Your Stories

If you began the 30-day daily devotional challenge the first week after our Winter Retreat, some of you may have passed that 30-day mile marker (or you're drawing close to it!). AMAZING!!!

We'd love to hear from you. If you have participated, are currently participating, or feel challenged to daily stay in God's Word from this point forward (and we hope you do!), we want your stories!

We're hoping to share a few testimonials from those of you who have experienced the transforming power of God's Holy Word, and time spent in intimate prayer with Him.

Even if it's just a sentence or two, you might have just the encouragement another sister needs right now in her walk with the Lord.

You can leave your story, encouragement in the comments or email womanintheword@gmail.com. We'll post some of your thoughts on this blog over the next few weeks.

Looking forward to hearing how God's working in your life! Let's glorify Him with the word of our testimonies!

What's on Your Bookshelf?

A few weeks ago, we asked you what was currently at the top of your music playlist when it came to praise and worship! Thanks for sharing your favorites with us!

Now, we'd love your suggestion for great books!

Are you enjoying an amazing devotional book that's enhancing your quiet time lately? Have you stumbled upon an inspirational, challenging, page-turning read that you'd just LOVE to share!

Please leave your comment or suggestion for anything you think would be an encouragement to help another sister grow in her relationship with Christ!

Be Still

During the retreat workshop that Joanne presented on having a quiet time, she passed out several handouts.

One of them, a yellow worksheet, was titled "Quiet Quest for God: How to listen to God during your Devoted Time with Him each day".

The first section on that worksheet is titled, "BE STILL before Him" and describes what stillness looks like:

"To be still, we need to be undisturbed, calm and silent with our minds captivated by the thought of the Living God speaking, and wait for Him to speak."

I came across a devotional yesterday in the book "Streams in the Desert" by L. B. Cowman that spoke on the concept of stillness before God in this way:

(from January 30th)

"I will be like the dew to Israel" (Hosea 14:5)

"The dew is a source of freshness. It is nature's provision for renewing the face of the earth. It falls at night, and without it vegetation would die. It is this great renewal value of the dew that is so often recognized in the Scriptures and used as a symbol of spiritual refreshment...

...Quietness and stillness bring the dew. At night when the leaves and grass are still, the plants' pores are open to receive the refreshing and invigorating bath. And spiritual dew comes from quietly lingering in the Master's presence. Get still before Him, for haste will prevent you from receiving the dew. Wait before God until you feel saturated with His presence. Then move on to your next duty with the awareness of the freshness and energy of Christ." Dr. Pardington

What an awesome reminder in our hurried lives that we should plan time to do nothing but BE STILL before our Living God.

Learning Our ABC's

I homeschool my First Grade son, and most days I also have my 2 year old daughter, my 2 year old niece, and my 10-month old nephew crawling around at my feet. It's a delight to be a part of the constant learning experiences going on in my home.

But I have to be honest, it's pretty basic stuff. My son's counting money, learning to add and subtract, learning how to spell and read, etc.

And the little ones are learning words, recognizing letters, and beginning to count.

No algebra, no chemistry, nothing complicated or confusing. Just the basics.

Perhaps that's why I'm so drawn to the suggestion in our "20 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time" to PRAISE JESUS FROM A to Z.

from the worksheet:

For example, "Jesus, You are amazing... Jesus, You are beautiful..." As you praise Jesus using each letter of the alphabet, spend time meditating on each word you use to describe Him. Thinking deeply about Him is more important than racing through each letter of the alphabet as fast as you can.

With the ABC song constantly being sung around my house, I am looking forward to spending some quiet time this week meditating on the ABC's of praising Jesus. Perhaps that will remind me throughout my day, as I prepare lessons and flip flashcards, that it's often very good for all of us to return to the basics. The simple reminders of how great our Savior is!

Jenny

How about you?

Add a comment with one letter of the alphabet and one praiseworthy attribute of Jesus, and let's see how far we can get here in our ABCs of Praising Jesus together!!

Learning to Hear His Voice

Have you been using the 3-Question format for studying Scripture lately? As we mentioned at Retreat, this particular format is the way Anne Graham Lotz teaches during her "Just Give Me Jesus" workshops.

If you'd like a refresher or if you were not able to participate in our Saturday Bible study workshop at our Winter Retreat, please visit AnGeL Ministries website to watch Ms. Graham Lotz present this Bible study method. The video runs about 30 minutes, but she lays out the method in the first 7-8 minutes, and the remainder of the video is practice!

Click HERE to watch it.

In addition, you'll find other helpful resources on her site, like several 3-question Bible study series. This would be very beneficial if you'd really like to apply this technique but just don't know where to start!

Click HERE to go directly to those resources!

As always, we'd love to hear how things are going with you at home! Is there a particular passage of Scripture that you've come to understand more deeply as you train your heart to listen for His voice?

Power Walking

Another great idea from "20 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time":

GO ON A PRAISE WALK!

Thank God for everything you see. Take the opportunity to look closely at God's creation, praising Him for His creativity and the beauty of the world He's crafted.

After hiking for a while, find a quiet spot to read one of the many Psalms that describe His creation.

Isaiah 40 and Genesis 1 are two chapters that will help you focus your heart and mind on God's creative character.

We'd love to hear YOUR ideas, too! How are you finding ways to focus your heart, quiet your mind, and even stay awake during your devoted time with the Lord?

What's On Your Playlist?

(contributed by Jenny D.)

I've been enjoying some new music lately during the last few minutes of my morning prayer & Bible study time. This morning, I listened to the song, "The Reason For the World" by Matthew West and as the tears just poured down my face I was reminded of how grateful I am to God for the gift of music to remind us how worthy He is of our praise!

And I got to thinking... I bet many of you have some great music that really is speaking to your hearts right now like this song did to mine this morning.

Would you share one or two of your favorite songs? Whether it provides encouragement through a promise of Scripture or a challenge to become more like Jesus or a reminder of His great gifts... your song may be just the thing someone else needs to hear today!

(In the next few weeks, we'll ask you to share favorite devotionals, books, etc as well! So stay tuned!)