Joy Through the Lord

Breaking from the color theme this Sunday morning.  It is still dark out, as I type, coffee has been brewed, Kevin is moving along to get up to church to play with the worship team this morning.  Was asked last night, if I'd like to have breakfast with Simon, so I wait on a teenager to wake up.  Know I won't starve, have never been close to actual starving before!

Anyway, why the break from my joy in themes, you might ask.  Yesterday, there was a Beth Moore Simulcast that reached 190,000 different folks, by their best estimation.  Forget how many different sights/locations there were, but a lot of ladies, and a few brave men, were tuning in.  It was a wonderful day, full of song, praise, scripture, and Beth Moore leading a study as only she can do!  (I might be a Beth Moore junkie!)  Here is a link to the blog post from yesterday's simulcast.   Beth's study had 7 points that I'll type out and my take away on it.

1. We are one gathering of many women yearning for God to speak.
   *Beth touched on how Jesus and his disciples would preach to the women.  The first passage read was in Acts 16:13-15 (link takes you to chapter 16).  Lydia's heart was opened that day, she believed, was baptized along with her family, and opened her home them. 
   *We are worthy for an encounter with Jesus like that.
2. Jesus changes the story of every woman He meets!
   * in every passage dealing with Jesus meeting with a woman, the woman was changed, for the better.
   *if we open our hearts to Jesus' story, we will be changed for the better.  Those who listened to Jesus' calling and responded were changed, those who did not listen or respond did not do so well (read Jeremiah 7:24)
3. Jesus wants a woman to know who she is and what she's not.
   * here is our Identity Declaration that we were challenged to memorize:
   
   
   
   
   *2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us to study God's word and be thoroughly equipped for all good works.
4. Sometimes a woman needs a clean sweep to find what she's missing!
   * even if we are experiencing some level of sorrow or pain, we need to be able to rejoice in our girlfriend's joy.  Luke 15:8-10 is the parable of finding the lost coin, rejoicing with friends, and how God and the angles rejoice over a sinner repenting.
   *in Greek, the word friends, in the above passage is "tasphilas", which translates to "girlfriend"; we find that there is a need for strong relationship with a few other woman.
   * we do need to be cautious, though, of not having to many people, things, and obligations that God becomes something of an add-on, an after thought.  We need to sweep clean a few things to make more room for God.
5. A women's joy is not the same with out girlfriends to share it.
   *be careful of having to many contacts and not many connections with other women.  We need that inner circle of women that will hold us accountable.
   *there is a link between a "joy deficit" and "true friends" who will hold you accountable and be there for you!
   *we may have a low joy meter because we don't meet with friends
   *our insecurities will poke wholes in our heart
   *we need to trade comparison with others for compassion for one another
   *we need to be striving, side by side, with our girl friends, not against them (Philippians 1:27)
6. All of heaven rejoices over a lost woman found.
7. Every woman is well able to share how Jesus is changing her story.

I apologize that I don't have many points under number 6 & 7.  It was toward the end of a long day.  The greatest takeaway from the day, for me, was sharing in my friend's joy and that life should not be a comparison, but should have compassion instead.

During the coming days, I will be rereading many of this.  My main focus will be the memorization of the Identity Declaration and 2 Timothy 3:16 & 17.  Would you care to join me?  Would you care to share your JOY we me, so as a sister in Christ, we can rejoice together?