My Pilgramage to Becoming a Woman After God's Own Heart

For many years I've wanted to be a part of a book club. But when the movie Jane Austen Book Club came out in 2007 it renewed my interest, and I wanted to be included in one with a passion. I worked night shift for too many years, though, and being a day shift world, nothing ever worked out to give me the opportunity to do that.

Janie, a beautiful woman at my church, recently started a book club for women, and although I missed the first meeting, I'm hoping to be there for the second one. I did buy the book in case I could do it and started reading. Oh my, this book is going to be such a blessing to me in my journey to be a better Christian woman. That, I have no doubt.

This summer has been a rough time for me. So much so that I lose my patience with people easier, and quicker to snap at them, which is not like me at all. I promise I won't switch over to whine mode. I'm about whined out, to be quite honest, and I have way too many blessings to go there anyway. As rough as it's been, though, I haven't even the slightest lost my faith. In fact, it's just the opposite. With every setback I seem to have, God brings me a blessing that surpasses any rough place I ever walk, so my faith remains strong. My patience, not so much. While my faith has remained strong, though, my studying God's word dwindled. I can, and have, blamed it on all kinds of things but the bottom line is there is no excuse. It is what it is. My prayer life has been strong, or so I thought until I started reading this book, and several of my prayers have been answered...this book club being one of them. I fully believe in my heart God used that beautiful woman in my church who started this book club to light my fire and to bring back my joy. Now I haven't been sad, I haven't been moping around feeling sorry for myself or anything like that. Tired, yes. Frustrated, most definitely. But I'm more happy in my life these last few years than I have ever been. And I'm not so self-absorbed to believe that God put it in Janie's heart to start that club for the sole purpose of fulfilling my desire to be part of a book club or for bringing my walk with Him back to life. But He does use people in many different ways, and we just need to open our eyes and our hearts and take advantage of the doors He opens for any one of us to enter. This is me entering that door.

My goal for this week is to prioritize my quiet time with God. I've always prayed all day long...first thing in the morning, all through the day when I get aggravated, when I feel lousy, when I recognize a blessing and want to thank Him, when I see a person in need who I can't help in any way but prayer, when I worry about my kids and grandbabies, when I see that policeman up ahead since I haven't had my inspection sticker updated yet..yes, I do go there. But that's not good enough. I'm distracted when I'm praying at all those above-mentioned times, and He deserves my quiet, undivided, non-distracted time. The same goes for reading this book and studying my Bible. My daily quiet time with God will be with no TV in the background...just God, His word, a few aids as mentioned in the book, and non-distracted me. 

My Study area and aids

This might look like a big mess on my table, but these are my study aids. 

My new-ish King James Bible

My 16-year-old Women's Study Bible

My pens, highlighters, and book darts

My coffee and my water..and a Snickers or two

 My favorite candle - Candleberry Hot Maple Toddy

My planner to make my dates for quiet time. 2016 is in there, too

My post-its for memory verses, notes, and such

A journal to keep track of  my pilgrimage 

To keep me accountable, my goals for this coming week are:

1. Make quiet time for God through prayer, study, and God's word with no distractions. I may use this time to study the book for the book club, I may listen to a sermon from my church website or listen to my son's sermon from the CD he made for me, I may use the time for deep prayer, or listen quietly to hymns and really take in their words and meanings. 
2. Memorize one Bible verse each week. I've read the Bible cover-to-cover too many times to count, but I stopped memorizing verses when I was a kid. Many times I've pulled something from memory when discussing the Bible with somebody, but although I can tell them this is what the Bible says, I have to put it in my own words because I don't remember the exact verse, and very rarely could tell you where it is in the Bible. My credibility for a certain discussion would be much better if I could go straight to the verse I talk about and/or quote it from memory. My Godly uncle can quote the scripture and not only tell you exactly where it is, but he can tell you several other places you can find that same message in the Bible. I want to be that kind of Godly woman.
3. Go to the book club no matter how bad I feel. Even if I get there and have to leave, I will at least make the effort. 
4. I will take one issue that I don't like about myself and work on becoming more Godly in my actions. For this week that issue will be to have a better attitude with those around me and not so quick to snap at them. Now people are seriously getting on my last nerve these days and I have no doubt...none whatsoever..that it will happen many times throughout my day, but my goal will be to take the advice from the author of the book I'm reading and spend a few seconds before I speak and ask God, "What do you want me to say here? What do you want me to do?" And I will listen for His voice to tone down my responses to that of a Godly woman rather than my inner visions of throat punching a witch. 

I'll check in sometime during the week to update.