Need help with organization?

Dear Meek and Quiet Ladies,

Just a reminder that our next meeting is tomorrow, September 28, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. We'll be covering Chapter 4, "Disorganization," an area in which I struggle, so please bring your own ideas to share! I can't wait to tell you about the Maxwell conference this past weekend!

Looking forward to our time together in the Lord...

Debbie

Dear Meek and Quiet Ladies,

How good and gracious is our Lord! He knows all things, and cares about even the slightest details of our lives. He knew exactly what we needed at last month's meeting -- a sharing and unburdening of our hearts, and then an encouraging as we lifted those burdens to Him in prayer.

So....we haven't yet covered Chapter 3, "Fear and Worry," in our book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell! Hopefully, that's good news for those of you who are interested in joining us for the first time next Tuesday. You are never "behind" in this study, but if you are a Dominant Concrete Sequential learner, you might be "worried" that you shouldn't join us in the middle of a book. "What did you just say?" you say.

I know fear and worry is something that we're all tempted to have and do, especially in the area of homeschooling. "How can I possibly prepare this particular child for adulthood?!" When I find the Enemy taunting me with that question, I first remind myself that I'm where God wants me to be -- feeling broken and inadequate. That's the vessel that can be used by Him. And then I remind myself of my school life verse, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me" (John 7:16). And then usually in just a little while, I'm exclaiming His goodness, glorifying Him, because I know the task at hand could not possibly have been done in the power of the flesh! I don't have to remind you ladies that God never calls us to a task that He does not fully equip us to complete. So He sends us helpful tools from time to time, as we're ready to receive them.

I have found that one of these tools for successful training (and alleviating fear and worry:) is knowing your child's individual learning style, so we'll look at Cynthia Tobias' book The Way They Learn, and take a short survey to find out our own learning styles. Maybe you're Dominant Concrete Random. =O We'll discover some things about ourselves, and our families at the same time. And cover Chapter 3, Lord willing! It should be fun.

If you are new and considering this prayer time/Bible study, you might want to read older posts on this blog. Time doesn't allow me to blog often, but you'll learn more about the Meek and Quiet book and why we're studying it. The book and study guide can be ordered at http://www.titus2.com/.

I can't wait to see each of you! You are such a blessing!

In Him,

Debbie

P.S. The Maxwell family is coming to Birmingham September 24-25! More details are on their website mentioned above.

Joy Is in Our Hearts...

I've been listening to Sara Groves' latest album Fireflies and Songs, and I thought of you, Meek & Quiet Ladies, when I heard "Joy Is in Our Hearts." In case it's new to you, too, here are the lyrics copied from Sara's website:

we were pressed on every side
full of fear and troubled thoughts
for good reason we carried heavy hearts

it is good to come together
in our friendship to remember
all the reasons hope is in our hearts

hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength
hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength

now with patience in our suffering
perseverance in our prayers
with good reason this hope is in our hearts

hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength
hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength

oh we saw the face of Angels
many good things well secured
for good reason this joy is in our hearts

hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength
hallelujah hallelujah
Christ our joy and strength

for good reason joy is in our hearts

http://www.saragroves.com/lyrics/firefliesandsongs/joy-is-in-our-hearts/

I mentioned when I left our meeting in May that I wouldn't be able to attend in June due to our vacation. Well... I hadn't looked at the calendar! There are five Tuesdays in June, so the fourth Tuesday will be June 22. Mark your calendars... we'll study Chapter 3, "Fear and Worry." I look forward to seeing you then!

In Christ alone,
Debbie

Blessed to Be Numbered Among You, Indeed...

Dear Ladies,

I was so blessed by our fellowship last night! Your prayers lifted to the Lord and your transparency in sharing indicate such a sincere desire to learn and know more about our Lord, and a true desire to be godly women. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to sit for a while and be still before God with like-minded sisters. And heartfelt thanks to our beautiful host family.

As I said last night, if you don't yet have the book set Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit and would like help in facilitating a bulk order, let me know. We need an order of 12 and then each Study Guide is free, as well as shipping.

If you want to participate in the 30-day husband encouragement challenge, visit Nancy Leigh DeMoss's website at http://www.reviveourhearts.com/ and look to the link on the left entitled "Grow." Why don't we officially start fresh with that April 1, to give each of you time to go to the site and print it? I'll be curious to hear reports of how well we've done -- or not (we're still bound in these fleshly bodies), but I'm sure the Lord will use even our failures to bring glory to Himself.

I pray you have a great rest of the week. Watch the blog for upcoming reminders of our next meeting's assignment, April 27.

May Christ alone be glorified...
Debbie

Wow, it's hard to believe...

...it's been almost a year since my last post, almost a year since Abby's successful surgery! She's doing great, by the way. Only God could have orchestrated events to cause us to make the difficult decision for her to stay in school as a "fifth-year senior" before we knew the surgery was even necessary! The blessings He has poured into her life this school year are too numerous to count!

Even though this blog has been "quiet," my life certainly has not! There have been many joys, many challenges, many answered prayers, many days of waiting on God. Many times the Lord has had to remind me that I must constantly lean on Him to keep a quiet heart in the midst of turmoil, recession, fear and worry. So I shouldn't be surprised that He is causing me to revisit the book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. I just read in Isaiah this morning, "And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher" (30:20). Isn't that beautiful? That's what any Bible study should be about -- pointing us always to behold our Teacher!

I love the Preface of the book. I agree wholeheartedly with Teri that homeschooling moms are a wonderful group of women! Homeschooling may have become more popular since the writing of this book, but we continue to swim upstream in a culture that is so counter to biblical instruction. So like Teri, I am pleased to be numbered among you, and very honored that I've been asked to facilitate another study using this book.

So, ladies, if you've been directed to this site because you're considering being a part of this study with me, welcome! I recently realized while studying, that this blog might be a useful communication tool. It could be used to remind you of our meeting dates, the chapter we'll be studying, your "homework," etc., but I don't want to add another "to-do" to your list, another website you feel obligated to check. If you feel this could be helpful to you and you have an account with blogger (or want to quickly create one--it's free), could you post a quick comment? I look forward to seeing you and serving you...

Debbie