do, I will learn more than I ever knew was possible. I continue to pray for his lead and guidance and he will take care of the rest. Our pastor is so on fire for the James study that I can’t help but take pages of notes to the point that my hand cramps. This book is AMAZING and so relevant for our generation.
I want to share this with you….my readers on this blog….what I am learning and my thoughts on how these lessons are molding and shaping me into a better person full of purpose. I hope you find this information interesting and most of all I pray that it gets you to think outside of the box just as those leaders are challenging me to think and apply the principles I learn. We will learn through James, it is not what we know, but what we are doing with what we know and how we can make a difference in His kingdom.
We are getting ready to start the Beth Moore “Mercy Triumphs-James” this week. Check out the introduction to her study: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1NmnTlUQ4Q
As I prepare for the study, I am reminded of the notes that I took during the Going Deeper series at Heartland. Our pastor has been a HUGE source of inspiration for me. He is so anointed with the Holy Spirit and his perspective and insight is so interesting. I wanted to share his thoughts that have been summarized in my notes in my next blog post. I do not take credit for all these thoughts but I wanted to share his insight with you as we learn about who James is and why this book in the bible is so powerful and relevant today.
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