Unglued Bible Study-3 Ways to Stay on God’s Side

June 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

angry-woman.jpgHola Divas!  If you will recall, we discussed Joshua earlier this week and the choice he had to make before going into battle.  I would call getting ready for battle an “unglued situation”.

When I come unglued, I fly into action to “fix” the situation. Stopping to choose a side is the last thing on my mind.  In the Unglued Participant’s Guide, Lysa gave us some action steps on how to “stay on God’s side”.

1.  Use Truth–What is REALLY true about the situation or person.  There are so many outside influences that sometimes getting a little truth about the matter is a really wise thing to do.  Remember, our perception may NOT be the reality.

2.  Use self-control.  I can only control KATINA! In Unglued situations, I often behave in ways to control the other person or the outcome: pouting, yelling, sulking, silent treatment, etc…)  As Lysa says, “Our feelings are indicators NOT dictators”.

3.  Use prayer–Pray for the person who is getting on your last nerve!  I think it is only natural to pray for the resolution of a situation that has us unglued. The only issue with that  is what if the situation does not resolve?

Our prayer for the week:

God, help me choose to be on YOUR side, trusting that YOU will help me face things outside of my control without acting out of control.  

Homework for this week:

Read chapters 1-2 in the Unglued book!

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Unglued Revisited

June 24, 2014 by 2 Comments

 

Welcome Back Divas!!!  Yep, our summer Bible Study is back in session!!! We are revisiting UNGLUED by Lysa Terkeurst!  This study was life changing the last time we completed it 2 years ago.  After many requests…. it’s BAAAAAAACCCK!

The tag line for the book Unglued is:  “Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Raw Emotions”. Perhaps it is just me but I have quite a few, “raw emotions”.  What do we do with these raw emotions? Is it really possible to make emotions work for us instead of against us?

Yes, and the Unglued Bible Study turns us to God’s Word and shows us how!

During our first session, we focused on Joshua 5:13-14(NLT)…just before the battle of Jericho.

When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

Just prior to meeting the man, Joshua led the people of Israel across the Jordan River after God parted it for them  [Joshua 3:13-14] (just like he did with Moses and the Red Sea).  With such a spiritual victory, it is quite plausible that Joshua may have been feeling victorious and ready for battle.  Yet before he acted, he was required to chose a side.  

“We tend to approach our battles and causes backwards; we turn things all around and try to marshal God to support us rather than to submit and follow Him.”-bible.org (OUCH!)

Just before becoming completely unglued about a work situation, bills, something that someone has done to us or an interruption in our schedules, we have an opportunity to choose God’s side by submitting to HIM right then. We can ask God what HE wants us to do BEFORE we do what we want to do in the moment.

Our prayer for the week:

God, help me choose to be on YOUR side, trusting that YOU will help me face things outside of my control without acting out of control.  

Homework for the week:

Read chapters 1-2 in the Unglued Book.

Don’t have the book?  Purchase it for $5 from Christian Book Stores .

If you are close to Kernersville, NC..join us in person!  Visit our Meetup Page for more info..otherwise just follow along online!

Let us know in the comments about your week!

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Determined….NOT Desperate-(Made to Crave Bible Study)

January 28, 2014 by 8 Comments

Made to Crave Bible Study

Hola Divas!  Welcome to week three of our bible study, Made to Crave by Lysa TerKuerst.  If you are just joining us, you may want to check out previous Made to Crave  posts or visit our Meetup Page. 

During each session, Lysa gives us a theme word.  For the first session, the word was empowerment.  Our word for this session is Determined.

Webster’s online dictionary defines determined as: having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it. 

Determined is a mindset.

At the opposite end of the “mindset spectrum’ is desperate.  Desperate is defined as: feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.  

As Lysa so eloquently put it…Desperation breeds defeat. 

When we are  desperate,  we want instant gratification.  We become laser focused on what we want. We see what we want. We think about what we want. We simply MUST have it or we couldn’t possibly live on!

In desperate times, we just might do, say, eat, or give away….ANYTHING!

girl-eating-chocolate-cake-280X280

In Genesis 25:29-34, we find an exchange between two brothers illustrating what desperation can do:

One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry.

(Can you say set up for desperation?  When I arrive home after working all day exhausted and hungry…the best intentions in the world just may not be able to keep me from  running to a drive through instead of cooking a healthy meal.)

Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

(Do we have some sibling rivalry going on?  Jacob did NOT have Esau’s best interests in mind.  However, Esau’s defenses were down…he smelled the soup, the saw the soup, he wanted the soup, he simply had to have the soup. So….. he went straight into crazytown-manipulation-drama-king mode:

“Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

I am sure NONE of you have eeeevvvver  gone into drama queen mode (the attitude, pouting, noodle-necking, sulking, silent treatment, oh no I am fine…just about to die), when you desperately wanted something.

pout

Divas, we have to be careful with desperation…it breeds defeat. We want …..and we want ….and we start manipulating to get what we want and before we know it….desperation turns our manipulation back on us,  and WE GET PLAYED!

But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

Divas would you trade your inheritance for soup?  

soup 

One method of handling “physical” desperation is to not allow ourselves to get soooo hungry we become desperate.

Part of the homework for this week is to determine in advance what we are going to eat so that we are not caught off guard…exhausted and hungry!  If you need help, check out our post on the plate method and plan out at least 3 days worth of meals.

Maybe you don’t have a food issue.  Where do you become so desperate in your life that you make “feel-good right now” decisions with painful long-term consequences?

Come on back later this week as we talk about “spiritual determination”.

Keep us posted about how things are going in the comments section!

 

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The Empty Woman-Unglued Bible Study Chapter 9

November 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Hello Divas! We have been really learning some things about ourselves with this Unglued study haven’t we?  In chapter nine, Lysa talks about the elephant in the room…jealousy.

I don’t like to think of myself as a jealous person.  But honestly, it is hard to see other people get something that I really want but don’t have yet.  On one of my CRAZY weeks,  I had “work” to do at work that I really did not want to do. My nose started running, so I took Benadryl and had “medicine head”. I had been screaming and rushing around to get out of the door in the mornings and I had to start planning for a Zumba® event. (Y’all know all of that was a recipe for an UNGLUED MOMENT!)

Anywho, during the planning, I began to feel a pang of frustration. One of the other instructors helping with the event has her own fitness company. As I tried to complete the work I did not want to do at my regular job, my mind started to turn cart wheels. “Must be nice to do what you love ALL the time AND make tons of money”. “Why can’t I do what I love AND make money?” Then I really took a dive into the sea of green. I began to reflect on closing my party business and the dealing with the debt from doing what I was passionate about. Then, just looking at her email address made me very depressed.

The more I compared myself to the other instructor, the more lethargic and empty I felt.  Empty women come unglued.

Do you EVER compare your self to others?

In chapter nine, Lysa gave two simple action steps to deal with jealousy and comparing ourselves to others and I added a third:

1.  Focus on your own responsibilities and actions.

Galatians 6:4-5 (NIV)  Each one should test their own actions.  Then they can take pride in themselves alone without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. 

2.  Carry some love to others.  Find a way to be a blessing to someone else. When you change your focus away from yourself, all of a sudden your self-image improves. You get to experience the feeling of satisfaction that only comes when you’re a blessing to someone else.

3.  Have an attitude of gratitude.  An attitude of gratitude in all things helps bring joy to our lives.

How can you be a woman full of joy instead of an Empty woman this week?

Homework for this week’s bible study meeting–Chapters 9 & 10

 

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All about Perspective-Unglued Bible Study Chapter 8

October 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Hello Divas! It is hard to believe that we are already on Chapter 8 of the book Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. Prior to chapter eight, we have worked on identifying our “unglued” tendencies and learning how to properly process our emotions.  Chapter eight deals with the “glue” that holds identifying and properly processing together—PERSPECTIVE.

I found a definition of perspective that made my jaw drop:  The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance—WOW. 

In the book, Lysa shared a story about how her daughters used to argue over paper placements when they were out to dinner.  We all know how this goes, some one spills water or writes on the other’s placement and bam…whines, screams, and drama over a PAPER PLACEMAT! Seriously???

Cough, gag, ok …that example was VERY close to home for me.  But really, children tend to come unglued about very small things.  Have you ever watched a child melt over not getting something they really wanted or over another child not sharing?

What about us?  Do the things that cause us to come unglued DAILY really matter in the grand scheme of things?  Ok, lets say DO matter.  Can we find ANYTHING to be thankful for and then be gentle in our response?

At the beginning of chapter eight, Lysa stated: “Perspective calls forth a gentleness I can’t seem to find any other way”.  This is so true.  When you mentally grasp that things could really be MUCH worse and you have SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL for, you display a more gentle nature. 

Have you ever spoken to someone right when they return from a mission trip?  They get it!  Perhaps we need to seek out some serving activities like:  serving in a soup kitchen, going on a mission trip, or helping a family in need to help us gain some perspective.

The Key verse for the entire chapter was Philippians 4:4-5: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

In other words:

Find some reason to be thankful regardless of what is going on. Smile and don’t miss the chance to rejoice!  Gain some perspective over your situation then quiet and settle your mind so that you can respond to EVERYONE (not just the people who are nice to you) with gentleness (a sweet temper that is the result of joy in the LORD).

I think in all the times I have read Philippians 4:5, I totally missed the “The Lord is near” part. When we are able to gain some godly perspective, we realize that God IS near.  In fact, He has been here all the time! He has been making a way out of no way for eons.

Have chapters 7 & 8 read for our discussion on Saturday!

Blessings,

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Five Minute Friday-Grasp

September 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

Five Minute FridayEvery Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays. She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and write until the timer goes off. The word for today is GRASP. Happy Friday Divas and here goes:

Every time God blesses me with the opportunity to stand on the stage and lead my Dance Fit Divas, I am so thankful.  I actually find the concept of women from all different ages, stages, shapes and races coming together to exercise and encourage each other very difficult to GRASP. 

The community of women that God has built through our class is so ah-mazing and a breath of  fresh air.

One of the most fulfilling compliments that people give about our class is that the class members are so nice and that people feel welcomed.  It just makes my heart sing to watch some of the divas who have been attending for a while offer their toning sticks or jingle skirts to a newbie.  Being new and feeling ignored by clicky people can make you GRASP desperately for feelings of insecurity (yes even as adult women).

Maya Angelou wisely said:  I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

Some times just getting to class is about all a lady can do.  Getting a smile, encouraging words, and a good ol’ dancing sweat fest while in class is sometimes just enough to help her GRASP the frayed ends of her nerves.

 In Jesus’ final message to His disciples, He said, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

“Each of us has the opportunity to take the gospel to people in our “end of the earth.” “ –Bill Crowder

No matter where you are, you can smile, say hello, genuinely listen, pray, and meet the need of someone else.

Remember, we do NOT have class this Saturday!  However, join us next week.  See the calendar HERE.

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Five Minute Friday-Graceful

September 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Five Minute FridayEvery Friday, Lisa Jo Baker hosts a blog link up called Five Minute Fridays. She provides a word prompt and then participants are to set their timers for five minutes and then write until the timer goes off.  The word for today is Graceful.  Happy Friday Divas and here goes:

When I tell people  I am a dance fitness instructor, they quickly inform me that they think our class MIGHT be fun but they:  can’t dance, don’t have any rhythm, and are too clumsy to join us.  My answer to them:  being graceful or even being able to dance is NOT a requirement.  All that is required is an open mind and the ability to laugh at yourself!

One of the reasons we start class with everyone finding a neighbor and looking them in the eyes and informing them “No matter how hard you try, you cannot look like me”, is to release the fear of having to perform every step perfectly and full of grace.

As we salsa through the dance of life, we have moments of graceful footwork.  Sometimes, we are tripping over every thing in our path.  Other times,  like Paula Abdul, we are awkwardly taking two steps forward and two steps back. 

The great joy is that God is Always with us. 

image source: God’s Gracefulness

Join us tomorrow, September 8, 2012 for Soulful Saturday 9:30-11am!  Start your weekend with inspiration, sweat, girl-time, stress relief and FUN! Need more info click HERE

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Monday Madness!

November 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

More Pics @ MySpaceAntics.com

Celebrate Monday Madness with ZUMBA® K’Vegas Style!!! Join us tonight 11/1/10 7pm-8pm!  We will have big fun AND sweat away our stress!! (This class IS part of the regular session!  If you did not purchase the session, the fee is $5.00!)

Keep up to date with what is going on Join our Meetup Group

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