Seekin Him Together: Lesson 6

Goodmorning sweet women of Cawfee Talk! I hope this post finds you all having a good week! I apologize that I am only just now posting as I, have not had the best week. I've wanted to post for lesson 6, have re-read through it, have tried to wrap my mind around what I find important in a point to post for ya.. but, alas have come up empty handed. Not due to the study but my mind-set. This yuck I feel is fleeting, just as a state of joy/happiness is.. so, I have been waiting to "get right" if ya know what I mean b/f I write. I'm getting closer and hey, may even have something in this day!! So can any of you's start this.. anybody... anybody?!?! We ought to be on 7 this week but I have a feeling that most of us are a bit behind and may not have 6 done yet. Please share where you are at and let's all offer a lil' patience with one another. A fair warning tho.. when I get my ju-ju back.. the whip is going to CRACK (on me, too!)!!!!!

... me!

Hey gals!
I just wanted to ask for you all to say a prayer for my sweet Grandma Ruth. She had a massive stroke last week and things are not looking good. She is 91 and has always been spunky until now so it is hard for me to believe she isn't going to snap out of it, but she isn't. Love you all! I am on the day of this chapter and will get back to you all soon! Miss you all too! Doreen

I just got your note Doe.... I am sooooo very sorry for your loss
For those of you that dont know, my Grandma passed away one week ago today.
With my pain being so fresh, I really do feel for you sweet friend. There is nothing like a grandmothers love The unique thing about it is that it seems to be like a song.... if I close my eyes and meditate on her, I can sense and feel everything about her. Her kisses, her hugs, the smell of her perfume, her soft beautiful skin, her warmth and unbelievable ability to only ever see me as this perfect gift from God, given only to her :) I was the only girl and first grandchild, so you can imagine! lol

I will stop rambling...... just wanted you to know that I have been thinking of you non-stop! And praying that the Lord will heal your heart. Do not hesitate to call or write, anytime! You hear me?!? Love you, sweet friend

My sweet friends...I'm so sorry to hear of both of you losing someone so special in your lives.
I'm not good when it comes to words regarding this, but know you're both in my prayers...
xoxo

Quote :

He knows I will never be Mother Teresa, but my intentions are always pure, and who knows, maybe more so then hers?? I'm not compairing myself to Mother Teresa, but simply making the point that perhaps she had struggles in her heart that only God knew of...as do I.

Interesting Shel. Reading what you wrote, I felt like I was hearing you think this thing through! Love that!

I just wanted to pop in and say that what you are saying here, really answers question 2 doesn't it?!? The difference between "Positional" and "Personal" holiness We are all unique, but He loves us all the SAME. He isn't thinking "why can't Shel be more like Mother Teresa!" He is watching you in your darkest hours and saying, "I am right here, waiting for you... come to Me!" The same thing He offered Mother Teresa and offers all of us.

We all receive the gift of "Positional" holiness when we come into a true relationship with our Lord. To me it is the absolute KEY to living a holy life. When you don't have it, you only have your own measure... if that makes sense

Did Mother Teresa listen and seek His prompting more? Maybe so.... but that is the beautiful thing, we all have unlimited access to Him and His word, His holiness. Can you imagine if we put every single step, word, action into His hands?
To me, this is where "Personal" holiness comes in.

I totally get where you're coming from Shel. Holiness just sounds like something to great and perfect to use in the same sentence as my name!
After reading this weeks lesson, I think I have a greater understanding of the word "Holiness". I think it is something to strive for. Just like living "Christ-Like" I (and He) know that I will always fall short. I am human, therefore, sinful in nature.
I feel like I can do better though. The more "holy" things in my life, the more peace that I have.

I hope my rambling makes sense

And for the record Shel, I think you are a "Mother Teresa" to alot of people in your life

I just cannot believe this.. I have been on here for a long time writing and with Vic as my witness, just lost the entire post. I have no words. I'm upset now! I feel like such a dummy, I can't find how to find it either. That took alot out of me to write and not to have it post..

ugh! I hate it when that happens Court! One thing that I try to do is periodically save what I write. Not sure if you can save a draft on here..... but if not, I just copy and paste what I have written into a notepad document. I just leave it open until I am done, then when all is well an posted, erase it
So sorry, and I know it is such a drain to think of doing it all over again!

Okay, so I finally finished lesson 6 like a minute ago. I have to be honest here with you girls. This week has been hard for me. There's been a battle going on inside me, and my heart isn't as soft right now. SO..I honestly find it hard to post on this week. Long story short..God has been showing me the real truth of my heart. This week I have taken a BIG step back to look at myself from outside of the box. Not very pretty. I've got some anger/bitterness/bad habits that have to go. This is mainly true of me, when I'm home. And of course, it's my family that suffers from it. I have to learn to be different, and stop be cranky at my husband. Too often I blame others (mainly Paul) for my hurts...but it's really me to blame. It's so easy to take your frustrations out on those you love. I hate that!! Any how..I said long story short, so I'll stop there. I'm praying over this morning, noon, and night. There's hope!

Dor and Chris...you're both in my prayers, so sorry for your loss. I love you both.

Awww Kimmy, so sorry that your having such a hard time I think self relection and prayer are sooo important! Even though I look back and miss the stage of life you are in, I also wonder how I made it through!

Take heart in knowing that those were some of my biggest growth years! You are an amazing woman Kimmy! Calgon! Take Kimmy away.......... (sorry, I couldnt resist! lol)

Thanks also for your sweet words, they mean so much to me

Am I the only one who hasn't done 6??
Chris, this updated site is so cute! Perfect timing, too, with us getting back into the study. A fresh look for a fresh start!
I lost my Gramma just about a month ago, so I know what you girls are going through. I'm so sorry. It just sucks. There's no other way to say it. It's really made me think about my life, too. What have I done with it - what do I want to do with it.
With my Gramma's passing and the ugliness of my uncle along with it, plus other family struggles right now, I'm really trying to hold tight to my faith.
My mom sent me a daily devotional she got via an e-mail newsletter. Its basic message was Pslams 46:6: Be silent and know that I am God!...
There's more to the verse, but that's been a good message for me personally when I get so caught up in the stress of life right now -- to remember that God is here. He's got me in His hands. I take a deep breath and TRY to let it all go and remember to be silent and know that HE is God. He knows what He's doing -- whether I know what He's doing or not. He's in control. Period!

Good God in heaven... you will NOT believe this. I am having a communication crisis of sorts. First of all, yesterday.. a long post.. heartfelt and through I must say.. to be LOST on here! I went to add my group hug at the top of the post page right, it took too long to load which has never happened, I got irritated, hit the back error and lost my entire post, K? Then last night, I log on to find my email acct deactivated.. so on the phone dis morning w/Bright House Networks.. got it fixed. So, I mosey on here feeling like, I can do it.. I can re-post.. I'm a happy camper, et... I come on chit-chat and catch all the new posts, write out mine, go to post... "you must have a user name" O.K.. type that in.. hit send.. oh.. right, I didn't log in! .. go to home log in and then do ya think I got to come back to my post and post it?! Now, do ya? NOPE!! What the... Here's another senerio.. I phone Dor earlier and leave a voicemail.. at the end the voice recording comes on and says that my messae has not been sent for some dumb reason or another! Please tell me.. am I to be alone right now, never to communicate with another soul?! I almost think this, too will not make your eyes to be read! Can I cuss on here? Would that be inappropriate?! LOL!

So so true Moni! I know for me, if I could master that, I would have alot more peace!
Only He knows the rest of the pages in our book of life, indeed!
Sorry about your Grammy Moni. Three of us around the same time, that is unreal isnt it?!? To me, just another clear message that the Lord wants us all here, to help eachother through these times.... like only a sister in Christ can do


BTW... thanks for the compliments on the re-decorating Everything I used is from my "debut" designing kit! It was so cool to use something I made

Moni.. C-word...
I see you two ho's are on here and guess what's playing on the radio... "back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now.. yea.. however do you want me, however do ya need me?!" Dat's right baby!

Poor Corky
OK, so next time..... make sure you sign in right away! I have been on here in the past few days and you havent been signed in..... just lurking I can see you though, well your IP address. Dont ever backspace on an email. Copy and paste if you have to backspace....... you dont even have to paste it, just copy it. Then if it disappears, you can just paste it right back in

Maybe you need one of these before you get the boys

Love you sweets

Yes, poor Corky is feeling the irony in it all. But, hey.. "I'll be alright!" Thanks for the puter knowledge of which I am lacking, obviously! Where is save.. where is anything? Why was I born.. blah, blah, blah!! As you well know the sarcasm is a good sign... OH.. and look.. it's G!!! That emoticon matches what I said better than I knew!

Girlies, girlies, girlies!!!

I'm going to offer up a condensed version of my original post from yesterday along with a prayer.. please Lord, let this one post!

If you read Kim's post and were to put my name in there with her's.. that would be befitting since we are similar in where each of us has been lately. I've read through my finished lesson for two weeks now atleast three times. I've prayed, waited and still felt miserable. I even thought I coudn't carry on and do this study with you all and was ready to appoint a new leader feeling unqualified, not fit to return.. in my current state. I have never experienced weeks of unending let-up from hurtful, painful thoughts. I wanted to be alone, wasn't interested in any real communcation with anyone which is not like me. Even when I am down, I usually want and need to communicate. It's like a good thing for my psyche', my well-being to reach out. I have to tell you, that I appreciated each person's desire to care for me and any of you who wrote, asked, called, prayed and played when I wanted to.. it means so much to me! Now, I understand that it is one's choice to remain in a pained state and that I was choosing to disconnect. I don't regret it because even tho it was miserable, it was what I needed to do. I needed to feel the pain of my heart and recognize it's source. Even in trying not to loose my source, the Lord.. I wouldn't let go of my pain and move on. I still think what we learn in a hard time is important albeit uncomfortable but no less important. Still, I waited to snap out of it and yet part of me didn't want to move forward. Have you ever felt that by moving on you are somehow making light of the situation.. like to let it go will mean that it was O.K when it not O.k?! That in part, is how I've felt. Like, I'll just be back here again!

Something really hit me yesterday when I once again, was re-reading the lesson in hopes of inspiration to actually, finally make a post. It was David's way.

Page 114: Number 16. In contrast to the ungodly, David professes his love for holiness and his earnest intent to be pleasing to God. What are some characteristics of godly people found in verses 1, 3-5?

I responded: They seek the Lord in times of need and feel relief after coming to Him in prayer and are heard when praying. They're set apart for God. They can be angry and yet NOT sin! They ponder their hearts. Does wallowing in self-pity and depression count as you ponder?

By choosing the pathway to holiness, David sometimes found himself under attack. Yet, David didn't feel sorry for himself; he wasn't miserable or depressed. (knife!) Then goes onto say that he, David acknowledges the Lord for putting more joy in his heart than anyone or anything ever could.

Number 17. Goes onto say.. According to David's experience, what is the result of loving holiness and rejecting sin? Loving holiness offers more joy!


I've felt pretty joy-less lately. I guess my pondering was really wallowing! I know my desire to love and serve the Lord will sometimes not outweigh the reality of what life dishes out and that I may subcumb to the weight of what I'm experiencing. But, I for sure know He knows and He loves and cares for me no less. I just hope that whatever happens that I can still be a vessel used for His good and His glory.

I have to say also that the put on and put off list really hit me between the eyes. I looked up the Love verses and it is interesting to me that not only is Love the first one on the list but after reading the scriptures is seemingly most importanat to our Lord. In a nutshell: we are to love as He loves us which is stated as "my command to you is.." that is not a request! and our lack of love is a sign to other's that we are not born of God and that He is not in us b/c He IS love. The final verse nailed me. If anyone loves God but hates his brother is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. YIKES! My brother equals; my husband, my neighbor, my friends. Am I loving my brother? Are you? Beyond the many things I checked on the list that show my hearts true condition and makes clear the need for His help to "put on" His holiness and bear the fruit of His spirit living in me is that if I can just start with showing some love, I might make it down the list (on the "put on" side) a little farther!

This was so good in so many ways-- very convicting and I am going white knuckles into Lesson 7 "Obedience: The Acid Test of Love". Let me see if I truly love the Lord like I think and say I do! Can I be obedient dispite my hurts and follow His way into love and bearing fruit? Or will I only be able to offer up sour grapes?! Either way, I'm glad to know I have five other compadres to harvest some goodness with!


Let us remember: Holy people are REAL, behave in certain ways because they love God, are concerned about being pleasing to God-- inside and out, have a heart to love and to serve other, regarless of their socioeconomic status, bow to the authority of Scripture and live radically obedient lives, give themselves unreservedly to God and are patient withothers who are still in the process, have a humble estimation of themselves because God is their standard, base their convictions on the standard of God's word.

You designed all this??? I always knew you were a creative genius, but seriously, this needs to go places! It's awesome!!

Wow, Court... that was the condensed version?

I understand about the "moving on." It's really hard to move on sometimes. I tend to wallow in my depression. I'm quite often un-communicative.

I guess I need to get my bootay in gear and DO lesson 6 so I know what you're talking about there.

Oh my dear girls, I am so glad we have each other!
I just got back from my Grandma's funeral and I have to say it was quite a mixed bag of emotions. Andrew and the kids were great and my Mom and Dad were rather well behaved too...some of my mom's family including one very questionable Aunt were weird but...oh well.
I always interpret holiness as something to strive for because we are just the human beings that we are and I am sure to fall short. I do like the constant messages in the chapters of setting ourselves free by confessing our sins to God and others and setting ourselves free of the shame and guilt that stop us from getting closer to achieving the holiness God wants for us. I read in the chapter that it would like us to obey God in the big and little things in our life and if I have taken anything from the chapter, it is that. I failed miserably the Obedience Quotient test so I guess I have some holiness work to do....don't we all though!
To all of you, I think and pray for you! Love you!

Yea Moni, I guess it wasn't as condensed as I planned at the start! Sorry girls if that was too much information! Maybe, it was more for me than anything else, kwim?!

Doe-girl.. I hope you're having a good day following the emotional day of the service for your grandmama. I'm thinking of you!

Chris.. will your grandma have a service for you to attend out here?! You said that grandpa was not up to having one but your daddy wanted one. What's happened there?

Moni, you too.. did you mom plan one regardless of the evil uncle and his non-plan?! I see on F.B your sister is coming out or came out? Oh and btw.. I did see Stacy Sooroonian on there and b/f you mentioned her I saw the name and was thinking, "how do I know her?!" You brought it all back! Dude, you do know you can ignore people and not add them, don't cha?! I know I'm not keen on being mean like that and haven't yet.. altho, I did wait out a friend confirmation for a couple of weeks once!
Anyway, what did she say?! What in the heck would she want to say!!!

Hope you're all having a great day. I'm going to walk on my treadmill before I have to get the twinzies.. a new effort to put myself back in check!

Chris! I totally worded that in sucha dumby way.. "will your grandma have a service.." I am sure you know I meant.. will there be a service for your grandma! So sorry if that came off as insensitive and ignorant as it WAS!

Courtney--loved that post. Man, I love honesty and soul-sharing. I hope you're doing better now. Yeah? No? The section on David made points with me, too. Another post, maybe? I've already writtten a ton below....

This study keeps getting better and better. I loved the analogy of the bride walking into the church all haggard and how we, or should I say “I” act. It occurred to me that I spend more time getting ready to face the world in the morning than I do in Bible study. I definitely need all that time (!) but how much more my soul needs to be straightened—not just my hair. I confess to living like I’ve forgotten about the wedding, ya know? I start and end some days on empty, and I can feel it.

A little story…I’m looking forward to that day. It is special to me because even as a little girl I wanted to dress up and be the princess for the day. Swear, I used to wish on stars that I could wear a dress like the good witch from the Wizard of Oz. (What is said on the forum STAYS on the forum! Right?) Not too much has changed except maybe the dress! I missed all those girlie things growing up and didn’t have a wedding ceremony. So when the Bible talks about meeting Jesus, and that we’ll be dressed in white—and I’m thinking something sorta pretty, maybe not Wizard of Oz-like, but something I’ll never forget—and it will be something I’ve shared only with Him…something just between us. Dork, I know.

My point is that what if I acted like it was the last dress rehearsal every day? To fit right in with this is Chapter 7, which I’m LOVING! Love is an action word, and it never occurred to me (blonde remember) that the way to demonstrate love to Jesus is to obey Him. I have to admit that outside of the obvious, sometimes I have absolutely no idea what that is. BUT I could live just minute by minute. When I had cancer that was my way of coping when I heard things I didn’t want to hear. Like taking steps, just keep moving forward…pressing on to what lies ahead…to keep the focus on Jesus and not the circumstances. What lies ahead for us is so incredible. Heaven is going to be saaawweeet!

I’m in full dork mode tonight!!!

You are a lovable dork then Jenn! I can see you in your purdy gown already btw.. and if he were to come right now.. this would be me!!!

Jenn, you are so NOT a dork. Seriously, that's the one thing that really struck me about this lesson, too (yes, I finally finished it!). Being the 'bride' of Christ. I, too, spend more time getting ready - putting my face on - to show the world than I do in Bible study, or even in prayer, probably! I don't feel ready for that day!

And, Court, I wasn't commenting on your 'condensed' version as criticism. I hope you know that! I was feeling bad cuz my posts are mostly short. It makes me critical of MYSELF that I'm not spending as much time in thought or in prayer to get THAT much out of the study. Which makes me feel bad again.

I sort of feel like I've back-slid (if that's a word!) to the very beginning of the study - being afraid of letting Him get in and letting my real feelings out. Kwim? It's good to be back into it - it just might take me a minute to get back to where I was.

That checklist of what we should be 'putting off'... yeah, I need to work on so many things!

Dearest Court,
even in your sorrow, you are still the most thoughtful, soul-filled person I know. I wish honestly to pray for you and please know that you are the leader we want and need. Thank you for hanging in there for us and for your post. Love ya!