LFB Ladies SS #3

September 25^th, 2011

Chapter 2: A Word to live…and Die By, pgs. 25-33

Pg. 29 “How does one live ready, and always? Yes, ultimately, only Jesus. Yes, this premature dying to self, birthing into the cross-life, the grace cocoon before emerging into the life unending. Without this Jesus, no, no one can be ready.

But, someone, please give me--who is born again but still so much in need of being born anew -- give me the details of how to live in the waiting cocoon before the forever begins?”

We are scrambling for the answers to life and how to fill it up with lasting joy. Last week we mentioned all the outward ways of filling our souls. How have you tried to fill that “soul-hole”?

Perfection, food, shopping, money, alcohol, approval, family, seeking attention, co-dependent relationships, T.V., vacations, etc. In the end, these things seem to deplete and we soon need more.

Pg. 31 “ The face of Jesus flashes. Jesus, the God-Man with his own termination date. Jesus, the God-Man who came to save me from prisons of fear and guilt and depression and sadness. With an expiration of less than twelve hours, what does Jesus count as all most important?”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them…”(Luke 22:19)

Pg. 32 “ In the original language, ‘he gave thanks’ reads ‘eucharisteo’”.

Root word of Eucharisteo is charis, meaning, “grace.” (Remember this is “free and ready favor. We choose to accept this grace daily. Page 18)

Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But is also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning Joy”… “That has always been the goal of the fullest life-joy.”

"Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo--the table of thanksgiving. I sit there long...wondering...is it that simple? Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my eucharisteo thanks? So then as long as thanks is possible...I think this through. As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Joy is always possible. Whenever, meaning--now; wherever, meaning--here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be--unbelievably--possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now."

This gets so exciting for me because it has now pointed us in a direction that seems like it is in grasp. Hope is at my fingertips and I am reaching because I am tired of filling my soul with the stuff of life that is so empty.

Assignment #3

Please continue to give words to your journey. Blog about your day to day and start to identify the chara joy in your everyday. Along with continuing your story in word form, start sharing your story with someone you trust or would like to begin trusting. Your assignment is to connect with another lady (preferably in this class) and start to share bits and pieces of who you are, take baby steps. Allow your heart to be cared for if need be. Let down your guard, take off your mask, allow some vulnerability. Let’s learn to carry each other’s burdens and story’s and practice how to care for each other well. The one that is doing the sharing, feel free to tell your listener what you need from them, just to listen, pray, or something tangible like a hug, meal, etc.