Reading Eve

Note: Sorry this is late in posting on Sunday. I had it scheduled to post with blogger draft but it didn't post - maybe daylight savings time messed things up? Anyway, here it is. Tomorrow (Monday), I'll start the discussion of Eve after lunch so read for now and come back Monday afternoon/evening to check out everyone's comments.

Today is the first day of your decision to read the Words of God regularly for the next six weeks! We're going through the women of the Bible. If you haven't already, you can read the ground rules in my last post, called "Ready to get started?"

So, are you excited to get to it? Well, grab a cup of something warm and open up that Bible - it doesn't matter which translation.

Today's reading is Genesis 2:18 through Genesis 3:24.

If you prefer to read it online, click here and then you can choose which translation you want to see it in.

Remember, today we'll read and reflect, and tomorrow we'll do a little more dissecting and discussing.

Once you've completed the reading,

post a comment here letting me know you did it!

Ready to get started?

I'm so excited the time has come to begin our walk together through the women of the Bible! Let's run through some details of how it will work over the next 6 weeks as we cover 3 women per week.

On Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I'll be posting the scriptures we are to read here on my blog. You can look them up in your own Bible, or you can read them online. I'll provide a link to Biblegateway each time. Some of the women's stories will be a little longer than others, but none of them require massive amounts of time to read.

Begin your time reading with a short prayer such as this, "Dear Lord, I come to your Word seeking Your wisdom, to know Your will for me, and to know You more intimately. Help me clear my mind and focus in on this. Guide me into understanding what I read. Please draw me close and speak to me as I read and reflect on these words, in Jesus' Name."

The goal on these days is two-fold. One to get the reading done and post an "I did it" comment here. And two, to listen for God's voice as you read and as you continue thinking about this woman and her story through out your day. I don't want you breaking out the commentary books at this point (if that's even your thing), I just want you to encounter the scriptures with no preconceived notions from other people's interpretations, and nothing to sway your thoughts about the story but the Spirit of God Himself.

Feel free to write down your thoughts if you want to as you read or as you reflect. You can write down anything you think God might be revealing to you. You can write down any questions you have while or after reading. You can also write down a prayer you have in response if you want. Writing will help you internalize and remember what you are reading but realize this is optional ... on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays all you have to do is complete your reading and post when you're done. :)

Then, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we'll all come back here to "talk about" what we read, or what we feel we heard God whisper to our hearts, through our comments. On these days we'll learn from each other. If you are a commentary reader or a Greek-Hebrew Study Bible kinda girl, you can break those out and tell us what they say about our ancient sisters in Christ. I'll be posting on these days either my own reflections, or some discussion questions, or a writing prompt for our journals, or else some ideas for further reading or digging deeper. Won't it be fun to read all the comments, questions and thoughts we share?! I can't wait.

So that's the plan - 3 days each week of reading, 3 days of processing what you've read, Saturdays off, and over the course of six weeks you will have learned about the major female characters in God's grand story.

Please realize that some of your fellow sisters on this journey will be old pros in their walk with Christ, while others will be newbies. Some of us will already be reading the Bible regularly, and other of us will be looking to establish or re-establish the habit. We will be from varying walks of life, and varying theological or denominational church backgrounds. So the rules of engagement here are to focus on our common ground as mutual, imperfect Christians and sisters in Christ, and to continually season our words lovingly with grace.

Feel free to sign your first name if you want as you post comments, or your blog address if you'd like to invite people over to your place on the net. (Its OK to remain anonymous.) Won't it be great to come through this study having gained a few new cyber-friends?

As you can see, all you need is an Internet connection to participate. A Bible would be great to have - any translation you want - but you can read online if you don't have a Bible handy. Also, a simple notebook or journal would be useful to have a place to capture and process your thoughts. But all that's really required is a willingness to make the effort to draw near to God by reading the scriptures.

Are you ready? Your first reading assignment will be posted by dawn tomorrow (not that you have to get up that early to read it!). I look forward to our time together.

Thanks for sharing with me

I've been so touched by your comments on the anxious heart post. I'm thrilled to know that God's hope, through my words and experiences, reached your heart and affected your day! I truly believe that as women we have to be proactive about keeping our emotions submitted to Christ - otherwise we can say or do some pretty damaging things ... or wind up doing nothing at all because we get too overwhelmed.

Yesterday was sunny and pretty, today its cold and rainy here - the type of day that makes it easy for the emotions to slump. No matter, I turned on some warm lighting, some ambient music, and first thing today I turned my soul towards Christ. I started my day by praying for God to forgive me my sins and cleanse my soul, and to give me the mind of Christ today. I asked for help in keeping my emotions in check and for wisdom in all that I do and say today. When I start my day this way, it is so centering and grounding. Doesn't mean I never lose that center later in the day, but it does mean that I can usually get back to center more quickly if I do.

Someone commented that they have physical limitations that prevent them from walking and she wanted to know if she'd still be able to get a grip on her moods ... she asked if sitting and praying would be enough. The answer to that is a resounding YES. Prayer is a more powerful force than endorphins. That's why I listed prayer and Bible reading ahead of exercise and chocolate. Do whatever you can do ... think of it as being a good steward of your emotions ... and remember that you can always pray anytime, anywhere.

But with that said, I will echo Alyce's comment that sometimes our depression can pass a certain point and we need to seek help from a pastor, counselor or medical doctor. Never hesitate to do so.

Since its too yucky here to go outside, right now I've got Sunrise Earth on the DVD player. Search my blog for the post on Sunrise Earth if you aren't familiar with this show. At this particular time in my life I don't work the 9 to 5 office desk-job that I once did. Instead I work 4 different jobs in varying locations, including writing and editing from home where I have some control over my environment. But if I did still work at that office, I would so take this DVD to work with me to play on my computer while I'm working. Something about the sights and sounds of nature soothes us. Research has demonstrated that the sound of the ocean is the most universally soothing sound on the planet! Nature can be one of God's built-in stress relievers for us - so get some fresh air, sunshine, and views of God's green earth when you can.

Hadassah mentioned using CDs of scripture set to music in her car. I have a couple of those in my 10-disc CD player in my car. Mine came with the "First Place" Bible study books I bought. I never did the First Place program but years ago I bought the first couple workbooks with CDs in their series at my local bookstore and have enjoyed them.

I had to laugh out loud at the woman who commented that her husband sometimes begs her, "Please, take a walk!!!" when she gets all menopausal. I'm not at that stage yet but nonetheless there have been days my husband has looked at me and said, "Go do whatever you need to do to recharge your batteries." Evidently I'm not the cute, pink Energizer Bunny I fantasize being in my head!

Some of you got some really tough news yesterday, or faced some difficult circumstances this week, and I just want you to know that I have prayed for you. And I consider it an honor to do so. Don't loose sight of God, or hope in Him - and do what you need to do to keep your emotional self above water.

In closing, I thought it was so cool that the BibleGateway verse of the day in my sidebar today happens to be Psalm 139:23-24:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Let's follow Him today in the {peacefeul} way everlasting.

RX for an anxious heart

Welcome if you followed the link from my devotion running today with Proverbs 31 Ministries. I talked about feeling frustrated from the get-go the other day and struggling to get a grip on my emotions. That particular day it was frustration and disappointment (laced with a little selfishness I'm sure). Other days it has been guilt, or sadness, or envy, or anger, or just plain feeling emotionally hurt by someone.

In a Gallup poll a few years ago, 90% of respondents described women as "emotional." And according to the National Academy of Sciences, they're right. The Academy says, "Women's brains are wired to both feel and recall emotions more keenly than the brains of men."

Furthermore, an article in Scientific American warns that, "Women who hold back feelings of anger may end up more irate in the long run. According to new research, women experience a rebound effect when they suppress angry emotions, which can result in greater feelings of fury."

You're probably thinking, tell me something I don't know!

So what can we do when we feel our emotions getting the best of us?

Number one on my list of responses is PRAYER. Take those seemingly unruly feelings to the One who can handle them. There have been times I've grieved so deeply over the loss of my mother I could scarcely get a line of prayer out admit my uncontrollable sobbing, only to have God answer that prayer for peace and completely calm my heart in the span of a single second. He is the God of all Comfort, the Prince of Peace, and the Author of a sound mind.

Also on my list is READ the Bible. This is the one I turned to the day I wrote the "Feeling Emotional" devotion. I can renew my mind with the Words of truth, replacing my overly emotional - often irrational - thoughts with eternal reality from the Reality Maker Himself.

This next one may make some of us groan with disgust, but its proven that EXERCISE can calm our stress and get us thinking clearly again. Some time on my treadmill with upbeat music playing does me a lot of good (once I get myself there). I think Elle Woods in the movie Legally Blonde explained this one quite well when she said, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands. They just don't." :)

Which leads me to the next one, HUMOR. Everybody needs somebody who can make them laugh out loud. Laughter not only makes us feel better, but its good for our health according to Proverbs 17:22, and it can stimulate our problem-solving abilities as well.

Sometimes I just have to WRITE. Spilling my feelings onto the page of a journal can unburden my mind. And writing a letter to someone who hurt me can unburden my heart. Most of the time I decide never to send the letter, but that's ok because it served its purpose in the moment to help me think things through and calm down. Years later I still have some of those letters saved on my computer. Somehow I feel better knowing that I could send them if I decided I really needed to.

And last but certainly not least, is STARBUCKS. There's few things better than a soy latte to steady my hormones ... except maybe a vanilla soy latte and some dark CHOCOLATE. You didn't really think I could write a post on dealing with women's emotions without mentioning food did you?

If you've got any (food or non-food) solutions for reigning in your emotions on days when they're flying - please do share. Meanwhile, here's wishing us both an emotionally peaceful day.

Now that I've had my Starbucks, I'm off to pray while walking on my treadmill (just for preventative measures) ...