MADE TO CRAVE - THIRD WEBCAST

Monday night's webcast was a little hard to watch. What I mean by that is that the audio and video were out of sync. However, it was still chock full of information. One thing I loved is that someone shared they had put their "go-to" scripts on a notecard spiral to keep with them everywhere they went. The reason I love that they shared that idea is because just a few days ago, when reviewing my SSMT scriptures on my SSMT Spiral, I thought about doing the same thing! I just have to wait for payday to buy the spiral. I even thought I might just order another Siesta spiral to use for my go-to scriptures - what do you think about that idea?

So here are the scriptures and the notes that I got from Monday night's webcast. So far, I don't think anyone else is sharing anything - I sure wish y'all would jump in and share what you gleaned from each webcast. You never know - you may have picked up on something that I or others didn't and by sharing we can all get even more out of it. Anyway - on with mine......

Scriptures: Genesis 3:6 / I John 2:15-16 / Psalm 107: 18-20 / Psalm 90:14
The first thing that jumped out at me (and several others from the way it was 'tweeted') is this: TEMPTATION IS SATAN'S INVITATION TO GET OUR NEEDS MET HIS WAY INSTEAD OF GOD'S WAY. Whether it is food or anything else.

Make PEACE your ultimate weight loss goal - NOT being thin. Remember, NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS PEACE FEELS. (Romans 14:19-20)

Another line that I liked from Monday night's webcast is this: LAZY IS A LIE! There's more that goes with that but Twitter is having a technical issue right now and I can't get to it :(  I will share it as soon as I can get to it to see it.

Lysa also shared many blog links that she encouraged everyone to check out. You can find them by going to http://www.madetocrave.org/ and then click on the Media tab.

If you have problems finding it, just let me know and I'll be glad to help any way I can.

Guess I should mention that the other thing discussed was exercise. Find something you like to do and do it - the best exercise for you is something you will do :)

So, I'm sure I missed a lot of other good things, too, but maybe you caught something that I missed. If you would be so kind as to share it here with us, it would be appreciated ever so much.

Thank y'all :)

MADE TO CRAVE - SECOND WEBCAST

WOW! Once again, I got so much out of the webcast! And then again, there was plenty I didn't get - couldn't get all the websites written down! LOL

Lysa shared the scripture from I Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

Being in the center of God's will is to be a woman of joy, prayer and thanksgiving. Focus on God! CHOOSE to be a woman of joy. Thanksgiving moves the heart of God.

Lysa's special guest Monday night was her very own pastor, Steven Furtick (author of Sun Stand Still and if you haven't read that book, it is GREAT!) He shared many things and the one thing that really struck me was this: He stated that God said, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" speaking about Jesus BEFORE Jesus ever performed one miracle! Jesus KNEW His identity. Knowing our identity MUST come before our activity. (To get a better grasp on this, you can read Lysa's blog at http://www.lysaterkeurst.com/. Scroll down to Tuesday, Jan. 18 and read what she wrote about it there.)

I probably didn't get that exactly like Pastor Furtick said it, but maybe you get the meaning anyway. Here are some other things that I jotted down as he was speaking:

I can never let God down because I was never holding Him up in the first place.

I have to reformat my mind. I have to begin using the "find and replace" function. The first sin was the sin of insecurity. The way Adam and Eve hid (or thought they hid) from the Father as if to say "If I pretend I don't have a problem then it's not a problem, right? Insecurity is an insult to God. When the enemy is trying to tell me lies, I MUST replace them with the truth of His Word.

The beginning of a breakthrough is DESIRE. Not MY desire to do it for me and not desire from within myself but a Holy Spirit Empowered Determination that nothing can stop!

Dr. Chilton shared about several different things and I couldn't get them all down. However, there is a website you can go to and download a free chart. Just go to http://www.genesmart.com/products/gene_smart_go_guide___free__/52.php?page_id=293 (Hopefully you can just click on that link and go straight to where it says for you to download it.) If not, then go to http://www.genesmart.com/, scroll down to where you see it says "Welcome Made to Crave Webcast Viewers" and you will see where it says to Click here for your FREE Gene Smart Go Guide. If you want this guide but you don't have access to a printer, just let me know and I'll be glad to print you a copy.

There were several sites listed as recommended for checking out but the only one I got written down was www.shecooks.org. I am going to check her book and see if the websites are listed there and I'll let you know.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing everyone again this Monday night. Feel free to come as early as 6:30, if you'd like. I don't mind at all. And, if you can't get there early or even by 7, just come when you can - it's all good :)

Love you all and PLEASE feel free to comment and share what you got from the webcast Monday night.

MADE TO CRAVE - FIRST WEBCAST

WOW! Were you able to tune in and see the webcast? We were and we really enjoyed it. So much information. I will share with you some of my notes and I'd love to hear what some of you got from it. Also, if you don't get to watch on a Monday night for some reason or even if you just want to see it again, they are taping each show and will re-air it the following Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. CST AND 2:00 p.m. CST on the Made to Crave website - http://www.madetocrave.org/

I really enjoyed tonight's devotional called "A Grace Place". God doesn't run out of grace. Even on days when I might make an "unhealthy" choice, I just need to move on and not think that I've "blown it". Take EACH healthy choice as a victory and let all the individual choices begin to add up.

One phrase that stood out to me was "You have a physical indication of a spiritual situation". This was not meant necessarily just for someone that might be overweight, but even someone that is at their normal weight but having health issues, as well. At least, that's the way I understood it - let me know if I got that wrong.

I also liked that she shared the word SEEK comes from the word, Zeteo, which means "to crave". So when the scripture tells us to SEEK God it is telling us to CRAVE God!

I loved when her guest, Kathrine Lee, made the statement that she is on the journey this time "BECAUSE I am loved not so I CAN BE loved". I like that she shared that she had lost 175 pounds and kept it off for six years only to gain it back when she went through some emotional 'stuff'. I really identified with that because, even though I'd only lost 54 pounds, I also gained almost all that back when going through emotional 'stuff'. It made me ask myself why am I really doing this? What do I REALLY want to accomplish - long term? My answer to that is that I DO want to get healthy and, hey, if I can get closer to God at the same time then that's even better!

One thing we need to always remember is this: A SETBACK IS A SET UP FOR A COMEBACK!

I am so glad to have the FREEDOM to do this. I know I have a lot of choices ahead of me and I have a lot to learn about choosing healthy - but I'm ready for it. I will pray for each of you and ask that you also pray for me that God will give us each the wisdom and knowledge we need to make the healthy choices.

REMEMBER: For women, 25 grams of fiber per day is a GREAT help in this journey :)

So - what did y'all think of the webcast? Leave some comments and share your thoughts.

BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL - SESSION 2 - 09-16-10

SESSION TWO - BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL

 IN MY WALK WITH GOD

Lysa started this week's DVD segment with some fresh pineapple. She told of how she had been settling for canned pineapple instead of fresh pineapple because the outside of the fresh pineapple looked "scary". Then she watched a friend cut a fresh pineapple and realized, "I could do that. It's not so hard." She compared that to studying the Bible. Sometimes, we settle for the "canned" version - what others have studied and then told us - instead of getting the Word "fresh" for ourselves because the Bible can look "scary" on the outside. It's so big - I don't understand it - we use all kind of excuses.

She referenced Ephesians 1:17 as giving us an important clue to understanding the Bible: "I keep asking..." ASK for understanding and don't just ask once - KEEP ON ASKING. The only way we are going to have His Word dwell in us is to get it in to us and the only way to do that is to get in to the Bible for ourselves.

She used the story of David as an example of how we can learn by studying people in the Bible. Some questions we should ask ourselves when we are studying any person in the Bible are: What is odd about this passage? What could it say to me personally?

In I Samuel 16:1, 7, 10-13 we see that David was overlooked by everyone else but he was handpicked by God. (He wasn't even brought in with his brothers!) His character was developed in the fields of everyday life to match his calling. Even though David should have been afraid, he wasn't because he knew God was with him so he ran straight to the center of God's will.

If you settle for canned versions of someone else's revelations instead of studying the Bible for yourself, it could have a negative impact on your walk with the Lord. How? Because, how would you know if they were speaking the truth? Also, you can't get the same feelings from someone else's experiences as you can from your own.

Even after David was anointed as King where was he sent? Back to the fields! And he never complained once. He trusted God and didn't question.

We must remember that the fields of every day life are our perfect preparation place, just as they were David's. God knows exactly where we are and has us there for a reason. He knows His plan for us already. We need to trust Him and allow Him to work in and through our lives right where we are this moment.

Other scripture used in this week's lesson: I Samuel 17:34-37, 40, 45 and 48-49

******************************************************

Each lady present received a bookmark with a picture of a pineapple and Ephesians 1:17 "I keep asking..." to help remind us not to settle for the "canned" version of the Bible.

And one lady (Alisa) was blessed with two fresh pineapples to take home! WOO HOO!!!

Please realize that this blog is a very abbreviated version of everything that we discuss on Thursday nights. Please feel free to come and join in even if you didn't sign up and don't have the books. You can really get a lot of insight just from watching the DVD session and taking part in the discussion that follows. We'd love to have you join us.

We will be watching the Session 3 DVD this Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7:00 p.m. You never know what little surprises might be waiting for ya :)



BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL - SESSION 1 - 09-09-10

Well, our first session in Lysa Terkeurst's Bible Study - Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl - was certainly tinged with sadness. However, we had a good group of ladies and had some good prayer time and got right into it. Oh, and we had brownies - with NO nuts - for a snack! (wink, wink ladies - you'd have to be here to know what that was about)

SESSION ONE

BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL IN MY HEART

In the first session, Lysa used examples from her own life to remind us that we can NOT try to make any person, possession or position fill our heart. That is something that only God can do. If we try to force anything besides God to do it, it can quickly turn from a blessing into a burden.

Anything we use as a substitute for God is an idol - a false god. It wasn't just the people in the Old Testament that struggled with this. We still struggle with this today. But the same answer that their false gods gave to them is the same answer our false gods give us - there is no response, no one answers and no one pays attention.

We have to quit thinking "If only I had" statements and replace them with truths from God's Word. Proverbs 24:16 was one example she gave.

When we allow ourselves to be satisfied with God and filled up with His truth, then we can stop having unrealistic expectations from people, possessions and positions.

I must remember that just because something I DO might be a failure, it does NOT make ME a failure.

*************************************************************

We had a lot of good discussion after watching the video and I am enjoying the "between-sessions personal Bible Study" that she has us doing.

If you didn't sign up but would like to join us after reading this, come on! We still have an extra set of books and you really haven't missed THAT much yet. Come join us this Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. We'd love to have you.

This Thursday night there will also be an extra-special video (I hope - lol) besides the Bible Study and an important announcement to go along with it. No, it's not another Bible Study but something I think several ladies might be interested in. Come see what it is :)

HOW IS GOD SPEAKING TO YOU? (09-02-10)

There is some very exciting news at the end of this one, so DON'T SKIP TO THE END, but be sure to read ALL THE WAY to the end so you can get in on it :)

What a wonderful time we had last Thursday night. It was so interesting to hear the things that were shared of how God is speaking to different individuals. Some of the songs that were shared were "More Love To Thee", "Count Your Blessings", "My Shepherd Will Supply My Needs", "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "No Matter What". I have never heard the song, "My Shepherd Will Suplly My Needs" but the words spoke to my heart when they were shared. I know and have known for a very long time now that He DOES supply my needs, but it is so wonderful that someone else can put in to words and music what my heart is feeling. I just love that! I am going to share the words to that song later.

One lady shared that she almost feels like a "female Job" - like things are being taken from her but she is STILL going to serve Jesus anyway. She mentioned that sometimes she feels she is not able to do a lot of things that she'd like to do for the Lord but said she just remembers that He calls us for our AVAILability first and then HE will give us the ability to do what He asks us to do. We are not called to do anything else.

Another shared that she feels guilty about not witnessing more. We actually had two ladies to say this and, as we were all talking about it, we actually all felt that way to a degree. But this particular lady is praying and asking God to give her more boldness in that area so please remember this in your prayers. God knows who she is and will know who you are praying for. She said that she has to remember that God sees the whole picture while we see only a little, tiny portion. He knows why people do the things they do. He sees and judges by the person's heart while see and judge by the outward appearance of things. He sees the motive and intent of our own heart even when we may not. We may be doing something and not truly realize the intent of our heart or motive behind our actions but, if we pray and ask Him to reveal these things to us, He will. We may not like what He shows us but He will only be honest and truthful with us. The final thing she shared was that she wanted to give herself SO completely to God but asked "How do I do that?" We just have to place our life in His hands daily and truly surrender to Him and His will each day, sometimes even minute by minute and trust that, as we said earlier, He knows the intent of our heart. He knows if we are truly trying to hear Him and do His will.

Someone else shared almost the same thing - that she just wants to be closer to God, wants to FEEL Him more. We all agreed, as did she, that the one thing we have to remind ourselves of at times when we don't FEEL the Lord, is that we can NOT go by feelings. In fact, we all agreed that, more often than not, it is in the times when we don't feel Him that it is most important to praise Him and lift Him up. Why? Because that brings Him glory! (And, as an added bonus - it makes the devil mad!)

Everyone pretty much knows what I've been going through for the last year and a half and I had a lot to share of how He has been putting scriptures and songs in front of me during this time reminding me that He is in control. Just recently, the new song by Kerrie Roberts, "No Matter What" really grabbed my heart. I was like - "That's exactly what I've been saying for the last year and a half! No matter what happens, I'm going to serve Him and love Him anyway!"

I am not going to type out all the scriptures that I shared but I will tell you where to find them - their "addresses" - and you can look them up. You never know, they just might help you with something you're dealing with right now. The scriptures were: Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 97:10, II Thessalonians 2:3, Isaiah 54:17, Jeremiah 39:17, Isaiah 54:10, Micah 6:8, II Corinthians 9:8 (NLT) and Proverbs 19:21. The really neat thing about the scriptures is that after He shows one to me, I've noticed that the same scripture will pop up in something else that I receive in an e-mail or an article that I read. I just love how He reinforces things and confirms things to my heart.

He has also used Sheri Rose Shepherd's books, "His Princess" and "Prayers to My King" to really help me through this time. As well as books by Beth Moore (Breaking Free Day by Day) and Sarah Young (Jesus Calling).

He is with us each and every minute of our lives. All we have to do is call on Him and ask Him to show us His way. He is here even when we don't feel Him, even though we don't 'physically' see Him nor audibly hear Him - He IS here. He sometimes speaks in a still, small voice, so be patient, sit quietly, spend time with Him and in His Word and you will learn His voice. I know this to be true because I am learning. Sure, the enemy still tries to confuse me and make me doubt, but I am learning despite his attempts to stop me. We must not give up, we must press onward and upward. He knows our heart and the motives and intents of our heart and He will help us learn and He will and does speak to us - the question really is, "Are we listening for Him?"

MY SHEPHERD WILL SUPPLY MY NEEDS

MY SHEPHERD WILL SUPPLY MY NEED,

JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME

IN PASTURES FRESH HE MAKES ME FEED

BESIDE THE LIVING STERAM

HE BRINGS MY WANDERING SPIRIT BACK

WHEN I FORSAKE HIS WAYS

AND LEADS ME FOR HIS MERCY’S SAKE

IN PATHS OF TRUTH AND GRACE

WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE SHADES OF DEATH

THY PRESENCE IS MY STAY

ONE WORD OF THY SUPPORTING BREATH

DRIVES ALL MY FEARS AWAY

THY HAND IN SIGHT OF ALL MY FOES

DOTH STILL MY TABLE SPREAD

MY CUP WITH BLESSINGS OVERFLOWS

THINE OIL ANOINTS MY HEAD

THE SURE PROVISIONS OF MY GOD

ATTEND ME ALL MY DAYS

O MAY THY HOUSE BE MY ABODE

AND ALL MY WORK BE PRAISE

THERE WOULD I FIND A SETTLED REST

WHILE OTHERS GO AND COME

NO MORE A STRANGER NOR A GUEST

BUT LIKE A CHILD AT HOME

Now for the exciting news.................NEXT WEEK WE START OUR LYSA TERKEURST BIBLE STUDY - "BECOMING MORE THAN A GOOD BIBLE STUDY GIRL"

If you are planning to attend and haven't already let me know, PLEASE do so ASAP so I can get your books ordered. You can contact me by e-mail or on facebook. I am really excited about what God is going to do through each of us ladies in this Bible Study.

Blessings to each and every person reading this :)

TITUS - CHAPTER 3 (08-26-10)

Titus only has three chapters, but there sure is a lot packed in to those three chapters. The following is what we shared and talked about last Thursday night.

Don't forget this week - bring whatever it is that God is using to speak to you and share. I think this is going to be one of our best yet. It will be so interesting to see how He may be speaking the same thing to us as individuals in different ways.

TITUS – CHAPTER 3

 

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OUR GOVERNMENT

We answer to God FIRST but we must also obey our government and our leaders. The only time we are not to obey our government is when it goes against the will of God.

Romans 13:1 – Obey the government, for God is the One Who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.

Acts 5:29 – But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human authority.”

OUR CONDITION WHEN WE WERE LOST

We are ALL guilty of sin. Paul is reminding Titus (and us) how we were at one time living foolish and disobedient lives. We were not serving the Lord but were serving Satan and following after the lusts and pleasures of sin. The pleasure obtained from sin is short lived and then a price has to be paid. Jesus died and paid our penalty for sin. Paul says we were living in envy, full of evil and we hated and were hated. But for the ones who have accepted Jesus, we have been freed from the penalty of sin because of His great sacrifice on Calvary.

Ephesians 2:1-3

SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

In verses 3-8 Paul summarizes what Christ does for us when He saves us. We go from living a life full of sin to one of being led by God’s Holy Spirit. He doesn’t just wash away some of our sins – He washes away ALL of our sins and we have a new life through the Holy Spirit. We don’t get this because of anything we did or because we deserve it – it is God’s GIFT to us.

In verses 4-6 all three persons of the Trinity are mentioned because all three participate in the work of salvation. Based upon the redemptive work of His Son, the Father forgives us and sends the Holy Spirit to wash away our sins and continually renew us.

BELIEVERS SHOULD MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS

Verse 8 also reminds us to do good deeds all the time. We don’t do these deeds to “be saved” – rather we will WANT to do these good deeds out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us. We glorify the Father when we let others see our good works. How we ACT in front of others has a lot to do with how people view God and whether or not they want to be like us. We need to live a life that exemplifies Christ in everything we do.

THINGS THAT ARE UNPROFITABLE

Paul warns us in verse 9 not to get involved in foolish and unprofitable arguments. Not meaning that we shouldn’t study, discuss and examine different interpretations of difficult Bible passages. He is warning against getting involved in petty quarrels, not honest discussion that leads to wisdom. When a foolish argument develops, it is best to turn the discussion back to a helpful direction or politely excuse yourself altogether.

Throughout verses 9-11 we are instructed to warn anyone that is causing division that threatens the unity of the church. This is not to be done in a “bullish” way but in a loving way. If that person refuses to accept the correction after two warnings, then we should have nothing more to do with them as they are condemning themselves.

PAUL’S PLANS FOR WINTER

Verses 12-13 are about Paul letting Titus know that he was planning to send Artemas or Tychicus to Crete to relieve him. Paul wanted Titus to meet him in Nicopolis so they could spend the winter there and also instructed him to bring Zenas, the lawyer, with him, as well as Apollos.

DESIRE TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS

Paul tells us that we should not have unproductive lives. We need to learn to do good by helping others who have urgent needs. God wants us to be fruitful. If we never lead a soul to the Lord or make efforts to reach the lost, we are not being fruitful.

I don’t believe this necessarily means, going up to everyone you meet and trying to lead them in the “road to salvation”. I believe God gifts us all in different ways of leading others to Christ. Some of us may do it in talking, some may lead others to Christ through songs they sing and others may lead people to Christ simply by the life they live. There are several different ways to lead others to Christ. And I also believe that we may not even necessarily know when we have led someone to the Lord – not on this side of Heaven, anyway – we may not know til we get there just how many people we led to Him by our influence.

**********************************************************************

Special thanks to David Parham and also the people that put the notes in my Life Application Bible. I got most of my above notes from those two places.