Most of you had New Years last month, but mine was February 1st. I decided this when the holidays just kept running on and then I left town. The "normal", post-celebratory life is just beginning for me.
With this new occasion, I have restarted a slew of activity. I have my high school girls back on Tuesday night (we had gelato). Yesterday afternoon, I was able to meet with my mentor, who I have missed greatly over the holidays. Last night, I hosted the women's committee for an impromptu meeting (we had sea salt brownie bites).
I have found that, in church life, people are more apt to remember the food than the meeting. My girls might not remember that we talked about Christ-centered passions and how to find them, but they really liked the gelato. Last night, one person in particular enjoyed many brownies. I will mention no names, but you know who you are. We, in turn, enjoyed watching her eat brownies.
Today, however, I fulfilled one of last year's goals. I went and registered my money and I for a bible study outside of my church. I believe that it was life category 73, number 12. It involved something that I like to call, "crawling out from under my rock". As a creature of habit, I do not need change; I need regularity. It will take a few months before this group feels regular to me. In the meantime, I am the new girl...argh! BTW, if your job begins with domestic or anything from this post, you should check out their free podcast.
This means that I am, officially, attending a bible study in a place that I do not attend or serve...goal achieved.
AND, it was all fine and good until they started passing around a sign-up sheet. My heart gazed on it lovingly, while my brain said, "touch it and die". I could be useful to all of these new people. I stood up and walked away right before the woman next to me clicked her pen and started passing it. She probably thinks that I was running from it, and I was.
We talked about the tongue this morning. Oh my, my tongue. What sparks have flown from it in recent weeks! I have failed miserably in this area, and my heart has been restless over it. He is helping me, though. I am free and stand on His grace, which is everything that I need. That and a swift kick.
Getting glimpses of how wrong, how broken, and how far I am from anything that resembles "good" can be devastating, however useful. At times, it points me to what I want to become. I found this verse, and although it is about wisdom...I want to be that. Or, if you watch 30Rock, "I want to go to there".
Imagine! How would life be different if this were true?
Victoria's study on Jonah is still happening at Let the Son Shine. I will be commenting over there, again, today. Come and join us!
Well then Happy New Year Tracy!!! : )
ReplyDeleteI did a Bible Study at a church a never attended last year and it was a HUGE blessing to me ... I ended up doing 2 of their studies in the 10 months before we moved! :)
Happy New Year :)
ReplyDeleteI did a bible study at a church I did not attend two years ago and it was such a blessing. I pray that your new study blesses you tremendously!
The first study I did was at a church I didn't attend...I didn't attend any church, but this one was so far away it just wasn't an option. I can say with no doubt in my heart that the group of ladies in that study changed my view of Christian women. They were real. They were warm. They were safe. I taught my first couple of Bible study session there and God started telling me something. I've been dying to lead a study since, but God's timing isn't matching up to mine! Guess I better just be okay with that! =P
ReplyDeleteLove you and your gorgeous heart for our Lord!
ps...thanks for mentioning the study, I'm really enjoying it so much
Wow. Interesting because I too have gone out on a limb and started a bible study at a church I am not a memeber of. I was raised Mormon and am now looking into a Christian Bible based church. It's been interesting and refreshing.
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