Women & Identity E-Book

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun

• Herausgeber: IVP Bible Studies
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: LifeGuide Bible Studies
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 68

Beschreibung

We live only a small fraction of the lives God has for us. Our lives get smaller and smaller, circling around the minute-by-minute disappointments and demands of the present moment while God whispers softly or even hollers for us to harness our whole hearts. Written by experienced spiritual leaders Adele Ahlberg Calhoun and Tracey Bianchi, the nine sessions LifeGuide® Bible Study follow the biblical themes as well as the journeys of women showing the way to embracing God's strength and wisdom to live whole lives. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

Leseprobe

www.IVPress.com/connect

Contents

Getting the Most Out of Women & Identity

1 Wholehearted Living

Romans 12

2 Made in God

Genesis 1–2; Hosea 13:8; Isaiah 49:15; 66:13

3 Using Your Voice

1 Samuel 25

4 24/6 Living

Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11

5 Friend or Foe

1 Samuel 1

6 Call the Midwife

Luke 1:26-56

7 Wise Women

Exodus 1:6–2:10

8 Soul Sisters

Ruth 1–4

9 Justice for All

Genesis 16:1-14; 21:8-20

Leader’s Notes

About the Authors

Also by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun and Tracey Bianchi

Copyright

Getting the Most Out ofWomen & Identity

It is a common myth that the average human harnesses only a small percentage (10%) of their brain’s capacity. It is, however, no myth that most of us harness only a small percentage of the love, joy and peace that God can give. Ask a woman about love and you are likely to hear about heartbreak. Ask about her friends and you might hear about loneliness. Ask about her own needs and you will hear about the needs of others. Ask about calling and you will hear uncertainty. Ask about her identity, and shame and frustration leak out. Ask about rest and enjoyment, and you will hear laments about time and busyness. We live a small fraction of the life God has for us.

Wholehearted living seems to escape us. Our lives get myopic, circling the minute-by-minute disappointments and demands of the present moment while God whispers softly or at times hollers for us to harness our whole hearts. The Bible stories in this study follow the journeys of women who move through limited places and times in history. Yet, they live fully by embracing God’s view that they have the strength and wisdom to live whole lives.

Have you ever been in the presence of a woman who, in spite of hardship, sorrow and disappointment laughs generously, lives freely, and loves God and others sincerely? She lives with grace when a moment goes awry. She is vulnerable enough to own her mistakes, and has courage to tell her story without spin or censorship. She knows how to receive and accept herself as well as those around her. She is animated by purpose and the confidence that she has something of God to offer this world. She lives her full life. Our desire is that this would happen for you in the midst of your circumstances. Does this sound challenging or perhaps impossible?

If so, you are in the company of women such as Sarai, Ruth, Hagar, Naomi, Hannah, and Puah and Shiphrah, who learned in the crucible of hardships that God’s invitation to them was to live wholehearted lives. They maneuvered their way through challenges such as slavery, infertility, gendercide, polygamy, death and poverty, and found God never forgot them. This study features many Old Testament narratives that point to the wholehearted life that comes through Jesus. Ruth and Naomi lay down their lives for one another. Shiphrah and Puah have a Christlike wisdom that enables them to stand up for truth. Mary and Elizabeth set aside their personal comfort and agenda and lean into God’s will, just as Jesus did. These vignettes accompany studies that address some of the cultural milieu women face today.

We believe these biblical women have something to teach us today, and it is our hope that by spending time with them you will see yourself and God through new eyes, and that you will embrace what it is to live wholeheartedly.

Suggestions for Individual Study

1. As you begin each study, pray that God will speak to you through his Word.

2. Read the introduction to the study and respond to the personal reflection question or exercise. This is designed to help you focus on God and on the theme of the study.

3. Each study deals with a particular passage so that you can delve into the author’s meaning in that context. Read and reread the passage to be studied. The questions are written using the language of the New International Version, so you may wish to use that version of the Bible. The New Revised Standard Version is also recommended.

4. This is an inductive Bible study, designed to help you discover for yourself what Scripture is saying. The study includes three types of questions. Observation questions ask about the basic facts: who, what, when, where and how. Interpretation questions delve into the meaning of the passage. Application questions help you discover the implications of the text for growing in Christ. These three keys unlock the treasures of Scripture.

Write your answers to the questions in the spaces provided or in a personal journal. Writing can bring clarity and deeper under­standing of yourself and of God’s Word.

5. It might be good to have a Bible dictionary handy. Use it to look up any unfamiliar words, names or places.

6. Use the prayer suggestion to guide you in thanking God for what you have learned and to pray about the applications that have come to mind.

7. You may want to go on to the suggestion under “Now or Later,” or you may want to use that idea for your next study.

Suggestions for Members of a Group Study

1. Come to the study prepared. Follow the suggestions for individual study mentioned above. You will find that careful preparation will greatly enrich your time spent in group discussion.

2. Be willing to participate in the discussion. The leader of your group will not be lecturing. Instead, he or she will be encouraging the members of the group to discuss what they have learned. The leader will be asking the questions that are found in this guide.

3. Stick to the topic being discussed. Your answers should be based on the verses that are the focus of the discussion and not on outside authorities such as commentaries or speakers. These studies focus on a particular passage of Scripture. Only rarely should you refer to other portions of the Bible. This allows for everyone to participate in in-depth study on equal ground.

4. Be sensitive to the other members of the group. Listen attentively when they describe what they have learned. You may be surprised by their insights! Each question assumes a variety of answers. Many questions do not have “right” answers, particularly questions that aim at meaning or application. Instead the questions push us to explore the passage more thoroughly.

When possible, link what you say to the comments of others. Also, be affirming whenever you can. This will encourage some of the more hesitant members of the group to participate.

5. Be careful not to dominate the discussion. We are sometimes so eager to express our thoughts that we leave too little opportunity for others to respond. By all means participate! But allow others to also.

6. Expect God to teach you through the passage being discussed and through the other members of the group. Pray that you will have an enjoyable and profitable time together, but also that as a result of the study you will find ways that you can take action individually and/or as a group.

7. Remember that anything said in the group is considered confidential and should not be discussed outside the group unless specific permission is given to do so.

8. If you are the group leader, you will find additional suggestions at the back of the guide.

1

Wholehearted Living

Romans 12

Often we lament that life feels fractured or broken. It seems a bit lacking compared to the images portrayed in our culture or the life we imagine our neighbors have. Airbrushed images of success—like the perfect career, body, family, boyfriend or husband, or home—can make us feel empty or isolated, somehow less than full. Romans 12 debunks the myth that life can be found through achieving, accumulating and aspiring. Paul invites us toward a transformed life in the presence of a God worthy of our love and devotion.

GROUP DISCUSSION