Bible study update

I've been struggling with the Bible study lately. Everything I do seems to back fire somehow. In the last post I challenged them to read their Bible and pray and see what fruit they would see growing on their tree. Well I went back the next week and Sue had been reading in Ezekiel. Mhm. She wasn't too discouraged, but she hadn't found anything super inspiring to share either. Ron and Jordan hadn't read much at all. =/ 


Last week we had them over to our house for supper instead of a study. Thought it would be good to just get to know each other a little better and have casual discussion. I hoped that any questions they had might come up too. Nope. Jordan has decided to become vegetarian out of the blue. They didn't know we were. Sue told us at Bible study and was getting on Jordan telling her that she was going to become anemic if she didn't eat some red meat at least every week. Mom chuckled, pointed to me and said, "She's been vegetarian all her life." Sue was kinda surprised. So we said we'd make them a meal. Well if anything could go wrong it did. They liked the salad from our garden though. :)  We had a nice visit, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I just don't feel like I'm connecting enough. I don't think I've found their felt need. I don't know. Maybe I'm just making it too complicated.  


So an AFCOE classmate of mine called me this afternoon to see how my Bible study was going and pray with me. He's been Bible working in MI since January so I picked his brain with questions. I was encouraged by the time we prayed at the end, and he gave me some ideas to try. One being using different studies. I'd been thinking about that for a while already. But I couldn't get anything else in time for to nights study of course.


So I called another Bible worker friend to pray with and who also has used the studies I'm using. We chatted about some ideas a bit and then went to God. When I got off the phone with her I got out the lesson and started looking at it. I just didn't feel right about it. I bowed my head and pled with the Lord again. Before I finished I realized an idea started to form. I stopped praying and started following it. Tonight's was on Growing Up In Christ. So I looked up the chapter by the same title in Steps to Christ and started reading. I had one hour before the study at this point. I just started thinking and writing. And it began to flow. I was amazed at how I was able to work and study without fretting the insufficient time. I didn't necessarily have a super thorough ending, but I knew it was enough. 


The study went well. They responded well. They interacted more. At one point I asked Ron a question and his answer went on for longer than I've ever heard talk so far and he basically finished up my thought! My mom said, "I think Ron should have the study next week." :) He replied, "They always wanted me to be a minister before I turned and got mixed up the other direction." So all of a sudden I started telling them about Saul's conversion and how the Lord called him and used him mightily even after he had been so "bad". I just happened to be memorizing that chapter of Acts this week. :) And have listened to it I don't know how many times on my audio Bible. God is good!


We didn't get through the whole study. I started to try and rush through the last bit, but I was having to skip so much good stuff that I decided to just make it a part two next week. I think I may finish it up a little better, and recap the tools for Bible study and interpretation of Scripture since we'll be getting into the deeper topics and testing truths next. I'm a little nervous. But the same God that got me this far will carry me on I trust. 


Now to decide what lessons/format to use. You can pray for that if you would. :) Thanks to all who hold up this endeavor in prayer!!!