Session One

I'm playing catch up because I just decided late last night to start this blog, but our first session was last Wednesday night. As with all of Beth's studies she starts off with a bang. Explaining what direction our journey will take us and charging us with many things to think about. Two missions were are to accomplish by the end of this week (our group's week runs Wednesday to Wednesday) are to get a set of 3 x 5 index cards for scriptures and a durable eight-inch blue ribbon, thick yarn, or thin braided cord. I've gotten both of those done and it is only Monday. Whoa, that is a big step for me!! Do you have your cards and ribbon, yet?

MY HIGHLIGHTS FROM SESSION ONE

"My 'promised land' is the place where my theology merges with my reality."

• Think about that for just a second. We all would like to think that our theology is reality for us, but lets be honest for just a second. When bad things happen or in the good times do we ALWAYS turn to our belief in God. We would like to think that what we say we believe is how we act, what we do 100% of the time. But do we really believe God can heal the sick or do we pray that the right doctor will heal our loved one. Does your theology merge with your reality and does it 100% of the time?

"Our promised lands are places where God is willing to work untold wonders, but He desires two critical preparations from us: Faith and Sanctification."

• Faith
  Faith is a belief in the trustworthiness of an idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of religion, as in theology, where it almost universally refers to a trusting belief in a transcendent reality, or else in a Supreme Being and said being's role in the order of transcendent, spiritual things
• Sanctification The word sanctification refers to the act or process of making holy or setting apart (as special) and occurs five times in the Authorized Version of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Thessalonians 4:3,4, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Peter 1:2) translated from the Greek word αγιασμος (hagiasmos) "purification,"[1] which is from the root hagios (άγιος) which means holy or sacred.[2]
  To sanctify is literally “to set apart for special use or purpose,” figuratively “to make holy or sacred,” and etymologically from the Latin verb sanctificare which in turn is from sanctus “holy” and facere “to make.”

"Five-Statement Pledge of Faith"

1. God is who He says He is.
2. God can do what He says he can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's word is alive and active in me.

How amazing and SO MUCH to think about and this was only the first session. I am looking forward to this journey!