Bible Study Source for Women Magazine - Issue 7

Issue 7 • Winter 2020

inside this issue:

Creating MARGIN in your MINISTRY TRANSFORMING YOUR

Starts With

GETTING OUT OF YOUR

Mind Head

Stop Being Afraid of Your

GOD-GIVEN STRENGTH WHERE YOU ARE

is not

WHO YOU ARE plus:

14 Declarations God Makes About You

a

LETTER to our READERS

Dear Reader,

BY JENNIE ALLEN

We cover a lot of ground in this issue! In these pages, our Bible study teachers will help you get out of your head, free up your schedule, lean into your strengths, and believe that you are who God says you are.

Are you restless and aching to feel free? Maybe your schedule has gotten the best of you and you feel trapped.

Or you’re in a season of suffering that seems unending.

We’ve also included exciting new Bible studies from Jennie Allen and Lisa Whittle, plus studies on love and relationships, and studies to help you start the year on the right foot.

Our culture’s idea about freedom is often that we are set free to do whatever we want. The irony is that when we go through seasons of doing whatever we want, those turn out to be our least content seasons. We were not built to live for ourselves.

Our prayer is that these women will encourage you and your group to step up your game and give Jesus your all in every area of your life.

In Him,

Beth Murphy Director, Bible Study Source for Women

P.S. Don’t miss your chance to win a complete video study from Margaret Feinberg with books, study guides, and tasty treats for your Bible study!

Enter at BibleStudySource.com/FREE Bible Study Source for Women is powered by ChurchSource, a team dedicated to serving pastors and church leaders by connecting them to God-honoring resources from two of the most trusted names in publishing: Zondervan and Thomas Nelson.

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RUN YOUR R ACE

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In an eighteen month season a few years ago, doubt held me captive and complacency overtook my naturally zealous spirit. My spiritual doubt and disillusionment stole my energy and desire to serve. Without a bent toward service, I bent toward too much Netflix, too much social media, too much sugar, too much grief. Click, scroll, binge, cry—rinse and then repeat.

And because the devil is subtle, my cravings for these things in that season kept growing and my zealous passion for souls and the things of God weakened. I had no desire to go to the grocery store, let alone go to the nations with God’s message of grace.

What I experienced in that season is not at all how life was meant to be lived. You and I were made to be part of an eternal story centered on the unyielding purpose of our service to an unmatched God. Complacency rewrites that script entirely.

Complacency is finding comfort in mediocrity, in accepting things as they are, clinging to the status quo.

It’s behind our tendency to check out, to zone out, to numb. If our highest aim in life is simply not rocking the boat, then why not eat the whole pizza, drink the whole bottle of wine, finish off the half-gallon tub of ice cream, play Candy Crush for three hours straight, or stay in bed all day?

The questions driving our thought patterns are no longer How will God use me today? and How can I give Jesus to someone? Instead, we’re focused on…

What do I want?

What do I need?

How will I get what I want and need?

What do I feel like doing?

What will make me happier?

What will make me more comfortable?

What will make me look good?

What will make me sound smart?

What will protect me from getting hurt or from taking all the blame?

What will make me feel content?

I imagine few things bring the devil greater satisfaction than our comfort-seeking ways. We present no threat to him when we’re wholly preoccupied with the things of this world.

The apostle Paul gives us the weapon of truth that frees us from the velvet-covered chains of complacency: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Why? Because as those who have been buried in Christ and raised in faith, we have already died to the things of this world. Our real life is bound up with Christ.

My husband always says that the definition of leadership is “taking initiative for the good of others.” When we reject passivity and lean into the needs around us, we see our minds set on the things of God. God is never passive. God is always working for our good and His glory.

"God has set me free to

serve others, not indulge myself."

The lie we believe is, "I can do whatever I want."

The truth is, "God has set me free to serve others, not indulge myself."

Instead we can choose, "I choose to seek the good of others over my own comfort."

Why does it matter that we choose service instead of complacency? How does taking initiative for the good of others help us redirect our negative thoughts? What is in store for the person who serves consistently? Should we ever pay attention to our own problems, or are we supposed to just pretend those don’t exist? What if we’re tired? What if we’re overwhelmed? What if we don’t feel like doing good? Do we just fake it till we make it, or is there a more authentic path?

As followers of Christ, we have to answer these questions for ourselves, because what we believe about work might be in opposition to God’s good and creative design for us.

A key reason for the lover of God to choose service over complacency is that God highly values work. He loves work, as evidenced by His actions at the beginning of time. God clearly delighted in His creative efforts, treating work like the gift it is. With outright whimsy, He created those peacocks, as well as giraffes, platypuses, and more. He worked. He worked hard. His hard work was fueled by sheer delight.

I think there’s a lesson for us to catch here. We, too, should delight in our work.

Intuitively we understand this to be true. I mean, admit it: it may feel satisfying to binge on chips and salsa while scrolling social-media feeds for an hour or two (or three?), but at some point don’t you become as antsy and itchy as I do? Doesn’t your soul start screaming for something more?

You know what our souls are saying to us? They’re saying, “This just ain’t cutting it for me!”

The fact is, our brains are hardwired to thrive when we are serving others.

You and I were custom designed to play a role in God’s eternal story and to experience deep and meaningful purpose, not to while away our time with snacks and flicks. We want more than that, and there’s a reason we do. God made us to crave so much more.

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GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD A Study in Philippians Jennie Allen Six Sessions | ~27 minutes each Study Time: Substantial (an hour or more)

Study Guide $14.99 $10.49 Leader Kit (DVD, Study Guide, Leader Guide, and Conversation Cards) $69.99 $41.99

Are your thoughts holding you captive? Jennie Allen knows what it’s like to swirl in a spiral of destructive thoughts, such as I’ll never be good enough. Other people have better lives than I do. God couldn’t really love me. But Jennie also knows we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic thinking patterns.

In this study, she inspires and equips us to transform our emotions, our outlook, and even our circumstances by taking control of our thoughts. Our enemy is determined to get in our heads to make us feel helpless, overwhelmed, and incapable of making a difference for the kingdom of God. But when we submit our minds to Christ, the promises and goodness of God flood our lives in remarkable ways.

It starts in your head. And from there, the possibilities are endless.

Jennie ALLEN Jennie Allen is a recovering achiever who is passionate about Jesus. She founded the million-strong IF:Gathering, where she gathers deep kindred souls around food she didn’t cook, and she asks terribly intrusive questions.

She’s a risk-taker who married Zac, a crazier risk-taker. Then God thought it would be funny to give them four crazy strong risky-dreamer kids. As a true Austin, Texas family, their life revolves around the Friday night lights.

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RESTLESS

STUCK

Because You Were Made for More

The Places We Get Stuck and the God Who Sets Us Free

Through the story of Joseph, explore how his suffering, gifts, story, and relationships fit into the greater story of God—and how our stories can do the same. Then, try Threads—a tool to help you see your own personal story and to uncover and understand the raw materials God has given you to use for his glory and purpose while on this planet.

Do you feel stuck? So many of us live stuck. These stuck places often go unattended inside of us, and they are shaping our lives more than we would like to think. Our stuck places—where we’re broken, mad, discontented, scared, overwhelmed, or sad—are the very places that make us ache for God, who has a plan to get us unstuck.

Eight Sessions | ~21 minutes each Study time: Substantial (an hour or more)

Eight Sessions | ~9 minutes each Study time: Substantial (an hour or more)

Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Kit (DVD, Study Guide, Leader Guide, and Conversation Cards) $59.99 $35.99

Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Kit (DVD, Study Guide, Leader Guide, and Conversation Cards) $59.99 $35.99

CHASE

ANYTHING

Chasing after the Heart of God

The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul

What are you chasing? Comfort, success, a bigger house, or someone’s approval? If we are honest, it feels like trying to catch the wind. We see in David’s life, he was a man who spent his life chasing after God. Whether you are running from God or working your tail off to please him, David’s journey shows us God is the only thing we can chase that won’t leave us feeling more empty.

Anything is a prayer of surrender that will spark something. A prayer that will move you to stop chasing things that just make you feel happy and start living a surrendered life that matters.

Eight Sessions | ~9 minutes each Study time: Substantial (an hour or more)

Softcover $15.99 $11.19

This newly revised edition is updated throughout to include a new introduction and an in-depth Bible study component for those who have been wanting to lead a study on this topic.

Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Kit (DVD, Guide, Leader’s Guide, Cards, and Book) $59.99 $35.99

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WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH

powerful, he gives us his power through the Holy Spirit and using our power for God’s purposes makes us strong.

If Jesus instructs all of us to love him with our strength, harnessing God’s power to work through us is not only necessary, it’s an act of surrender to God’s priorities.

Here’s the good news: Jesus has given you the strength to do his work. Paul says as much in 1 Timothy 1:12 and I hope this truth settles into your soul.

There’s no such thing as “too strong” for a Jesus woman

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him.”

BY KAT ARMSTRONG

Whatever is coming against you in this season might be beyond your capacity, but not God's. Serving Christ will always include setbacks and obstacles. But his divine assignments can be accomplished through his power. The same power that lives in you. And remember: He considered you trustworthy and appointed you to serve him.

My friend Rocio is a pillar of strength. I asked her about her newest title at work because it's hard for me to keep up with her promotions. If I remember correctly, she's the president of the CEO of the director of the strategic development partnerships for leadership leaders. Or something like that. Look, she does everything with excellence. She takes so such pride in her work. It's no wonder she keeps getting promoted.

You and I might tend to think of power in relation to physical strength only, but the word is used 264 times in the Old Testament and the majority of the references mean spiritual strength. The strength of the Lord.

But that's not why I think Rocio is a dynamo. Rocio has weathered the knock-you-down-and-take-you-out storms of life but she still continues to trust God. He is her solid rock. Her mom became ill several years ago and Rocio became her mom’s appointed caretaker. Rocio never envisioned life full of doctors’ appointments and surgeries for her mom, but ask Rocio to describe her harrowing experience and you'll get pages and pages of praises.

Biblical language scholars of the New Testament define the Greek word for strength as "exceptional capability, with the probable implication of personal potential." They suggest translating the greatest commandment as, "Love the Lord your God as completely as you can.i" Consider the implications of reading the Great Commandment that way. It should cause us to serve God as completely as we can. In what ways has God made you exceptionally capable? Do you bring that to work and to your community of faith? Is there potential lying dormant in your life? A lost and dying world needs your contribution and it was put inside you for a great purpose.

When I read Jesus’s words in the Great Commandment to love God with all our strength, Rocio is the first person to come to mind. She didn’t have a choice to develop godly strength, the challenge came to her. I’ve told Rocio that I wish I could learn to exhibit her strength without having to go through the trials. And she gently reminded me that her strength comes from the power of God himself and that power is available to anyone who is a Christ follower.

You and I were designed to be warrior-strong, and we should own it. Our world needs more people willing to confront corruption, resist greed, and wrangle rumors.

We need rooms overflowing with Christians in prayer and pushing back the darkness pursing justice.

As women, we rarely feel comfortable talking about our power in church settings. But the truth is God is all

i

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(Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 675). New York: United Bible Societies.)

Ladies, gospel work requires fierce soldiers. Our enemy doesn't play nice. He came to kill, steal, and destroy. But we are up to the task because of God’s power at work in us. So no more hedging our bets. We need the resolve Peter describes in 1 Peter 4:10-11. Peter says, if Christ's suffering is any indication of what the world will do with people committed to God's kingdom, we need to ready ourselves. Peter reminds us that preparing for battle means getting serious about prayer and having sincere love for each other. But he also recommends being good managers of our gifts and talents.

If we genuinely believe the God of the universe knit us together in our mother's womb, and orders our days, and handcrafts good works for us to do, how can we justify burying our talents?

Maybe you just need to hear it plainly—“Too strong” is not a thing for Jesus women. You can’t be too filled with the Holy Spirit. Women who love God can’t be too good at prophesying, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, showing mercy or having too much faith (Romans 12). Women who love God can’t display too much wisdom or knowledge, we can’t heal too many people, perform too many miracles, or interpret too many languages (1 Cor. 12).

You can’t outshine God’s glory by showing off his gifts in you.

What talents have you inherited through God's grace?

What passions has the Spirit instilled into your heart that would benefit the body of Christ? And are you using them?

You are on assignment, sister. For this time, for these people, for this space in history, God appointed you to those tasks. Called by God, equipped by the Spirit, and compelled by Christ's love, we are supposed to use the fortitude God dispenses with gusto. It's the difference between thinking we need to simmer down and knowing we need to power up. In Jesus’s name, let's power up.

Now, go and love God with all your strength because Jesus tells us to.

Kat ARMSTRONG Kat Armstrong has been encouraging professionals to love God and others with their all for almost 20 years as a Bible teacher.

Kat holds a Master of Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary and is the cofounder of Polished, a network to gather young professional women to navigate career and explore faith together, and the host of the Polished Podcast. www.polishedonline.org

NO MORE HOLDING BACK Empowering Women to Move Past Barriers, See Their Worth, and Serve God Everywhere Kat challenges the way our church culture has limited the terms of Jesus’ command to the perceived strengths of each gender.

She dares to ask and explore what faith and life in general would look like if we broke through the barriers holding us back and lived giving Jesus our ALL. If you have ever felt challenged or insecure following your dreams, or in your career, or in your personal pursuit of God, this is your study.

Six Sessions | ~20-minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour) Study Guide $14.99 $10.49 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $43.99 $26.39

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E M O T I O N A L LY H E A LT H Y R E L AT I O N S H I P S

I A M LO V E D

Discipleship that Deeply Changes Your Relationship with Others

Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love

Join us for a powerful journey that will walk you through a door that will change forever the way you love God, others, and yourself. Pete and Geri developed The Emotionally Healthy Relationships Course over a 21-year period to directly address core biblical principles to guide you and others into an experience of discipleship that will deeply change your life. In this course, everyone will learn eight practical relationship skills to develop mature, loving relationships with others. And since loving others and loving God cannot be separated, each person will also grow in their personal, first-hand relationships with Jesus by incorporating stillness, silence, and Scripture as daily life rhythms.

Eight sessions | ~15 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - an hour) Study Guide $16.99 $11.89 | DVD $39.99 $27.99 Day by Day Devotional $13.99 $9.79

Geri and Pete SCAZZERO

Peter and Geri are the founders of New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, New York City, a large, multiracial church with more than 73 countries represented. They are the founders of the groundbreaking ministry Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, equipping churches to implement a discipleship that deeply changes lives.

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There’s something about a woman who knows she’s loved that gives her an extra measure of boldness and confidence.

This study of the book of 1 John compels us to live out of the fullness of God’s unconditional love. Confront barriers keeping you from experiencing God’s complete love.

Develop a more intimate understanding of God’s love that will transform your attitude and actions into reflections of him. His love truly changes everything!

Five sessions | ~21 minutes each Study Time: Substantial (an hour or more) Book $14.99 $10.49 Leader Pack (DVD & Book) $43.99 $26.39

Wendy

BLIGHT

Wendy is a national speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries, Bible teacher, attorney, and author. Audiences say, “With Wendy’s powerful testimony, we have had ladies lay down strongholds that have held them captive for years!” “She is real and does not pretend to be perfect.”

Wendy’s favorite place to be is at home writing and enjoying time with her husband and their two children.

NAOMI

L I S T E N , LO V E , R E P E AT

When I Feel Worthless, God Says I'm Enough

Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World

Naomi’s story, found in the book of Ruth, is a story of lost identity. She lost her husband, her sons, her home—everything.

She reacted by becoming bitter. But even in her angry, fearful, rather dramatic season of self-pity and despair, God kept showing his faithfulness. When you go through trauma, loss, and hardship, God remains close. He can and will redeem even the darkest circumstances.

Our culture is self-obsessed. But despite our near-narcissism, people are less content than ever. Why? Because we forget that joy comes from putting others first. Doing so requires us to live alert, listening for “heart drops,” hints from those who need a helping hand or a generous dose of encouragement. Living alert will enable you to scatter love, not to selfishly shout, “Hey! Look at me!” but to humbly implore, “Will you look at Him?”

The Known by Name series explores complex women in the Bible and their struggles with tough questions through the lenses of a counselor, a Bible teacher, and a dramatist.

Six sessions | ~24 minutes each Study Time: Substantial (an hour or more)

Four Sessions Each | ~20 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour)

Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $38.99 $23.39

Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $41.99 $25.19

Kasey

VAN NORMAN

Kasey is a licensed counselor who teaches and writes about the love that redeemed her from past abuse, addiction, infidelity, and the fear of a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.

Jada

EDWARDS

Jada is an experienced Bible teacher equipping women with practical, biblical truth. She is the Women’s Pastor and Director of Creative Services for One Community Church in Plano, TX.

Nicole

Karen

EHMAN

Karen is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and a New York Times bestselling author who has written 11 books. Married to her college sweetheart, Todd, and the mother of three. She lives in the boondocks of Michigan.

JOHNSON

Nicole is one of the most sought-after creative communicators in America today. Her unique ability to blend humor with compassion creates a sense of community with her audience.

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"Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to

slow time down with the weight of full attention."

ANN VOSKAMP One Thousand Gifts

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ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

T H E B R O K E N W AY

A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

A Daring Path into the Abundant Life

Ann Voskamp ponders the questions of finding joy in midst of everything from the typical grind daily chores and deadlines to the calamity every person eventually faces. Take on the life-changing discipline of journaling God's gifts—to find the good in life in all circumstances. It’s only in this expression of gratitude for the life we already have, that we discover the life we've always wanted … a life we can take, give thanks for, and use to serve others. In it, we come to feel and know the impossible right down to our core: We are wildly loved

by God. Embark on this personal, honest and fresh exploration of what it means to be deeply fulfilled, wholly happy, and fully alive.

Five sessions | ~23 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour) Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $39.99 $23.99

The broken way beckons you into more time, more meaning, more authentic relationships. There’s a way, especially when things aren’t shaping up quite like you imagined, that makes life take the shape of more—more abundance, more intimacy, more God. Ann Voskamp asks questions not one of us can afford to ignore: • How do you live your one broken life?

• What does it mean to live cruciform and learn to receive?

• What do you do if you really want to know abundant wholeness—before it’s too late?

Six sessions | ~19 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour) Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $41.99 $25.19

Ann VOSKAMP

Named by Christianity Today as one of 50 women most shaping culture and the church today, Ann (“plain Ann without an ‘e’”) knows unspoken brokenness and big country skies and an intimacy with God that touches wounded places. She left university to marry The Farmer, and had half a dozen babies plus one birthed from the heart and flown home from China. She lives in rural Ontario, Canada, and attends Brethren Bible Chapel.

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Where YO U A R E

is not

Who

YO U A R E

by Chrystal Evans Hurst

As a young girl, my parents encouraged me to live with wonder. My teachers gave me the courage to explore, my friends allowed me the chance to play, and my world offered me the opportunity to learn and grow. I had hopes and dreams and a picture of what my grown-up life might look like. I imagined my future family, my future career, and all the future places I would live. Every book I read and every person I met introduced me to more of the world that I could experience.

Fast-forward several years into the future. I am driving down the tollway in Dallas, headed home from another day at work, where I had spent hours stuffed in a cubicle, checking a million boxes with a red pen. My brain is about to explode. I hate my job. The clock crawls from the moment I sit in my chair until the time it is reasonable for me to run out the door at the end of the day. It feels as if I am gasping for fresh air.

In that moment, I pray, “God, if you would just break both of my legs, that would make everything better.” In my stressed-out, overwhelmed, offtrack mode of thinking, I wish for the shelter of a hospital room to provide some time to assess where I had gotten off track and formulate a plan for making my life more like I had imagined it would be.

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I hadn’t intended to end up in a job I didn’t love.

I hadn’t intended to be a single parent. I hadn’t intended to have a heart still raw from the hurt imposed by others. It had never been my dream to fight my way through the academic challenges and personal struggles of my college years only to end up feeling deflated. I had filled my balloon of hope with expectations and dreams only to realize that I had not tied it tightly enough.

I would love to tell you that in those moments driving down the freeway and thinking like a crazy person, I magically gained clarity on how I had gotten off track. I’d like to say that I never got off track again. I would love to tell you that I figured all of it out right then and there and that I’ve had it all figured out since.

The truth is that I haven’t solved everything. I still don’t have all the answers. But I didn’t self-destruct that day in the car. Even while the tears streamed down my face and I cried out to God for help. I kept going for one reason and one reason alone:

I believed my girl was still there.

Even if she seemed lost, invisible, and forgotten, I believed that God could still make a masterpiece out of her. Maybe you’ve felt the same way. Maybe you’ve

been a crazy woman like me and begged God to help you fix your life, get unstuck, and get it together. Maybe you’ve thought about what extreme measure you could take to stop the pain and heartache.

If so, I want to tell you that your girl is still there. Your uniquely beautiful life is an original work of art designed for your good and for the glory of the one who orchestrated your existence... even if it doesn’t look like it at this moment.

You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.

Your life matters. The girl of your dreams matters. No matter how far you think you’ve drifted away from her, she’s still there.

My prayer is that you will be motivated to get to the business of choosing to believe in the gift of “you.” My hope is that you will act as if the girl in you is still there and be willing to do whatever it takes to participate in her rescue. Most important, I pray that you will choose to give the gift of understanding, encouragement, and truth to someone else who needs to believe her life still matters.

We girls need each other.

Chrystal EVANS HURST Chrystal is a “used-to-be,” career-minded, bean-counter, onthe-path-to-big-bucks, single gal... turned homeschooling, bread-baking, garden-attending, cloth-diapering mommyblogger... turned work-at-home mom who shamelessly uses paper plates, keeps a stock of frozen pizzas on hand, strives for small victories over #fatdemon, runner wannabe, and Starbucks junkie. She is the first-born to Tony and Lois Evans, wife to gentle giant Jessie, and she’s got college-life and kindergarten happening simultaneously amongst her five children.

SHE’S STILL THERE Rescuing the Girl in You What are you supposed to do if your life is not taking shape the way you thought it would?

How do you find your way after missteps or decisions you never planned on? Where do you turn when you are reeling from feeling lost, disappointed, or simply numb? Find your way back, believe you are capable of still being the person you intended to be…and discover the girl you never knew was there in the first place.

Six Sessions | ~22 minutes each Study time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour) Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $41.99 $25.19

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I GIVE UP The Secret Joy of a Surrendered Life But I don’t want to surrender! Have you ever felt those words bubbling up so deep inside you want to shout? It’s normal. It’s natural. It’s human to want to be in control.

But when your need for peace surpasses your desire for control, God—who truly uses all things for our good—demonstrates how much we can trust him. The very act of completely surrendering our will to his can become the one act that will change your life forever.

Five Sessions | ~12 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes to 1 hour) Study Guide $14.99 $10.49 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $43.99 $26.39

In this five-session video Bible study, recording artist and bestselling author Laura Story demonstrates the ironic joy found when we surrender it all to God and simply give up.

Surrendering expectations and power is not a step-by-step process but a willful, daily decision worth every single ounce of effort.

Though surrender sometimes flies in the face of our instincts, hopes, and dreams, it’s never without benefit. A surrendered life includes the surprise of a truly full and satisfying existence where trust is reasonable, reconciliation is possible, and relationships can heal.

Jess CONNOLLY Jess Connolly is a gal who is in the thick of it. She is the coowner of All Good Things Collective print shop and helped start both She Reads Truth and The Influence Network. She and her husband Nick planted Gospel Community Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina where they live with their four children, who she’s crazy about, and their dog Deacon, who she’s still on the fence about.

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Laura STORY Laura Story is a songwriter, worship leader, author, artist, and Bible teacher. Her songs—which have won Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, and Dove Awards—include “Blessings,” “Mighty to Save,” and Chris Tomlin’s “Indescribable.” Laura has a master’s of theological studies and a doctorate in worship studies, and has served as a worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta since 2005. Her greatest joy is being a wife to Martin and mother to Josie, Ben, Griffin, and Timothy.

YOU ARE THE GIRL FOR THE JOB Daring to Believe the God Who Calls You Life is too short to get stuck in a holding pattern.

Have you ever let doubt, hesitation, and comparison hold you back from embracing that deep tug on your heart–your calling from God? The lie far too many of us believe is that we are not the right person to impact whatever circumstance or situation we face. But the truth is that God has placed you exactly where you are for exactly what is before you. You ARE the girl for the job.

This video Bible study will not only show you how to make a difference, but it will give you a jumpstart into confident, purposed living. Face your fears, catch the vision, make a plan, and finally live like you believe you were destined for God’s call on your life. Dive into Scripture and see just how perfectly planned every element of your story has been to get you right here, right now, ready and fully equipped to take off and join God in His mission.

Study Guide $14.99 $10.49 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $43.99 $26.39 Six Sessions | ~18 minutes each Study Time: Substantial (an hour or more)

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"If you soak in what I'm about to tell you, it will make things crazy uncomplicated for you.

Jesus being first

is the only way our lives will work— because it's the way he set it up to be. Everything else we try will be a square peg in a round hole. Period.

If we want our life to work, the Jesus-first life is the way."

LISA WHITTLE

Jesus Over Everything Bible Study

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JESUS OVER EVERYTHING Uncomplicating the Daily Struggle to Put Jesus First We all want to put Jesus first and live simpler lives, but we struggle with both. While we are busy strategizing new ways to streamline our calendars and clean out the clutter in our closets, what really needs attention is what will give us long-term clarity and peace: the priority order of having Jesus over everything in our lives. In a culture that carries the confusion of overindulgence, endless options, and me-centered thinking, the Jesus-first life clears our minds and hearts of noise so our souls can find true meaning and rest.

Bible teacher, author, and speaker Lisa Whittle is passionate about helping us fully engage in a life of uncomplicated, unwavering love for Jesus in a world that pulls us in every direction.

Jesus Over Everything, a six-session video-based Bible study, is a compelling call to give God His rightful place in our everyday lives.

Six Sessions | ~20 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour) Study Guide $1499 $10.49 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $43.99 $26.39

Lisa WHITTLE Lisa Whittle is the visionary implementer of various women's events and co-founder of Real Influence. Through insightful Bible teaching, with a refreshingly authentic faith, Lisa journeys with women to seek God's truth. A graduate of Liberty University, Lisa has done master's work in Marriage and Family Counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Lisa and her husband Scott live just outside Charlotte with their three children where they laugh a lot and try to live a very real life.

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Creating Margin

IN YOUR LIFE & MINISTRY

There’s a better way than living at the speed of light

BY ROZANNE FRAZEE Do you run at the speed of light? Most people and families do. We hurry from our present activity to get to the next activity or hurry to get things checked off our to-do list.

As a country, we have traded our dinner tables for fast food in the car as we run to evening meetings, or children’s activities or getting more things checked off our list in an effort to start tomorrow one step ahead of the rest of the world. We live by the o’clock.

Since o’clock means “of the clock” it appears our lives are governed by the clock. We struggle to keep life in balance, juggling work, kid’s sports, church activities, friends, family, neighbors, school…the list goes on and on and on.

Her story hit so close to home, I teared up with her.

Probing a bit further, I found out she was running the missions committee, the children’s ministry, and the women’s ministry. When I asked her why she had taken all that on, she replied, “Because if I don’t do it, no one will!”

I was taken aback at first feeling her pain, but after a minute of reflection, I simply asked her a question, “If you didn’t step forward to do all that, what would happen?” She replied, “Then our church won’t have these ministries to offer!” So, I tried to offer her a different perspective, “Perhaps no one steps forward to lead because they know you will. Maybe you haven’t given others the opportunity to lead because you pick up the ball before anyone has the chance to step forward. Do you think if maybe these ministries were dropped for a while and people missed them that someone would step forward to lead them?” I encouraged her to go home, resign and see what happened. Judging by her shocked face I’m not sure she had the courage to try it, but I pray she did.

"What if we still lived 'by the speed of light,' but instead of going as fast as light we lived by the time allowed by the daylight hours..."

If you think the pastor’s family is above this crazy hurriedness, think again. My husband and I have at times created so much stress by adding events to our lives that some days I walk around the house in a daze—so overwhelmed by all I have to accomplish, I cannot focus in on the one thing I need to do next. At one point my husband lost the ability to sleep for 45 days straight because of imbalance.

Of course, we justified the busyness—since we work for God.

I remember sitting with one pastor’s wife, Chelsea (whose name has been changed) after a teaching session at a conference where I shared our story, who told me with tears streaming down her face that she was so busy she couldn’t sleep; her family was angry with her and she was having anxiety attacks.

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What if we still lived by “the speed of light,” but instead of going as fast as light we lived by the time allowed by the daylight hours to accomplish all we can get done? Then, at dusk, when the light begins to disappear, we shift to a season of wasting the evening hours away with family and friends around a dinner of slow food and conversation?

“Wasting?” you say. “I haven’t a minute to waste!”

What if I told you, you do; and you should!

God designed us with internal clocks designed to work off the systems of light and dark he put into place at the beginning of time. Yet we continually violate these clocks. He also created us for community which we trade for a set of disconnected relationships in each of which we play a different role until we can’t even remember who we really are.

If you are feeling the symptoms of “hurried sickness,” I offer suggestions to help you begin answering the question,

“How can I slow down in 2020?”

1) Begin by cutting one thing out of your life that is overwhelming you.

2) Let “No” become your default answer, or at least respond with, “Let me pray about it before you say “Yes.” 3) Ask the right question before taking on anything new—don’t ask “Could I?” and instead ask Should I?” 4) Don’t be afraid to pull your kids out of evening activities (yes, even sports, especially before junior high school). Studies show kids who have dinner around the table with their family at least five nights a week, have a better chance of staying away from drug and alcohol abuse, premarital sex, and gangs.

5) Carpool.

6) Only accept assignments within your giftedness.

7) If you have the ability, move as many evening meetings as possible to during the day.

It took us about two years to realign our lives to God’s clock instead of the o’clock, to travel BY the speed of light, NOT AT the speed of light; but it was an invaluable journey. By the way, we got our sanity back and my husband has never slept better. Our kids didn’t even miss the sports we pulled them from, and I can honestly say we know them better because of the meals we shared around our table instead of watching them through a chain link fence while they played sports.

Rozanne FRAZEE Rozanne has been on the journey to “Real Simplicity” for all her married life with her husband Randy Frazee. Randy has made her a pastor’s wife, as they served together at Pantego Bible Church, Willow Creek, Oak Hills, and Westside Family Church. They are parents to four grown children and two grandchildren. Rozanne loves running, reading, cooking, interpreting for deaf people at her church, spending time with family and friends, playing with her grandchildren, and mostly spending time with her husband and best friend, Randy.

REAL SIMPLICITY Real Simplicity reveals how to make all of these things a reality. Not by working faster or having more gadgets, but by simply choosing a lifestyle of conversation and community over a lifestyle of accumulation. The Frazees’ practical, motivating insights call you back to the kind of relationships and life rhythms you were created to enjoy. In Real Simplicity Simplicity, Rozanne and Randy show you how—and why it’s so important—to balance work and play, establish healthy boundaries, deal with children’s activities and homework, bring Jesus to your neighbors, and build authentic bonds with a circle of close friends. Share these insights with those around you and help usher in an amazing transformation: your life and the lives of others blooming, in the midst of the chaos and fragmentation of today’s culture, into communities of purpose and peace.

Softcover $16.99 $11.89

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New Year BIBLE

RHY THMS OF RENEWAL Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose

Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy

Rhythms of Renewal is a video Bible study for those struggling with anxiety, fear, depression, or the stress of a busy life and a packed schedule. You will be equipped through a common experience with simple daily practices and tips that help you own a new sense of peace, strength, and purpose. The result?

Being filled with a Christ-like peace while becoming a blessing to others!

Have you been told you can have it all, only to end up exhausted and occasionally out of sorts with the people you love? Are you ready for a new way of seeing your time? Simplify your life by simplifying the three major areas: your space, your time, and your mind. Hold yourself and those you love to a more life-giving standard in Grace, Not Perfection, and allow that grace to seep into your days, your family, and your heart.

Five Sessions | ~20 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour)

Four sessions | ~26 minutes each Study Time: Minimal (less than 30 minutes)

Study Guide $14.99 $10.49 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $43.99 $26.39

Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $41.99 $25.19

Rebekah LYONS

Rebekah Lyons is a national speaker and bestselling author of You Are Free and Freefall to Fly. An old soul with a contemporary, honest voice, Rebekah reveals her own battles to overcome anxiety and depression—and invites others to discover and boldly pursue their God-given purpose. Alongside her husband, Gabe, Rebekah finds joy in raising four children, two of whom have Down syndrome.

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GRACE, NOT PERFEC TION

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Emily LEY

Emily is Founder and Creative Director of Emily Ley Paper & Gifts.

Her Simplified Planner won the Best New Product award for 2015 at the National Stationery Show. Emily is a businesswoman, wife, and mama to three. She enjoys Friday pizza parties on the living room floor, strong cappuccinos with her college-crushturned-husband, and making memories to savor for a lifetime with her twins and preschooler.

STUDIES

READ THROUGH the BIBLE in a YEAR…

or at your own pace.

N I V, O N C E - A - D AY

Bible for Women

PRESENT OVER PERFECT Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, more Soulful Way of Living Do you long to live a life of meaning and connection? Instead, are you pushing for perfection, settling for busy? Learn an entirely new way to live: soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, play, and connection with the people that matter most. Leave behind the pressure to be perfect, perform faster, push harder, and produce more, and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.

Five sessions | ~15 minutes each Study Time: Moderate (30 minutes - 1 hour) Study Guide $12.99 $9.09 Leader Pack (DVD & Guide) $41.99 $25.19

Shauna

NIEQUIST

Shauna’s three great loves are her family, hosting dinner parties in her slightly-messy, normal home, and being a bookworm, and she believes that vulnerable storytelling, hard laughter, and cold pizza for breakfast can cure almost anything. Shauna and her husband have two wild and silly and darling boys.

Now you can practice the spiritual discipline of daily Bible reading with the NIV Once-A-Day Bible for Women. This reading plan will take you through the Bible with Scripture passages organized into 365 daily readings. Don’t want the guilt of falling behind in your daily reading?

You won’t—each daily reading is numbered, not dated, allowing the flexibility you need as you strive to engage God’s Word every day.

This NIV devotional Bible offers insights that you as a woman most need to hear, included in the intuitive, hopeful devotional thoughts located at the end of each daily reading.

F E ATFEATURES UR E S • The full Scripture text from the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) • Scripture organized into 365 daily readings • Each reading includes a portion of Scripture from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and a Psalm or a Proverb • Encouraging devotional thoughts specifically written for women • 8.5-point type size Softcover $24.99 $17.49

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I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM 1 4 D e c l a rat i o n s G o d M a ke s A b o u t Yo u From the Rhythms of Renewal Bible Study, B Y R E B E K A H LY O N S

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I am a child of God

I am not ruled by fear

(JOHN 1:12)

(2 TIMOTHY 1:7)

I am a new creation

I am forgiven

(2 CORINTHIANS 5:17)

(COLOSSIANS 2:13)

I am a friend of Jesus

I am God's possession

(JOHN 15:15)

(TITUS 2:14)

I am created by God to do good

I am free from the desires of the flesh

(EPHESIANS 2:10)

(GALATIANS 5:24)

I am free in Christ

I am a light in the world

(GALATIANS 5:1)

(MATTHEW 5:14-15)

I am chosen and loved

I am secure in Him

(1 THESSALONIANS 1:4)

(1 PETER 1:3-5)

I am the light of the world

I am loved by God

(MATTHEW 5:14)

(1 JOHN 4:10)

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Next Steps: Read each of these biblical truths slowly and silently.

Next, read each one slowly and thoughtfully, letting God’s truth sink into your heart.

Next, read each out loud and boldly like a declaration from heaven.

Finally, call, text, or write a note to a Christian you care about and remind them who they are through faith in Jesus (use the list to guide you).

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B I B L E

S T U D Y

SOURCE for women

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• 15 copies of Taste and See • 15 copies of Taste and See Study Guide • 1 DVD with streaming access to all six sessions of Taste and See Video Study • Over $600 worth of tasty treats & charcuterie board accessories for you & your Bible Study group to enjoy

E N T E R TODAY AT: BibleStudySource.com/FREE Winner will be chosen & notified March 30, 2020

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