Biblical Worldview & Other Phrases I Had Never Heard Of

I was not raised in church.  I started going to church on my own at the age of 19.  Some time after that I went before the church to make a public profession of faith and was baptized.  Sadly, I don't know the date, so I do not know my age at the time... early twenties... 22-ish.  For years I went to church and attempted to learn as much as I could from the preaching and Sunday School classes.  I thought I was doing this right.  And I really did not know how to do it anyway.  I remember being told the night I went down to make my public profession of faith that the best place to start in reading the Bible was to read one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), but I did not even feel I could really understand the "Bible language".  How was I going to understand it?  I bought a "Rainbow Bible" in the NIV thinking that would help me understand.  I mean, I had really not read much of the Bible.... just random segments of scripture.  And so it kind of continued that way for a long, long time.  I would just learn what I could from preachings and Sunday School and read some random stuff in my Bible and try to figure it out.  Sadly, the problem with that is that for the most part a lot of the teachings from preachers and Sunday School are on the simpler issues or either it is the same sort of thing and nothing too deep. 

About six years ago I attended the first Bible Study outside of regular church services that I had ever attended.  Really!  Yes, that was about 14 years into my church experience.  And when I think of that now I think that is ridiculous, BUT I am sitting here pondering it and I have to say I know part of the reason.  A BIG part of the reason is that even though I had turned to God and the church I still had the mindset in many ways that I just needed to attend the church services... and that all those Bible studies outside of that were a bit strange.  Let me clarify... I admired people that attended those, but I just did not feel comfortable doing that myself.  Part of that would probably really be my own insecurity.  Maybe I felt that was for the "really good and worthy Christians".  In fact, at that time I would not even call myself a Christian because I had heard all my life that calling yourself a "Christian" was a bad thing (because if you could not be sin free you were a hypocrite if you called yourself a "Christian").  I no longer believe that way (just to clarify).

A few months after I began my homeschooling journey I attended a very small homeschool conference and I remember someone saying that all of your "issues" would come out when you start homeschooling.  Boy, did I ever know that.  Having only been doing this homeschool thing for a few months I had learned already that I had "issues".  And the great thing about having "issues" is that you turn to God to figure out the answers.  One thing I did was read all of Teri Maxwell's stuff I could get my hands on and it was wonderful for me because she openly talks about her "issues" in her books.  My favorite thing is "Homeschooling With A Meek and Quiet Spirit" and I began to read it.  All that to say that since beginning homeschooling I personally have had the most spiritual growth of my life. 

Also, our church is a wonderful "teaching" church and we started going to this church a couple of months after we began homeschooling.  Before this time I had only attended one other "Bible Study".  Our church offers many opportunities for Bible Study and specifically, each Fall and each Spring offers a Ladies Study of some sort.  I have had the opportunity to attend Beth Moore studies and Priscilla Shirer studies, etc..  One in particular that had a huge impact on me was about Hearing the Voice of God.  It changed my life really.  Up until that point I felt like I was just grasping for straws about how to know if God was really guiding me or if it was something else.  I learned most importantly that whatever God is "saying" to you it will always be able to be backed up by scripture.  If I ask God if I should "follow my heart" on an issue and I think He is telling me I should, well that is an example of me being decieved because the Bible says the the heart is decietful.  The study also went through the many different ways God speaks to us. 

As we attended more homeschool conferences I began to hear phrases like "Biblical Worldview", "Biblical Womanhood", "Biblical Manhood", etc..  I had NEVER heard talk like this in ANY church or from ANY preacher I had ever sat under.  Once I heard these terms I knew they were at the core of being a Christian.  When we start to filter EVERYTHING in our life through the Word of God... through our Bible we will have a "BIBLICAL Worldview".  I don't know why the terminology seems so odd or hard to understand what it would mean.  Look at the words.... they all start with "Biblical" and that is so simple understand.  Bible!  Yes, the Word of God!  So, those things are simply:

• Biblical Worldview = having a view of how the the "world" should work should be based on the "Bible"
• Biblical Manhood = that men should model their lives after the model that God designed for us as laid out in the Bible
• Biblical Womanhood =  that women should model their lives after the model that God designed for us as laid out in the Bible

That is simple enough to understand, but the wording seems complex at first.  I am so thankful that I have learned about these things now and that I sit under a preacher that just finished a series of sermons he preached on about Biblical Worldview.  A few months before that he did a series on Biblical womanhood and now he is preaching  a series on Biblical voting.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg.  God has opened up so much opportunity for me to learn more lately and improve my marriage, my family, my parenting, and my relationship with Him.  I feel so blessed and I had to share this with you. 

Pondedering Thoughts About My Blog

I have a lot of posts in my "Drafts" and for some reason they never make it out of there. Some are long. Some are short. Some just need a photo added to it. Some have a photo, but need some detail added. Some chronicle our homeschool weeks or days. Some are about my flowers or thoughts that run through my head. One thing is the same throughout all of them. They feel incomplete. And I think God is trying to tell me something through this and I am just not getting it, yet. I know part of is that I need to limit my computer time and I have done that. I still need to do that some more, but I am getting much, much, much better. I do not feel that God is wanting me to stop blogging altogether. A lot has changed for me in the time that I started blogging. I began blogging for two reasons. The first was to reach other homeschoolers. The other was to make money. The first I have pursued. The latter I have not.... and do not care to anymore unless that just happens. When I look back it is amazing the changes that have happened in my life since my bloggy beginning. I had been homeschooling for mere weeks. I was homeschooling for totally different reasons than I am now (I just wanted to be with my kids and have quality time.... now it is a God thing. It is a conviction!). I was just homeschooling and not really loving it, but trying to. Now we are getting into a groove and I am starting to love it. Still we have struggles, but we are getting there. In the beginning I was all academically driven and trying to do the drudgery of school at home. Now my desire is to have our way of life become our way of school and our focus be on honoring God with it. I began this blog thinking that our school time could be totally seperate from our God time (prayer/church/etc.) and it was not necessary to teach about God as part of school. BUT when God puts you in a trial where do you turn?! Yes, when you have exhausted all other options (sadly) you will then, turn to God... ahem... yes, the place you should start with to begin with.... yes, God! And I have to say that for a while I was turning to blogging and my bloggy pals instead of turning to God for the answers I was searching for.

BUT GUESS WHAT?

GOD USED THAT!!!

... and He used all of you that I have come in contact with to help me sort through this time in my life. He used MY WEAKNESS to do a work in me.

I just had an epiphany moment for real!! ... and I am going to share that moment with you right now while it is fresh in my mind. Just last week, the day after Mother's Day, we had two ladies come to our church and speak for a women's event called Legacy of Love. These ladies are a mother and daughter team that formed a family ministry after a traumatic event in their lives only a few years ago. Knowing Jesus Ministries is the ministry that formed out of their trajedy. They were hit by a drunk driver on their way home from church one night... head on... all four were sent to seperate hospitals with severe injuries and the daughter, Jen Barrick (15 at the time), was not expected to live through the night. She did, but she had severe brain damage. Amazingly, she did not know who she was or that she even had a brother, but she woke up from a comma praising God and singing praise songs and qouting scripture. There were many things they shared with our group at the Legacy of Love event, but the thing that stuck in my mind was this:

God wants to use our weaknesses!

The following day I was asked how God spoke to me at the banquet and this is the reply I wrote back:

"He wants to use our "weaknesses". I fall into the trap of thinking that myweaknesses are a waste, instead of letting God use those weaknesses.

I confirmed that we need to raise up a better generation... seeking
Godliness as our way to measure their/our success. And we have to model that.
.... I got way more out of this experience than I can put into words..."

Okay, so I am sharing this at this moment because God is speaking it to me at this moment. What an amazing thing that is when that happens and our ears are open and we catch it happening!! That is new for me, also. It is more clear after I took a Bible Study class called "Discerning the Voice of God" that is taught using the DVDs and study guide by Priscilla Shirer. I highly recommend reading this book and doing the Bible Study even if you can NOT attend it somewhere and see the DVDs. It is wonderful! Anyway, I am recommending to all of you do the Bible Study ... and also order the DVD or CD that the Barrick family has to hear their story.

... But back to what I was saying before I started "chasing these [wonderful] rabbit trails".... I do not think that God is wanting me to stop blogging. God has used it too much to grow my Christian walk for it to be something He would have me eliminate completely. As with all things I have to learn self-control and I have to set limits. And when I spend 40 minutes typing up a post and hear His voice gently saying that I am spending too much time and that is not what He wants me to do with this blog I have to learn to listen ... and OBEY.... and leave those posts in the Drafts stage. And maybe He will guide me in finishing those posts when the time is right and it is not taking away from my life. For now.... they will sit their as long as they need to until I am clear with God that it is time to finish them. In the meantime I am once again going to try something new here. Something quick.. less time consuming.... I will do a bit of journaling here... It will be very random and just whatever is on my mind at the time. That might be some of our MFW studies or thoughts about my day, pictures, whatever.... unless God puts the brakes on that. We'll see. ALL OF THAT being said I think I will share some thoughts.....
WARNING: It's gonna get very RANDOM!


That beautiful baby at the top of that page is getting so big now. Just a few days ago she was mothering her FOUR babies and telling them, "No, no, no... ooooh baby... wait" and rocking them and cuddling them and disciplining them. That tiny little thing is turning into a big girl! And on that note... Sahara has been my largest baby at birth weighing in at 8 pounds 6 ounces, but now she is the tiniest of my children! It amazes me. Seriously, she had a well check-up this week adn my mouth dropped open when they weighed her. Only 23 pounds! Seriously! She is 21 months old! Two of my other children weighed that much by the time they were six months old and the other probably by nine months. It occurred to me that she could still meet the weight restrictions for an infant carrier car seat.... HELLO! She is my runt and I love every ounce of that spunky little thing. And on that note... she is spunky and tempermental and I am just saying that I think... no, I know that dynamite comes in small packages (from my own experience). Yes, I was the tiny one. I was always the smallest child in my class at school, but I thought I could take on the world. I was bossy and was usually the one in control amongst my playmates. I think Sahara is going to be that way... poor child. There is going to be a lot of personality molding with that one. For now cute takes her a long way, though. ;) I wish I had a picture of her face covered in black berries yesterday, too. That should be my new blog header! So cute in all her messiness.

I have had a long day, so off I go to bed for preparation for another busy day tomorrow.

MFW K: Horse and Obedience

[Template for Horse Craft. Click on pic to open and view larger. Print OR Copy and paste the graphic to use.]

Horse = "I obey right away." Hmmm... we could spend some time on this one.... LOL!!

Actually, as I say that, I know the message is great for both parent and child. ;) The Priscilla Shirer bible study that I recently attended called "Hearing The Voice Of God" was really focused on that. Now, bear with me a moment. I know this is supposed to be a cutesy post about Kindergarten, but I am going to veer off course a bit. The bible study was more about what we do when we hear the voice of God... do we ignore it? do we obey it?.... do we try to bend it and shape it into what our plans are rather than God's plan for us?.... when we hear God we need to look for scripture that backs it up and make sure it is not contradictory to the Bible, then OBEY Him right away! That means do what He is telling us to do! Do WE obey right away? I love that this K curriculum has lessons in it that we can all learn from. It really is true you know that "everything you really need to know in life you learn in Kindergarten"! Okay, on with the Kindergarten stuff....

We really had to change this one up a bit and did a lot of reading. I just had my own ideas. We did make a list comparing horses and cars. We did not visit a horse stable, but with our cow study we did go to the Fair, so I used that fair visit to fill in the gaps for what might seem to some as leaving out too much. They did see horses there!! It counts! And we live in Texas... we see horses... maybe not up close all the time, but we do see horses. We repeated some of the activities in the previous post (MFW: Cow). We made horses to sit on our desks for the week that stand up. I hade the die cut, so I traced it on cardstock (and I scanned and saved the page for future use). I will share here. When you cut out all the pieces and clip the notched areas you can assemble your horse. I reinforced ours with a little tape to kee the parts toghether and taped toothpicks to the back side of the legs for extra stability.

The kids also did some mazes from a little booklet called Treasure Hunt.

We read a lot... The books we used:
The Horse In Harry's Room by Syd Hoff
The Cake That Mack Ate by Rose Robart (Great book for farm study. About where our food comes from... the farmer that feed the chicken, that laid the egg, etc.)
Horses by Monica Kulling
Farm Animals (reference book.. could use any book)
The Crooked Colt by Anderson (Great book!)
When The Leaf Blew In by Metzger (Great book for farm study. About a series of events that happen when a leaf blows in a disturbs things. Fun, because at the end it starts all over again!)
Shoe For My Pony by Friskey (So cute art! I love this book just for the art, but it does discuss on a child level "shoes and blacksmiths")
Flip by Dennis (Great book! About a colt that falls asleep and wakes up confused. Great moral to the story about believing in your abilities.)
Gidappy by Elsie Church (Cute artwork... can't remember the story at the moment.)

We did not read these, but they would be great options:
Seabiscuit by Dubowski (a level 3 reader) -- I did just check Amazon and this link will take you to a list of Seabiscuit books and there are various versions and some that look really cute for younger kids. The one we have is great for my 3rd grader, but I did not want to use it as a read aloud due to it's length with all my other obligations. ;) I picked more youthful, fun books to read for this one.
Black Beauty -- various versions available

Spring Break Fever!

I thought I would share a little run-down of our Spring Break with you! Cody arrived home from work on Friday and we were so ready for Spring Break. We were excited at the prospect and had a plan to go camping at some point, but no definite plans for our NINE DAYS. Yipppeeee! As a last minute thing, Cody and Savannah were asked to take part in some preparations for our church VBS program on Monday through Wednesday. We had checked the weather forecast and it showed rain, so it all sounded like a it would be a great plan to do our usual weekend thing (Saturday hang out at home, Sunday church & maybe visit friends), then spend the first part of the week preparing for a simple camping trip to be taken at the end of the week. This would allow Cody and Savannah to do their VBS things.

Here's how it has played out so far...... Friday we just hung out around here and even had some movie time while I started doing laundry catch-up. Saturday was pretty much the same with some organization projects thrown in and a grocery trip to Wal-Mart. Sunday we got up and went to church, then came home. Cody had the itch to do some visiting with friends, so he called his sister... no go. I called a friend... no go. We decided that hanging out at home would be fine aand it is a good thing we did.... sometime that afternoon we realized Sierra was quite warm and this is where it all began....

Sunday = Sierra fever
Monday = Sierra fever, Cody & Savannah at church some
Tuesday = Sierra fever, Cody & Savannah at church some
Wednesday = Sierra fever, Cody & Savannah at church some
Thursday = Sierra's fever SEEMED better & since cabin fever was hitting us all hard we decided to venture out two blocks to the theater for a movie. For the record I did think this was a bad idea, but I caved under pressure. Came back home. Noticed Sierra was really hot. Checked her temp = 103.2 . Touch a couple other foreheads and thought they seemed warm, too. Caden's temp = 102.6; Sahara's temp = 102.6 ; check Savannah "just in case" = 100.4 !!! Yep! We have Spring Fever at our house.... only I don't think this is what that phrase usually implies! ;)
Note: I am leaving out all the details of the nighttime duties involved with Sierra's fever this week. ;)
Friday - Sunday = So, guess what our plans are now? Na-da, nothing, zilche.... just taking care of my feverish bunch. I was so excited that Cody would get to go to a co-op session for Friday... not now! Okay, so God is teaching me something here. I know He is. I'm listening God... You have my attention.

Really.... my family has battled illness since we began homeschooling. I thought this would not be a problem once we switched to homeschooling, but I was so wrong. Actually, I came to the realization about a month back that God is "growing me".... I think God is letting us experience this to show me a valuable lesson (and, of course, not to just torture me). I can just kind of hear him asking me, "Okay, Shannon when all is well and perfect can you do this? What if there are hard times? Do YOU have a plan? Or do you want to follow MY plan? Oh yeah, YOU have a new schedule and plan for what YOU think YOU WANT to do? Okay, what if the two babies are sick and screaming while you try to follow YOUR plan? What if one of the older ones is sick and throwing up... Can you do it? Is YOUR plan working for you?...etc." I really think God is trying to teach me and in a major cram session, I might add. I am listening and I am learning so much, but unfortunately I do not learn as quickly as some might. ;) I learn to follow HIS plan and within a few days I am back to MY plan... never mind the fact that MINE does not work out. I guess, it is just familiar territory and His plan is new territory for me. I do not intentionally ditch HIS plan. I even like HIS plans better. I am learning... ever so slowly... and He is speaking to me... I've got to do more than listen, though. I have to be obedient and trust in HIS plan.

And by the way, the Bible study I have been attending is really tying in with this perfectly! Amazing how God puts us where we need to be! Thank you God for being patient with me.

Discerning the Voice of God Bible Study - End Post

"End Post" meaning that this will be the ending of my posting about this study. Sorry. I was doing it to keep me accountable, but there are a few reasons I am going to stop. I highly encourage you to do the study. These are my reasons to not post about it:

1. Even thought I was not sharing the whole study I somehow oddly felt I was "copying" to much of it to share. I would not want anyone to read about it here instead of doing the study. God knows I am not good enough to "replace" the study.
2. My husband was getting annoyed with me... and he did not say that, but he cut his eyes at me once and that was enough to know. I just do the study much quicker, if I am not blogging about it and since I read at night this means we go to bed sooner.
3. Lastly, life happens and I just can not blog that much... sick kiddos (and us) need my care and attention.

On another note.... I have some regular bloggy stuff I want to share, so I will just do that. I also, want to do a little catch up on doing some MFW posting for Adventures and K. I just feel that it could bless someone else that is out there to see it. I know I have been very blessed to see what others are doing and how they make it work.

I also want to share some major life stories that are a part of my life. Maybe my kids will wonder one day and they can read it here. Why's daddy a teacher? Why did we choose this house? How do we know God has it all in His plan and how to we hear Him speaking to us about it? Why didn't I want kids sooner? What shaped my views growing up versus what shapes them now? How do you live life and still be frugal? Why did I recently decide there is some value in Facebook? ...And more.... any request out there for what I post on first? Just drop a comment.

Discerning the Voice of God Bible Study, Week 2, Day 1

In class we talked about our previous week briefly. The instructor talked about how special it is to get a handwritten letter in the mail. She went on to say that the Bible is that handwritten letter from God to us. The Bible is His love letter to us!

We then, began the video for the Week 2 portion of the study. The topic is:
The Holy Spirit ~~ When you become a believer the Holy Spirit takes up residence in YOU! ALL of the Holy Spirit is in YOU from that very moment, but... He may not have ALL OF YOU! {Read it, again... it is a play on words, but it is very profound}.

The Holy Spirit will lead us. And, that is not the same as our "conscience talking to us". The author describes the Holy Spirit speaking to us as when it is so profound that you HAVE to do it EVEN IF YOU WOULD NOT NORMALLY DO THAT PARTICULAR THING. In my notes I wrote this: "The Voice of God is when you are told to do something that you would NOT otherwise do on your own." At first, I thought that made no sense... and then, I remembered some things that are perfect examples of that. Just for kicks I will list a few.... don't laugh or gasp to hard.
1.) I never wanted to have children and swore I would never. Then, my heart just changed! Look at me now. And some might say that we changed our mind because it was a "mistake"...not so in our case. EVERY ONE of my children have been very deliberately planned to be concieved. Even the two I lost. Once God put it on my heart I HAD to do it! And I immediately looked into my firstborns face and wanted to do it, again. Thank you God!
2.) Truly embracing motherhood.... You have to know that I was told it was awful all my life, but immediately my desire was to do it and do it well. I had the overwhelming to be perfect at it...which is why I have a hard time when I mess it up. There is no way to be "perfect" at it.
3.) The biggest one and best example.... Homeschool! I started just to be with my kids, but it was after resisting God on the issue for SEVERAL years. Yes, that is right... I did not obey Him even though I heard Him telling me to do it from the beginning. I was convinced that I could NOT do it and that it was crazy. ;) ..and it is a bit crazy, but now I truly believe in it...sold out... with all my heart... with my strongest conviction ever.... My point is that I would have never stayed with it on my own. I would have put my kids back in school already, but God (the Holy Spirit) convicted me of it and as crazy as I think it is some days I HAVE to do it. I have never felt a stronger feeling about anything in my life.

Anyway, on to the study part... let's see what this DAY 1 study is all about.

DAY 1

Deuteronomy 5:2 "And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth."

Even though he can speak to us in miraculous ways we should not expect that. We should rely on God's Word from the Bible and what He lays on our hearts. If we are so blessed to get a confirmation through "sensational" means is shall serve to confirm that He is speaking to us, but we should not require to know He has spoken. We must have FAITH in Him even without some miraculous event to confirm His voice to us.

***I am loving this Bible Study! It is great to have a set "curriculum" to study rather than my random choices of study. It is great to follow along with the study guide and read the author's take on it and the Bible verses she points out. I should do this more often.


{Once again, let me state that this should not replace the Bible Study. It is just a brief amount of my notes. I would encourage to do this study, if any of this is on your heart.}

Discerning The Voice of God, Week 1, Day 3, 4, 5

I did these throughout the week, but did not blog... sorry. I do want to do this and blog as I go to help me stay on track, but sometimes life calls. This is a re-cap of these three days.

DAY 3

We have to plan to OBEY when God does answer. Hmmmm... I wish I could say that I am good at this, but ... no.... I sometimes obey for a day or two and then, I forget or get slack and go right back to my way. Arrgghhhh! Hard to admit, but I am being as real as I can be here.

Answere YES to God BEFORE you know what He wants you to do!! {hard one!} God expects our obedience.

One example the author gives is this... and all us women can truly relate to this: We ask our husband what shoes look best with our outfit. We already have in our mind the ones WE want to wear. Hubby answers. It is not the one WE want to wear, so we DISREGARD his answer. Hubby is understandably irritated. In the future hubby is HESITANT TO EVEN ANSWER. He will say, "Why do you even ask me? You are going to do what YOU want anyway." Now, put GOD in that equation... Read this back, but take hubby out and put God in.... Hmmm... Interesing isn't it?!

"OBEDIENCE IS THE KEY TO HEARING HIS STILL SMALL VOICE."

Exodus 19:5 "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:"

Luke 8:18 "Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have." {we don't want what we seem to have be taken away do we?}

"If we settle ahead of time that we will obey whatever God tells us, we will go into our time with him ready to hear His voice." --Henry and Richard Blackaby

To know God's word and NOT obey it is to sin against Him!

DAY 4

We need to be ready to LISTEN to God, if we truly want to hear Him speak to us.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (KJV) "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few."
Consider the NLT version: "As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few."

"Could it be that we don't hear God because we have trained ourselves not to hear Him? Our busy lifestyles have squelched out the clear, powerful voice of God so we no longer even recognize it. We must carve out time to purposefully listen to God's voice through prayer, meditation on His Word, and worship. If we listen we will hear the voice that speaks eternally."

Prayer = "...allow the Holy Spirit to direct my prayer time." Have portion of prayer time that is quiet and silent and let God speak and lay others on your heart to pray for, as well as, speak to you about issues that you are awaiting answers to.

Meditation = "Meditation is a discipline because it requires you to control your desire to fill the silence with activity."

Worship = Meditaion, prayer, music, etc. can lead to this worship time.

DAY 5

We must have FAITH in it. We must not just seek counsel with others, we must counsel (pray) with God!

Hebrews 10:22 "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

"He is looking for someone to believe He is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do." Do we TRULY believe? Are we giving Him all our faith? We must have FAITH that He will answer us if we expect Him to.

{Once again, let me state that this should not replace the Bible Study. It is just a brief amount of my notes. I would encourage to do this study, if any of this is on your heart.}

Discerning The Voice Of Good, Q & A

I am going to answer a question I received regarding the Discerning the Voice Of God Bible Study I am participating in here in this post, just in case there are others that have the same question. My anwer was becoming quite lengthy, so I thought that I would post it this way instead of the comments as a reply.

Quinn: "You've peaked my curiosity this morning. :)I'd like to know by what mode or modes is the author say that God speaks to us and what Scripture does she use to support her conclusions? Thanks."

Quinn, Keep in mind that I am only Week 1, Day 3 of this study, so I have only just begun. I am on page 16 of 126 pages and it is a six week study. I am not familiar with the author of this book and can't really speak for her, but I will try to answer your questions.

Q: "I'd like to know by what mode or modes is the author say that God speaks to us....?"
A: She implies that we can hear God "speak" not in a verbal sense, but rather through scripture, events, Sunday School teachers, Preachers, or life circumstances and many other ways. I'll give you and exmaple of how I "heard" God speaking to me today. I was walking through the church (which is also used as a Pre-K and K school) and one of the classrooms was open and I saw a portion of scripture on the wall. Without thinking too much of it I began to sing it because it is a portion of a contemporary Christian song, also. Some twenty minutes later I was in my SS class and part of our lesson was on that verse. My "ears" perked up as I realized God must be trying to get me to "hear" that verse today for some reason. Later in the day, I was helping my daughter with some special stickers that I got for her with scriptures on them and that same scripture was one of the scriptures. Again, I know that is God "speaking" to me. I'll admit that at this particular time I am not sure what the message is for me, but I know I must listen and wait for Him to "speak", again. And maybe [because I did not really think I needed this study ;) ] in this instance God is simply trying to show that when I "listen", He will "speak". Many times I am too "tuned out"... changing a diaper, cleaning a spill, fixing a lunch, kissing a bo-bo, etc.... I don't always "hear" due to all the distractions.

Q: ..."...what Scripture does she use to support her conclusions? Thanks.
A: John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice..."

Ephesians 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
(She uses this to say we are a PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD.)

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
(She uses this to say that to UNDERSTAND GOD YOU MUST BE A PART OF GOD.)

Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Deuteronomy 5:31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.

Luke 8:18 (KJV) Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
Luke 8:18 (New Living Translation)“So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”
(This version is a bit easier to get what she is trying to point out.)

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:


Those are some of the verses. And it should be said, as the author herself points out, that just because you are not hearing God speak to you does not mean you are not a child of God's. It might simply be that you need to learn to listen to Him... or EXPECT to hear from Him... have FAITH that He will speak.... or be PATIENT and WAIT.... or be OBEDIANT for God to speak. She gives an example all us women can relate to... We ask our husbands in our shoes match our outfit adn which pair should we wear, knowing all along we are going to wear the ones we want to wear anyway. Why ask them, if we are going to disregard. So, what do you think God would "say" to us, if He already knew we were not going to listen to Him [which He already does know because He knows all things ;)]? Maybe He would just not "speak" to us on the issue we are expecting Him, too.

Sense I am feeling "open" tonight I will put it out there what I think I am learning from this study is that I need to have faith that God will answer me... I need to come to Him expecting Him to "speak" to me..... and I need to be patient and wait.... and grow myself in the waiting time.... listen to his message in the waiting time.... and be obedient to the answer He gives me.... that means actually follow His plan and not my own plan. Tough stuff to admit, but I obviously need to LISTEN to what He is trying to TELL me her. ;)

I hope this helps... this is not really my area of expertise which is why I am in the Bible study and not writing books! LOL!!

Discerning The Voice of God, Week 1, Day 2

Today the focus was on EXPECTING God to speak to us and then, WAITING FOR HIM TO SPEAK. We must WAIT... such a hard thing to do isn't it sometimes?! The thing that most struck me about this as I studied it is that sometimes the process of waiting on a message from God is just as important as the message itself."

Discerning The Voice of God, Week 1, Day 1

I just started attending a new Bible study at our church called "Discerning The Voice of God: How To Recognize When God Speaks" by Priscilla Shirer. I want to say that is not something I was searching out, but it surely can't hurt. Anyway, I am thinking that I might record some of the highlights and my thoughts hear as the study unfolds and it might make me more accountable for my "homework", as well as, give me a chance to share something from the study that could inspire some of you.

The back of the book says:

"The Father so passionately loves you that He sent Jesus to die in your place. He desires a personal relationship in which He speaks directly to you. Have you spent most of your life leaning on these beliefs without really experiencing them? Have you been in the presence of passionate believers who shared stirring encounters with God's voice while your own soul overflowed with confusion? ...."

In our class the instructor began with introductions and then, gave us a Pop Quiz. Yes, on the first night! I thought she was joking at first. ;) No grading required, though... whew! Anyhow, I am not sure how far I will carry all my "sharing" of information because I like to keep some things personal, but I want to share my Pop Quiz. Ask yourself these questions as you go along. I'll italicize the question, then follow with MY answer. Remember that if you have different answers than me that is fine... it's a personal thing and we are all different. ;) So, here goes:

* Who does God talk to? Everyone, even those who do not listen.
* Does God talk to YOU? Yes, God talks to me, but often I do not hear him in my "busy"ness. * How do you know God talks to you? I know when I really listen and in those times I realize all the times I missed.
* Where does God talk to you? Anywhere when I "tune in".
* How does God talk to you? God talks to me through preachers, friends, bible teachings, email, internet.... endless ways.
* Why does God talk to me? God talks to me because He cares about every minute thing!
* What would you like to get from this study? I would like to "tune in" and understand discernment.


Keep in mind my answers were short and to the point and the questions were coming fast. I was shaking my hands to fight the writer's cramps from trying to keep up with the questions. I could have written much more for each answer, but time did not permit... which is just as well because I tend to be long with my words when I could be short. ;) I'm sure if you read this blog you have realized that, right?! LOL!

Due to copyright I will be careful that I do not reveal too much of the contents of the book/study. I just want to share what touches me and it is not meant to replace the actual study. In fact, I hope some of you will be encouraged to do the study yourself and it is all available through LifeWay.

The first week of the study is about "Anticipating the Voice of God"... we should desire and expect to hear from God. This prayer qoute from the book sums it up to me:

"Lord, heighten my spiritual senses to

see that which is not visible

hear that which is not audible

sense that which is not tangible

believe that which is unbelievable.

Teach me to sort through

the noises of this world to

hear and discern Your powerful,

wonderful, pure, precious voice."

We must EXPECT God to speak to us!!.....

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5-6

When we change our attitude.... when we stop doubting God will answer us.... and become confident that He will speak to us ....and expectant that He will speak to us.... It is then that God will begin to give us the directions we are seeking for our lives.

I just finished my "Homework, Day 1" and WHOA!!! I am going to get so much out of this... so much more than ever expected. Already, I can look back up at the last Pop Quiz question and see that I am going to get way more than I was even thinking last night. God makes no mistakes when He places us somewhere! Amazing! I can't share all my intermost thoughts here for now... maybe when this is all done I might share some more. Some of these Bible studies just get way too personal for me to put it all out there for everyone to read. Let me tell you this, though. On this Day 1 homework assignment there are two parts to write a prayer to God. I don't know if I have EVER written down a prayer to God. I just speak what I am thinking. I highly encourage you to actually pick up a pen today and write a prayer. It is amazing!! It starts to flow out of you in a way that I can't really explain. This particular study begins by telling you to write a prayer to God about the confidence you have in Him. A little later it has you write a prayer in response to God's command to you (this you get from doing the study). I merged my two to one prayer and it is so amazing to see it written down and the realization that I need to say this prayer daily to God so that He will guide ALL my ways to be more like His ways.