Going Beyond

I spent the weekend at a women's conference with about 2,000 of my closest sisters in Christ. The event was held at McKinney Memorial Church in Fort Worth, just a few minutes from home. My mother and aunt, along with two cousins attended. It was a wonderful time of music with Anthony Evans, one of my favorites, and Priscilla Shirer, an amazing Bible teacher. We were challenged to not sleepwalk through the various stages of our lives, but to live every day focused on Jesus, not our circumstances.

Our group on Friday night, before the conference.

Anthony Evans and the worship team

Priscilla Shirer

One of the things I loved most was gaining a difference perspective on how to study your Bible, no Bible study book involved. Priscilla called it "Five P's of Bible Study."

1. POSITION yourself to hear from God. This requires silence and solitude.
2. PORE over the passage and paraphrase the major points. Meditate on the Word. Put yourself in the story.
3. PULL OUT the spiritual principles. How can this affect my life?
4. POSE the question. Am I following these principles in my own life?
5. PLAN obedience and pin down a date.

Two thoughts that really struck me this weekend:
1. God does not speak to be heard, but to be obeyed.
2. Sometimes we are so busy talking that God cannot get a word in edgewise. Ouch!

And, my favorite verse from the conference: Ephesians 5:14

"Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you."

Amen.