Where have I been all this time? I’ve been busy but I’ve been a long time away from my blog. I ran out of words, or so it seemed. After launching the Brokenness to Beauty Bible Study, my writing muse skipped town on me; it needed a rest, I think. I needed a kick start (also called inspiration). Then, surprise surprise, a puff of wind …
A New Challenge
It all started when Debbie, the Women’s Ministry Director at church, asked me and my friend, Naomi, to present a workshop on prayer for the upcoming women’s retreat. I had written several other short Bible studies and the two of us had co-presented them for past retreats, so we had some experience under our belts. Usually, it took a few days to nail down the specifics of the topic given us so I could start writing the material.
A Breath of Inspiration
This time, however, I knew immediately what we should present: a study of the Lord’s Prayer, with built-in times of prayer. Over the prior year I had facilitated a women’s Bible study and we studied the Sermon on the Mount. I had learned so much from our study, which included studying the Lord’s Prayer, I knew I wanted to share these truths.
Obviously, since the workshop was only one-hour long, I wrote the study of the Lord’s Prayer to fit into that timeframe. Squeeze into it might be more accurate. Talk about “so much to say and so little time”! Both Naomi and I were also committed to integrating a time of praying into a study of prayer. Makes sense to me; you learn about prayer, then you pray. But fitting all that into one hour is an almost impossible feat. I was hoping against hope we could present it in its entirety, prayer time included.
Now, this women’s retreat has been an annual event at the church for years and we were all looking forward to it; women signed up online, ticked the boxes to choose a bunk room or motel type accommodations, ticked more boxes for the activities offered, and paid their fees. Anticipation was in the air!
Setback
Unfortunately, COVID-19 crashed our party-to-be. The pandemic hit the States, like it did the rest of the world, and suddenly there was no women’s retreat.
The manuscript for the workshop on the Lord’s Prayer that I had labored to write was tabled, indefinitely.
A Bigger Challenge and a Better Bible Study
But what’s that saying about change? “…the only thing constant is change” (Unknown author).[1] Change can be a good thing. As the pandemic began to abate and vaccinations abounded, changes for the good blossomed.
About six months after the “women’s retreat-that-wasn’t,” Debbie suggested resurrecting the study on the Lord’s Prayer. She had reread the manuscript and liked it so much she wanted to pursue presenting it in another format, perhaps online. It was then I decided the Bible study needed to be busted out of the constraints of a one-hour timeframe, expanded, and redesigned. I wanted to give the Lord’s Prayer more of what it deserved in the way of time to study it and time to put it into practice, with a prayer time integrated with the teaching. Six months later I had written—from one, one-hour lesson—eight lessons with prayer times incorporated into each lesson. Of course, there’s always so much more that could be said ….
Read It for Yourself
I’m getting my feet wet again blogging after so long a time away. I’ll start by sharing parts of my new Bible study on The Lord’s Prayer so you can read it for yourself. I think you’ll like what you read. Pass along the word to your friends to read it too.
I’m getting good feedback that this Bible study is speaking powerfully to those who read and study it. I pray God use what I’ve written to encourage and challenge people, helping them become stronger in their walk with the Lord. That’s what it’s all about; that’s the only reason I write.
Watch for the first installment of tidbits from Teach Us to Pray—The Practice of Prayer: Learning to Pray from the teachings of Jesus, with practical application; a study of the Lord’s Prayer. These posts will not be “the whole enchilada,” just a taste to whet your appetite for more.
We are working toward an autumn online presentation of Teach Us to Pray. I’ll keep you informed about when we will offer it!
[1]https://www.searchquotes.com/search/Change_Is_Constant/#ixzz6xu5pKdmS