Extraordinary Men & Women of Faith

A few weeks ago, I started a prayer & study group in my house, on Thursday mornings at 9 am. This group different than my other studies in that we are going through biographies and biographical sketches of followers of Christ. In the scriptures, we are encouraged by the apostle Paul to "follow me as I follow Christ", and we find the principles of discipleship and fellowship in the scriptures as well. We can do this be examining the lives of various believers in the Bible, as well as those saints that have gone before us. By doing this, we can see how God works in other people's lives, and we can see how they respond to the trials, testings and mercies of God. It is a great way to be encouraged in our faith, and it is another living example of how God works in the lives of his believers.

This study is not meant to take the place of time in the Word. That must take precedence in every believer's life over any other book. Also, we are only to follow other believers as they follow Christ, and where their behavior, experiences or beliefs deviates from or contradicts the Word of God we must part ways.

The first book we are going through is Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God, by Noel Piper. It is a book of biographical sketches, covering the lives of five women...Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, Gladys Aylward, Esther Ahn Kim, and Helen Roseveare. You can get the book at Desiring God Ministries, http://www.desiringgod.org/Search/store/?search=faithful+women+and+their+extraordinary+god&submit.x=7&submit.y=6.

I decided to go through this book first, instead of a full biography, to get the ladies used to this kind of reading. Afterwards, we will go through the Hiding Place and then The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss. At the beginning of the class, we share prayer requests and pray. Then we discuss the reading for the week and how it convicted and/or encouraged us. I also encourage the women to share Scripture relevant to what they learned. So far, it has gone well, and if I get enough interest I plan on doing it in the evening for any women who are unable to come in the mornings. I would encourage any woman reading this blog to find and read biographies of godly men and women, with sound doctrine. It is a great encouragement.

Lisa

A Touch of Elegance

I made this card yesterday afternoon. It took me forever to do, because I couldn't get it right. I got the stamp, which is by Inkadinkado, from Michael's the other day. There is also a hummingbird, butterfly, and tree from the same line. If you look closely, the patterns in the dragonfly's wings and body are actually birds. The other stamps are the same. They also have patterned pictures within the image. I wanted an elegant card for this stamp, so I chose the Bella Birds DP from Su. I coupled it with the Bordering Blue Cardstock and the Barely Banana Cardstock. I also added some elegance using my Fiskars border punch and some Faux pearls. The base is popped up on dimensionals, as well as the dragonfly. I think the Bella Birds DP has just been retired. If not, I am going to order more, since I like it so much.

Recipe: Stamps: Inkadinkado Dragonfly. Paper: Borderin Blue, Whisper White, Barely Banana, Bell Birds DP by SU. Ink: Not Quite Navy. Accessories: Faux Pearls, Fiskars Border Punch, dimensionals, 5/8" pink grosgrain ribbon.