The First Week- EB

I actually did all my homework this week! Thought it would be better to start out right, anyway...

I enjoyed the introductory session. [Shelly are you listening to the cds or just doing the workbook?]. I liked Beth's thought that a book of the Bible where God is not specifically mentioned may give us insight into those times when He seems to our human eyes to be absent in our lives- the times when He works under the radar; in the everyday instead of the miraculous. A lot of my life seems to be like that; the times when I have sensed His presence in a very obvious way are really the exception rather than the rule. I have felt Him most clearly in the moments when my human strength and "autonomy" are stripped away and I am more aware than usual of my real standing before Him. Most of the time, I think I chug along without any real awareness of where He is working in my life. I hope through this study to begin to become more sensitive to finding Him in my everyday life; it's true that the more you put into seeking Him, the easier He seems to be to "find."

In Day 2, Beth says that studying God's Word is one of the sheerest delights in her life. Maybe I've missed something along the way because I've been a Christian for almost as long as I can remember... but I'm still not sure if I could say that. I'll admit I've often approached reading my Bible as something to do to check it off the list; something I do because I know it's right... but it's a rare season where I could really say it was something I did because I wanted to it in the way she does.

This week's study spoke a lot about comparisons- about living in someone else's shadow. Do you feel like you live in someone's shadow? At first I wasn't sure I really related... I don't feel like I'm struggling to get out of any specific person's shadow... but in a sense, I think I do live in the shadow of a person who doesn't even exist- the person I feel I "should" be; that idealized version of myself to whom I'll never measure up. I can't be pretty enough, smart enough, a good enough mom or wife- to please myself. I've always been my own worst critic.

Anyway, those are my thoughts, such as they are, after our first week of study. This study is a little different from the two I've done before, but I'm excited to see where it takes us.

The beginning

I'm excited to begin our study of Esther for two reasons.

1. I'm always up for a good story. And though I have read Esther many times before, rereading Esther is like rereading any good book, much like a pleasant visit with an old friend.


2. And I'm looking forward to being more consistently in the Word, so that I view each day's events with a proper perspective.

So here we go!!!

Coming soon. . .

We'll be reading and discussing Beth Moore's Bible Study, Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman.