Women Living Well:Pre-Order!

Over on Women Living Well, Courtney is gearing up for the sale of her new book, Women Living Well.

And yours truly is on her launch team! I've been able to get an advance copy, and let me tell you...it's AMAZING. Monday I'll be giving a more in depth review but right now I just HAD to share the amazing deal Courtney's giving when you pre-order her book. :D

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If you purchase ONE copy of my book before September 30th, you will receive FREE the following 10-eBook bundle! 

1. Honoring the Rhythm of Rest by Daniele Evans at DomesticSerenity.org
2. Hope for the Weary Mom by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothlin at HopeForTheWearyMom.com
3. Take Courage (brand new release) by Jennifer Ebenhack at JenniferBenhack.com
4. Time Management 101 by Crystal Paine at MoneySavingMom
5. Taking Joy to Heart by Sally Clarkson at ITakeJoy.com
6. Outside the Zone by Rachel Wojnarowski at RachelWojo.com
7. Single Girl  by Ashley Schnarr at StayAtHomeDaughter.com
8. Healthy Ice Pops and Frozen Treats by Kelly Smith at TheNourishingHome.com
9. The Proverbs 31 Woman – One Virtue At a Time by (me) Courtney Joseph
10. A Companion Study Guide to the book Women Living Well- this can be used for your own individual study or grab a group of friends and use it as a group discussion guide!!!

In order to receive your FREE eBook bundle simply email a copy of your receipt to womenlivingwellbook@gmail.com Put in the subject “One book purchased”.  They will send you, via email, your free eBook bundle!!!




OH, and...you better hop on over to her blog, she's got even MORE deals and prizes, gifts for y'all! :D 


 

Good Morning Girls Colossians Study - Week 2

We're on week two already! It's been a challenge for me, to be consistent with the time I get into His word. Right now, it's whenever I have a moment to sit on concentrate. Which at this point, relies on when my son takes his naps and when I'm not busy doing other things! Like doctors appointments, house hold thing, etc. Wait...those are excuses, aren't they?! ;) 

I'm also trying to find ways to give encouragement to my little group of ladies, whom I know are just as busy, well, MORE so than I am.

This week the focus is on God's Supremacy. The full text we're looking at this week is: Colossians 1:15-23

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.¹⁹ For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

²¹ And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Wow, how beautiful those words are, to a weary and disheartened soul. To a person who thinks they have to carry the burden of life on their own. Not so! He is the chosen one to carry our burdens and to show us through His example of how to walk through this life. 

Going through these verses remind me to be very thankful for what He's done for me. To not take for granted the grace and mercy of my Savior. 

What about God's supremacy gives you comfort?

Prayer, What Do I Say?

We're almost done with our first week of the Good Morning Girls study through Colossians, and this week we've been looking at the beginning verses. Paul is telling the believers of Colossae that he's been keeping them in prayer, and OH what a prayer! 

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³ We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶ which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; ⁷ just as you learned it fromEpaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,⁸ and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

⁹ For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;¹¹ strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, ^for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

Hope laid up in heaven. 

Bearing fruit.

Increasing in Him.

Filled with His knowledge and wisdom.

Not ceasing to pray.

Walk in a manner worth of the Lord.

Pleasing Him.

Attaining steadfastness and patience.

Joyfully giving thanks to God, because He qualified us. 

Wow. And wow. 

I've not been the most consistent prayer for those I should be covering in prayer. Heck, I don't even pray for myself or my situations with consistency. It's really struck me seeing how Paul pray's for these people, many (most) of whom he's never met, but only heard about. He is a diligent prayer, and he pray's with great wisdom for their needs. I've been convicted to follow his example. 

Sometimes I don't know WHAT to pray for, but Paul, once again, gives great ideas and examples in the letters to the churches, that we call can follow. Everyone can do with prayers to grow closer to God, to gain in His wisdom, to be joyful because of His mercy and grace of the cross. Not one person would go amiss with prayers like that. 

So those have been my marching orders! :) 

PS. I'm in a leadership group on Facebook for the Good Morning Girls study, and one of the lovely gals shared how she was using note cards to pray for her group. I've followed her example, and done the same for those in my group, as well as those who come to mind. Sometimes it's hard to keep straight who needs prayer for what, but in writing it down, it's easier for me. Also, it's a great way to share in the excitement of answered prayers! :) 

Good Morning Girls - 2012 Fall Session

I've joined Good Morning Girls(GMG) for their fall session, on Colossians (an 8 week session) and an Advent study (4 week session, to prepare our hearts for Christmas).

If you haven't heard of GMG, please follow the link here, to find out more on the sessions! If you'd like to follow along with me, or join my group, or make a group of your own, you have until September 17th to do so! Here is some information from the site on GMG!

What is Good Morning Girls? (GMG)

If you have never heard of Good Morning Girls before here’s a little explanation.  “Good Morning Girls” is a title for a group of women who use email, Facebook, Twitter, Skype or text messaging to keep each other accountable for their quiet times. For 3+ years, I have been a part of a group of girls who email each other each daily after we have our quiet time. We say “Good Morning” and then share what we read in our quiet time. Some of us have our quiet time first thing in the morning, while others squeeze it in during children’s naps or at bedtime. The time of day doesn’t matter…..our focus is just being in God’s Word daily!

Who can join?

Single women, married women, women with kids, women without kids, high school or college girls….. basically ANY woman who wants to pursue walking with Jesus. 

Why?

Our main goal is to be accountable to each other and to help each other maintain the discipline of reading God’s word daily.

What’s the commitment?

Joining a Good Morning Girls group requires commitment. Now that I have had time to watch these groups form and grow, I am aware that some start strong but then fizzle out. As a result the entire group can get discouraged. So it is very important that if you join a group you remain committed to the end. Even if you can only check in once or twice a week – please do not quit completely. The other girls WANT to hear from you!

• This is a 3 month commitment.
• The fall session runs from September 17th-December 21st. (8 week study in Colossians, two week break for Thanksgiving, 4 week Advent study)

What To Study?

The fall SOAP Bible reading plan of Colossians is optional.

You can choose as a group to read through a certain book of the Bible together, to join a Bible study together such as a Beth Moore study or each do your own thing.

What we provide: (FREE)

• a SOAP Bible reading plan
• weekly videos that provide further understanding and personal application
• weekly blog posts on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays to help you dig into the scripture of the week and gain better insight and application.
• challenges aimed at helping you put God’s Word into action in your life.

This is a great way to meet new friends, gather old friends and share Gods word. So what are you waiting for?! I have my own little group already and it's growing! 

Go sign up today, step out in faith. :) 

Media Monday

Media and my Walk with God. What does that mean, and why am I blogging about it? I follow a lot a blogs and one, Woman Living Well, issued an 8 week challenge. To open ones' eyes to social media and the impact it's having on me in various areas of my life.

This is going to be uncomfortable for me. You'll learn why as we go through the challenge.

So lets start with the first post, shall we?!

Courtney, from Women Living Well, asks these questions:  What is the draw to media for you?  Is it for information, wisdom, tips and tutorials, entertainment, connection or other reasons?  And what good or bad effects has it had on your walk with God?

What draws me to media is the information and connections to others, being able to interact with others and learn from them. I'm an information hog, I love learning, reading, etc. So the internet in particular is where I spend the majority of my time.

I also know that it's a way to entertain myself, or lose myself.  After the passing of my son, I turned to the internet to escape, to grieve, to pour out my grief in a blog, to talk to others who'd gone through it, to get help.  It became a source of help, and a habit. But also a way to leave life behind.

When my Dad passed, I know I've used it to not deal with my grief. I still mourn him, he's been gone only 2 short months. Unlike with my son, I can't pour my grief out about my Dad.  So I evade my feelings, by going online, engaging others in conversations.

My walk with God? As much as I don't want to admit this, my response it, WHAT walk with God? I haven't opened my Bible in weeks...this was the same with my son. I'm afraid to hear God's voice, to open myself up to Him and therefore grieve.

So for me, media is my escape from personal life, my escape from hearing God's voice, my road block to healing and His peace.

I know this series will be difficult, but it'll also be good. Hang in there with me!

Media Hound,

Peggy

My conduct, attitude and behaviour

I've been doing a lot of soul-searching the last few days. Then one of the blogs I follow made a list of how to be indispensable, however it's more of how to conduct yourself in a good way. Something I'm sure all of us wishes we could ace!

1. Spend time in God's Word daily. Meditate on the Proverbs for wisdom and practical instruction.

2. Pray and Fast regularly. Prayer is powerful, but when combined with fasting it is supernatural.

3. Read at least 10 pages everyday of a book in various fields.

4. Keep a notebook with insights, facts, quotes, new vocabulary words, and well-stated truths.

5. Listen more than you speak.

6. When you do speak, communicate clearly and precisely. If possible, avoid slang.

7. Consider wisely who your friends are.

8. Surround yourself with people who are wiser than you.

9. Ask questions of people who know more than you.

10. Notice what others do not notice and you will know what others do not know.

11. Stay true to your word.

12. Do not gossip.

13. Do not compromise.

14. If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all.

15. Let emotions subside; then decide. Emotions should never master you.

16. Remember where you came from.

17. Don't take yourself too seriously.

18. Learn to laugh at yourself.

19. Be as gentle as a dove, but as shrewd as a serpent.

20. Work and work hard. Gird your loins and set your hands to the task.

21. Eat healthy meals and snacks. Lose weight if you have to. You can do it.

22. Rest. Go to bed before midnight for a good night's sleep.

23. Don't take people too seriously.

24. Stop being offended.

25. Stay grounded in God's word. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.


I wish I could say that I ace half of these. I don't. I am not the perfect example of a christ-follower. I give in to running my mouth, instead of listening, of passing judgment instead of saying a prayer.  Of being harsh when I should be soft and forgiving. 

I will be printing this list up, and putting it several places, as a reminder, a gentle prod and encouragement that each day is a new day, to start over and try again. 

Will you join me?

Blessings, 

Peggy 

Ruth 3:8-11

Continuing on today, with Ruth.

O: Ruth went and did at Naomi asked, laying herself down on Boaz's robe. He was startled to find her there, asking who she was. She told him, and asked for his covering. He blessed her, instead of turning her away, or raising an alarm. He also thanked her for picking him, as he was older.  He told her of her good reputation in town, calling her a woman of excellence.

A: God never turns us away, no matter how we meet him. Even in the most compromising positions or life, He blesses us, pulling us close and promising His protections. Do I really hold this in my heart? Do I believe this is the truth?

P: Father God, thank you for your love. Help me to see that you mean this love fully, more fully than I will know, on this side of Heaven. Thank you...



Peggy

Ruth 3:1-7

Today we're in chapter 3 of Ruth. So far Ruth has captured the attention of Boaz, and has been upright and good in her character.

O: 
Naomi is able to ease out of her suffering at this point, to see that Ruth needs protection and a husband. She feels it's her duty as a mother to provide for Ruth, as Ruth showed great honor and obedience to Naomi in following her back home. I can only imagine the love they held for each other as well for them both to bless and honor each other the way they have. Naomi is smart to instruct Ruth as she does, but she's also taking a risk.  Ruth on the other hand, listens and obeys her without question.

A:
How often do we disobey our parents? How often do we scoff that we know better than those who have experience? How often do we laugh at God's words, thinking we know better? Or if not laughing, but completely disregarding, thinking He didn't mean it, or it's not as bad as He says?

P:

Lord, make me a willing servant to Your words, etch them on my heart and in my mind so that I see nothing else. So that when you say Move, I ask which direction and how far? Give me the obedient heart that You desire. Amen.

Peggy

Study of Ruth

I've joined the Good Morning Girls for a 3 month commitment. Our group of girls join together on Facebook, and we're studying Ruth, then we'll move onto Ester. I've fallen a bit behind, so I'm going to catch up, and start posting it here as well!

Here's the study guidelines we've all agreed to follow:

What is S.O.A.P.?
Basically, here are the 'cliff notes':

1. S- Write out the scripture passage for the day using our reading schedule.
2. O- Write down 1-2 observations from the passage that you read.
3. A- Write down 1-2 applications of how you can apply it to your life.
4. P- Pray over what you learned from the passage and ask the Lord to help you apply the applications you have learned to your life.

Good Morning Girls!

**Originally posted on January 5, 2011

One of the many blogs I follow is Good Morning Girls, started by Courtney over at Women Living Well.
I love the encouragement I get from her and a few other blogs like hers. I wanted to join last year, a group of women who'd help keep me accountable to reading the Bible in quite time everyday. But I wasn't willing to do it, afterall. It was a half hearted attempt at best.
This year however, I am happy to have a group of lovely women to help me along this path. If you would like to join us please let me know! We have a group on Facebook and right now we're at 20 women. We're still getting to know each other, and won't be starting the dailies until the 15th, so you have plenty of time! Here is the description from the site:
When: Enrollment runs January 1st through January 15th

Where: Sign up on the Message board

Who: If you have a group of girls already, then enroll them on the message board.  If you do not have a group yet, go to the thread on the board where other ladies are looking for a group and email one of them and create a group!

What: If you have never heard of Good Morning Girls before here’s what we are…The “Good Morning Girls” is a title for a group of women who use email, facebook, twitter or text messaging to keep each other accountable for their quiet times. For 3+ years, I have been a part of a group of girls who email each other each weekday morning after we have our quiet time. We say “Good Morning” and then share what we read in our quiet time. Some of us have our quiet time first thing in the morning, while others squeeze it in during children’s naps or at bedtime.

Why: Our main goal is to be accountable to each other and to help each other maintain the discipline of reading God’s word daily.

Important to note: When our group started we had 11 women – within five months we were down to 5 women.  After 2+ years, we had one drop out and we added two new ones this past fall.  Your group may lose a few – don’t sweat it.  This is normal – do not take it personally or let it discourage you.  Keep going and praying for your group.
Over time, we have learned a lot about each other and have bonded. We discuss marriage, parenting, homemaking and more. We have fasted and prayed for each other in times of trouble, have kept each other accountable in specific areas of weakness and in the summer we always read a book together to discuss.

Commitment: Joining a Good Morning Girls group requires commitment.  Now that Angela and I have had time to watch these groups form and grow, we are aware that some start strong but then fizzle out.  As a result the entire group can get discouraged.  So it is very important that if you join a group you remain committed to the end.  Even if you can only check in once or twice a week – please do not quit completely.  The other girls WANT to hear from you!


This is a 3 month commitment.  The winter session runs from January 15th – April 15th.


What to study: You can choose as a group to read through a certain book of the Bible together, to join a Bible study together such as a Beth Moore study or each do your own thing.  This past year my entire group was in an Anne Graham Lotz  Bible study together but this winter we will not be in a Bible study together.
Angela and I will be unveiling a very simple Bible study in the book of James.  This is what I will be doing in my quiet times during this session.  We would love for you to join us in our study of James if you do not have other plans.
We look forward to a wonderful winter as we journey together in our Walks with the King!

The books that we've decided to read together are Ruth and Esther. So it'll be easy to jump in and join us. I pray that you'll hear Gods voice in this, and follow His leading. If you join us, I look forward to being encouraged and encouraging.


In His hands always,
Peg