Wisdom Wednesday

Click here for a printable version of the handout and here to print the discussion questions from today's teaching by Frann Wohlers.
Click here for a printable version of the Bible Study below.

Bible Study
The Mind Part 2
by Frann Wohlers

Our focus this week is our memory verse:
Romans 12:2—“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

God never asks a thing of us that He doesn’t give the grace to accomplish. We DO NOT have to conform to the world’s standards; we CAN be transformed and we CAN renew our minds. We CAN because God tells us we can.

Remember that “being transformed” means to undergo a complete INWARD change. This change results in a new character and new conduct. We are able to accomplish this by accepting God’s grace, and by CHOOSING to do it.

Remember that “renewing your mind” means adjusting your vision and your mind to the mind of God so that your moral and spiritual life and thoughts line up with His. This is what transforms your life.

No matter what type of mind you struggle with--be it doubtful, unbelieving, fearful, anxious, critical, judgmental, controlling—remember that you can choose to renew your mind and change your thoughts.

During the week, spend focused time in your bible and continue to write down scriptures that speak truth into your situation. Every time your mind goes to a place that you know is not of God, STOP! Get out your 3 x 5 cards and speak aloud a biblical truth that renews your mind to the mind of Christ.

Begin the process of memorizing your life-giving scriptures. Soon you will be able to “renew” your mind immediately whenever a lie enters in. This is what a transformed life is all about!

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Stacy B.
Family Stats: married to Dave Bean, daughter (3 ½ year old) Paige Bean
Spiritual Pathways: Serving, Intellectual
Can't Live Without: coffee, chocolate!, family, friends
Favorite Room In Your House: family room
Favorite Tradition: summers at the lake with family



Memorize-It Monday

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Twelve Traditions of Christmas: #5 Polar Express

All aboard!  Turn your minivan or car into the Polar Express, then take your family out on a drive to see Union Station, Crown Center, the Plaza Christmas Lights or the Overland Park Arboretum's Luminary Walk (click HERE for dates and details).
You'll need:
-The Polar Express book and/or DVD (for before/after the car ride)
-The Polar Express soundtrack (for the car ride)
-Golden tickets (we printed ours using a template from the Internet on gold paper) and a hole punch for the conductor to punch tickets
-hot chocolate, candy canes, and other treats for the ride
-Bells (Note: only kids can hear them ringing--adults have to pretend to think they're broken)
-Train conductor hat (we got ours at US Toy, then used a gold paint marker for the words).  Our passenger wore an elf hat.
-3D glasses (for light gazing)
-kids in pajamas
Decorate your "train" with window clings, spray snow and car paint, and be on your way to the North Pole! 

Twelve Traditions of Christmas: #4 Jesus' Life in Ornaments

To keep the focus of Christmas on Christ, use your tree to tell His-story by creating these easy-to-make ornaments. 
You'll need: clear plastic ornaments (ones that open in half), print outs of Jesus on photo paper (I used Google images to find them), brown paper shred, gold ribbon and rick-rack, and a glue gun.
Directions: Trace the outline of the ornament on the print out; cut the circle a few mm smaller than the traced outline all around.  Write the scriptures that correspond to the photo of Jesus on the back of the cut out, and place it inside the ornament with a few pieces of paper shred.  Attach the back of the ornament and hot glue rick-rack around where both pieces meet.  Tie a bow at the top. 
I made 24 ornaments, one to meditate on each day in December through Christmas Eve.

Twelve Traditions of Christmas: #3 Straw in the Manger

Create a special manger for your family. Try to catch your kids doing acts of kindness in December. For each kind act, have them place a piece of straw (or paper shred) in the manger to soften it for the arrival of Baby Jesus on Christmas Day.

Photo from Pinterest

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Irena R.
Family Stats: married to my high school sweetheart of 23 years, 3 children: Lauren (18), Rebecca (17), Nick (12)
Spiritual Gifts: Family, business talents and desire for success, fun and outgoing personality
Spiritual Pathways: Intellectual
Passions: the beach, spending fun quality time with my family, horseback riding
Pet Peeves: boring speakers
Books That You Love: Tony Robbins—Unleash the Power Within
Can't Live Without: pasta, desert and sun
Favorite Room In Your House: family room where we all spend time together
Favorite Tradition: Sunday morning family breakfast

Focus Friday

Today's Challenge: Pick just one of your most frequent negative thoughts, and find a scripture passage to counter it.  Memorize this scripture and carry it with you over the next week, and whenever the negative thought arises, replace it with the Word of Truth.

Think On It Thursday

“Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Two years of my life were stolen by fear.  I was nineteen when the anxiety began, anxiety about death, about loss, about illness.  Anxiety every time my heart skipped a beat, my breath was drawn out of sync, my fingers trembled or a funny shadow tricked my eye.  Once the student always front and center, I now sat beside the door in case the panic began to incapacitate me.  I always had an exit strategy.  Some days I stayed in bed, afraid of standing up.  By night or day I welcomed sleep, the one pitiful escape.  Every waking second for those two years—and I write this without the slightest exaggeration— I was a prisoner to the grip of constant and unrelenting fear.  Every thought was mangled in it, every happiness tinged by it.

The panic washed over me so suddenly and with such force for the first time, one spring night, that I felt pinned in its undertow, certain I would drown by it.  I wondered if I could be dying.  My systolic pressure at the doctor’s office the next morning was a full 175 points which, for nineteen years old, was alarming enough to plunge me into further panic.  On and on the anxiety came that day, and the next, until in despair, over many months, I was sure I would never recover.  I thought I was smart, and yet I couldn’t outwit this.  And I prayed and prayed to a God I couldn’t find.  I was desperate for help.

Jesus showed up in the form of a Lutheran minister, Pastor Buono, who I didn’t even know personally, but through one of his parishioners.  He was willing to counsel me for no fee, a helpful thing in college.  And so I went every week to see him, questioning his credibility because, quite simply, I thought his religion and his Jesus were foolish.  And yet he welcomed me freely, and I knew he genuinely cared.  There was a determination in him to see me well.  And he taught me, slowly over time, the healing power of words.  Of taking thoughts captive. 
My assignment, one among many, was to write down my fear-based thoughts.  Then, I was to come up with an alternative for each one. 

“I’m out of control here” became “I’m safe in this place.”
“I’m sick” became “I am well.”
“I will always be anxious” became “This too shall pass.”

And it did pass, over a lot of time and through many setbacks, with enormous perseverance. 
Pastor Buono knew I wasn’t too receptive to his Christianity then, but he assigned for me to read the Bible anyway, and gave me a particular verse that I kept near to my heart.  The anxiety antidote:
“Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

In the daily practice of these and other affirming words, I found the Comforter.  And though I did not accept Jesus then, I was closely held in the arms of his Spirit.  I experienced Spirit in very strange and palpable ways.  These faith-filled words began to “take,” literally forging new neural pathways in my crippled head, until my thoughts shifted.  Lifted.  Words were my only medicine, and they (by the grace of God which I could not see then) cured me. 

I haven’t had anxiety problems in nearly ten years.  It’s completely gone, this thing I believed once would forever shackle me.  And from this experience, I’ve learned that every second, we choose darkness, or Light.  Fear, or faith. 

May I embrace faith.

~written by Wendy Connelly

Twelve Traditions of Christmas: #2 Jesse Tree Journey

"Your making of a Jesse Tree is to trace the family line and heritage of your own forever family, the family of God." -Ann Voskamp

Tradition #2: Jesse Tree Journey

Source: Ann Voskamp & Nancy Rodden, www.AHolyExperience.com

Print your Advent Celebration, the Jesse Tree Journey, by visiting http://www.aholyexperience.com/, and clicking on the "Free Gifts For You" tab. 

Download a beautiful and free devotional to guide you through the Christmas season with a Bible passage and accompanying ornament to place on a "Jesse Tree" each night.  I'm printing mine (it's like a book!) and keeping it in a binder at the ready.  Thanks, Tara G., for the suggestion!

Twelve Traditions of Christmas: #1 Blessing Baubles

To herald in the season, the Mothers Together Blog will be chock-full of traditions and ideas to take home this Christmas.  Some are merry and jolly.  Others spiritual and sacred.  Adopt the ones that will draw you nearer to the ones and the One you love.
"Whatever we write on the hearts of our children is not erased by time." -Unknown

Tradition #1: Blessing Baubles

In the days or weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, in lieu of a "Thankful Tree," write what you are grateful for on Christmas ornaments with a gold paint pen.  Designate a different color of ornaments for each family member, and each year, bring out the same ornaments to record new blessings.  When you trim the tree on Thanksgiving or in the days following, hang your Blessing Baubles with gratitude in your heart for God's gifts.

Wisdom Wednesday

Click HERE for today's Speaker Notes by Frann W. about taking the mind captive. Click HERE for the Discussion Questions.

Bible Study
The Mind Part 1: Take All Our Thoughts Captive
by Frann Wohlers

John 15:16 says “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last…..”

Remember that good thoughts produce good fruit, while bad thoughts produce bad fruit.

Over the next week, try this exercise and see if you don’t begin to see some changes. If you are a journaler, then journal your experiences.

As you catch yourself having a negative or destructive thought, stop and replace it with a positive thought. For example: Negative thought: I feel unloved and unattractive today. Replace it with positive thought: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God gave His only Son for me because He loves me so much. I am so loved and so beautiful in God’s eyes because He made me exactly the way He desired.

Here are some specific scriptures to pray and read when you are having the following negative thoughts:

I am so exhausted, I am no good to anyone: Isaiah 40:29-31

God will never forgive me for my past: Psalm 145:8-9

I feel so lonely and alone: Psalm 23

Create your own list of positive thoughts and scriptures with which to replace negative thoughts you are dealing with. Memorize the verses that give you comfort.

Remember, good thoughts produce good fruit. Good thoughts are God’s thoughts and they are filled with truth and healing and VICTORY.

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Denise W.
Family Stats: married to Mark, mom to Maddy (7) and Lexi (2)
Spiritual Gifts: Administration, Hospitality, Helps
Spiritual Pathways: Intellectual, Relational, Serving
Passions: learning, God!, chocolate, my family
Pet Peeves: when people leave an empty toilet paper roll!
Secret Shames: love reading People Magazine, blog reading
Books That You Love: Jesus Calling devotional, Elizabeth Berg novels, The Life You’ve Always Wanted by Ortberg, The Help
Can't Live Without: chocolate, hot tea, my to-do list and sticky notes
Favorite Room In Your House: kitchen/living room
Favorite Tradition: making Christmas cookies with my kids, niece and nephews every Christmas Eve

Memorize-It Monday

2 Corinthians 10:4-6
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Focus Friday

In the spirit of Serve Day, try to come up with one thing you can do this weekend to serve someone.  Do something special for your husband or kids.  Help rake the leaves for a neighbor in need.  Surprise a stranger, or pick up a "Helping Hand" after the Sunday service.

About "Helping Hands": This Thanksgiving, individuals, families and small groups from Heartland will be providing meals to families in our community. Help us express God's love in a tangible way.

If you would like to provide a meal, grocery lists in the form of Helping Hands will be available for pick up on Sunday, November 13th in the atrium. Grocery costs will be around $35. All the turkeys have been donated in advance. After you complete your shopping, bring the groceries back to Heartland on Sunday, November 20th with the Helping Hands attached to the bags.

Think On It Thursday

Joy

It’s a Christmas season favorite. It brings to mind emotions of well-being, success or good fortune. We consider it a close relative to happiness and contentment.
But what does Jesus intend for us to know about joy? Is there more to joy than our Earthly associations let on? Is there more to it than the fleeting emotions and sensations that pass through a moment?

A couple of months ago I made it my personal challenge to find joy in every moment and all things. It started off as one of those lofty, yet oversimplified goals that don’t seem to materialize into anything significant. However, the more I looked into Jesus’ purpose for joy and what the Bible has to say about how we experience joy, the deeper I wanted to know His joy and not the watered down version that the world so often offers. Since then, God, who loves to reveal Himself to a searching soul, has plucked me out of my comfort zone and is teaching me about the joy He intends for each one of us to know; His abounding, contagious, ever-present, unshakeable joy. It goes beyond any circumstance or emotion with roots planted in the deepest parts of our beings where the temporary fades into the eternal and we see our ultimate need for a savior, our ultimate source of joy.

“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.”
1 Chronicles 16:27

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:19

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:11

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
Acts 2:27-29

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

By the work of the Holy Spirit in us we start to produce His fruits, His joy. God can turn a simple challenge into a changed mind and heart, bringing about joy in unexpected moments. He’s doing that in my life and he wants to do it in yours. Thought by thought, stresses get pierced with peace, anxiety smoothed out with assurance, entitlement replaced with gratitude, pride takes a dose of humility and joy abounds!

~Jena Meyerpeter

Wisdom Wednesday

Today is our Serve Day and the last day of the "Soul Series". During this series we focused on learning more about loving God with all our Soul . . . accepting God's love for us, cherishing how God made us uniquely to love him and others, how to "knot" parent, learning more about how we connect with Jesus by discovering our Spiritual Pathways, and gaining a deeper understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and how to hear his voice.

Our Serve Day activity today is focused on having a Canasta Basica Party where we will be making "basic baskets" for Hispanic and Bhutanese families connected with Mission Adelante, a Heartland Mission Partner in KCK. A representative from Mission Adelante will also share the vision of this ministry and more about the needs that the "Basic Baskets" fulfill.

After our Serve Day activity is completed, we will spend time discussing how the "Soul Series" impacted us, what our key takeaways have been, the trinity, etc. Click here to view today's discussion questions and enjoy!!

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Jenae W.
Family Stats: married to husband Doug, daughter Stella
Spiritual Gifts: Creative Communication, Shepherding, Discernment, Leadership
Spiritual Pathways: Intellectual, Worship, Serving
Passions: Making it easy for people to come to Jesus, cooking, creating: art, events, photography
Pet Peeves: Folks who judge without looking at the facts fully
Secret Shames: soap operas J
Books That You Love: The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown; A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Can't Live Without: My camera or creating new art
Favorite Room In Your House: My bedroom
Favorite Tradition: Thanksgiving Day with all the fixings or birthday weeks

Memorize-It Monday

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
~1 Peter 4:10

Focus Friday

Meditate on Ephesians 6:17:  "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

If Jesus is Lord of your life, then His Holy Spirit dwells within you.  The Spirit of the Living God, the Creator of the universe is IN YOU!  

This week and in the weeks to come, ask the Spirit for Rhema words.  Remember that a Rhema word is specifically for you from the Holy Spirit which speaks into a situation or need that you have.  A Rhema word will always line up with biblical truth and is often directly from the scriptures.  A Rhema word has power to overcome whatever is coming against you because it is a word directly from God.  Continue to journal and document what you are hearing from the Spirit.

Think on it Thursday

Prayer by Francis Chan, Author of Forgotten God

Spirit, we know we have done wrong by You. Please forgive us for grieving, resisting and quenching You. We have resisted You through sin, through our rebellion, and through our hardness of heart. At times, we have been spiritually blind. At other times, we knew what You wanted us to do, but we chose to ignore Your promptings. Yet this is not how we want to live now.

We need You to change us. Only through You can we truly worship. Spirit of the Lord, You are the one who brings us to a place where we can worship. You are the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of holiness, the Spirit of life. Thank You for the truth, the holiness, and the life You gave us.

We need Your wisdom and understanding as we seek to live this life. Keep us from disbelief, from fear. We need Your strength to help us do what you are asking us to do and to live how You are asking us to live. Speak loudly and drown out the other voices calling us to conform to the patterns of this world.

You are the Spirit of self-control and love. Give us the self-control needed to deny our flesh and follow You. Give us a love strong enough to motivate courageous action. Manifest Yourself through us that we may serve and love Your bride, the church, as You do.

Come, Holy Spirit, come. We don’t know exactly what that means and looks like for each of us yet, in the particular places You’ve called us to inhabit. But, nonetheless, whatever it means, we ask for Your presence. Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Wisdom Wednesday

"The Holy Spirit - Hearing His Voice Part 2"
By Frann Wohlers

For today's Speaker Notes, click HERE.

Bible Study

This week we will expand upon last week’s in-house bible study. Let’s do some deeper research using the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Online. The scripture verse we will be researching is Ephesians 4:30: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” The key words we will be looking up are: grieve, sealed and redemption. Our goal is to research all 3 key words of this verse to give the verse a fuller and more accurate meaning.

Here is the process:

1. Google Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Online
2. Enter Ephesians 4:30 in the box that says “Search the bible with Strongs
3. Click the New American Standard Version and hit the Search button
4. Near the top of the next page click on “Strongs Numbers”. This will highlight key words in the verse.
5. Click on the word “grieve”. You will see the Greek word for grieve is LUPEO. You will see all the books in the bible where the word LUPEO is used. You will also see the definition for LUPEO: to make sorrowful, affect with sadness, cause grief, to throw into sorrow, to grieve, offend, to make one uneasy.

Now, follow the above process to research the words “sealed” and “redemption”. Write down all the meanings of each word.

When you are done with your research for all 3 words, rewrite Ephesians 4:30 with the expanded meanings of the words grieve, sealed and redemption. Hopefully, the verse will now have a fuller, deeper meaning for you.

Practice this again with one of your favorite scripture verses and see it come more alive for you!

Happy research!

The Discussions Questions for 11/2:

1. A Rhema word is a specific word you receive directly from the Holy Spirit that has power and that encourages and strengthens you. Think about a time/times the Spirit has given you a rhema word and share as you feel led.

2. As you think of the Holy Spirit as your "Comforter", describe a time/times you felt His presence comforting you.

3. Take time to pray for one another: Pray that the Holy Spirit would become more real to you; that you will be aware of His presence and how He speaks to you personally.

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Abbie F.
Family Stats: married
Spiritual Gifts: Administrative/Stewardship (budgeter)
Passions: To become more of a spiritual woman
Pet Peeves: having to ask my kids more than one time to do something
Secret Shames: saying or wanting to do something or being a certain way and not following through
Books That You Love: I really don’t have a favorite book
Can't Live Without: coffee


***IMMEDIATE NEED - Items Needed by Wednesday, 11/2 for Children's Home in Haiti. See more info on the "Needs" tab under section called "Needs and Service Opportunities Beyond Heartland."