I am attending BSF: Bible Study Fellowship, which is an international organization that has very in-depth studies on various books of the Bible. This year we are studying the book of Isaiah. A whole year to study one of the prophets, wow! I am going to learn so much. I have read the book of Isaiah before, but it was way over my head and I didn't really comprehend much. I am beginning the study a few months late (classes began in September). It will be ok, though.
I talked to a few people at the study and they were very praising of BSF. Some have done all the studies that they offer-which is like 8 different ones. I hope to have the opportunity to complete them all over the years. They only offer 1 study per year...well from September to May then they offer another the next September. Some of the others that are offered are: The Life of Moses (I would love to attend that one!), Acts of the Apostles (another I would love to attend), Genesis, John, Romans, Matthew, Israel and the Minor Prophets....heck, I want to attend them all!!!!
One thing that I really like about it is you have homework every day, so you spend time in God's Word every day. This has always been a challenge for me...I hate to admit! I'm always thinking of something else I need to be doing or would rather be doing, unfortunately. But now I am challenged to spend time every day reading and studying God's Word, and I have to tell ya, I have learned so much in just the one day that I have!
Because the picture above is really boring (it's my name tag from BSF), here is a little eye candy for you. Here are the girls all dressed for Halloween:
Averi as Alice:
Cali as a cuddly lion:
And Teddy as a princess:
Glimpses of God: November 3, 2010
I had been planning on attending BSF for more than a month now, but each week I would talk myself out of it...something would come up, or I just wouldn't really feel like going, or whatever. I woke up yesterday morning and I prayed and asked God to not let me talk myself out of going and to not let anything get in the way of me going. I have felt for a long time that I really needed a structured Bible study to get me growing spiritually...I have felt kind of in a rut for awhile.
Anyways, I'm trying to get everyone up and ready for school/work and everyone is griping or moaning and groaning about having to get up. My children ARE NOT morning people and neither am I so mornings at our house can be kind of crazy. Well, Teddy goes in Averi's room and pees...she has not had an accident in the house in like 2 weeks! Averi's griping about having to clean it up, Chris is asking me to help him find something to wear, and Cali won't get out of bed. So needless to say I'm feeling a little frustrated because I have to make Cali's lunch, get myself ready to go, and get everybody out the door. The whole time of the morning chaos I'm thinking to myself..."maybe I'll just not go, I have too much to do today, I won't know anyone there, I feel awkward going into somewhere new and trying to become a part of something that has been going on for 2 months already, etc."
I get everybody gone, take Cali to school (luckily Chris drove the car pool to Averi's school today), and come back home to get ready. Teddy has been out in the backyard all morning after her incident earlier so I let her in thinking she is good to go for awhile. I start to get ready and I only have like 20 minutes until I need to leave. I hear Teddy downstairs barking and I ignore it thinking she's just barking...she just does that sometimes. I finish getting ready, come downstairs and the stench hits me in the entryway. Teddy has left me two, TWO huge presents!!!! It was like the dog hadn't pooped in a week or something. She is not a very big dog so I was shocked! So I have to clean it up, talk to her about USING THE BATHROOM OUTSIDE, and get all my stuff together to go. All this time I'm thinking to myself, "I'll just not go, I'm gonna be late, I don't want to walk into someplace where I am new late, This just isn't gonna work today, etc." But that calm, still voice inside is like, "No, you're gonna go, you've been planning to go, you've been wanting to go, this will be good for you, etc."
I leave, start heading that way, and I try calling Chris so that he could look up for me on Google maps a certain road that I need to take to get there. I could have just headed up the interstate, but I thought going this back way may be faster since I was running low on time. Well, Chris didn't answer his phone. Again I have the negative thoughts, and again the reassuring ones.
I decide to take the interstate since I don't know what road to turn on for the back way. And I get going, think I might be able to make it with time to spare, when all of the sudden the traffic comes to a complete stop! We inch along and the whole time my negative thoughts and reassuring thoughts are battling each other. The big hold up is an oversized load that is pulled off onto the shoulder, it looked like a pair of airplane wings! I keep watch of the clock and amazingly it looks like I still might make it.
I pull into the parking lot of the church with 5 minutes to spare! This in itself is unbelievable because back at the airplane wing hold up I only had like 7 minutes. And it was a good 5 miles from where I exited (the church was right off of the exit)!
All morning long I had been trying to talk myself out of going. Things were happening to get in my way of going. God knew the importance of me going and He made it happen. Had I pulled into that parking lot and it been starting time or later, I probably would have turned right back around and headed home. But I had 5 minutes to spare! Time to get in, find out where I needed to go, and actually be somewhat early. God is good. I leave you with my Bible verse of the day that is on one of my iphone apps:
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised those who love him. James 1:12
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