Stuck

I just received the entire dvd-based study kit of Stuck by Jennie Allen.  It was perfect timing (it seems it always is lately) for me.  I cried through the first two videos, and I finally had to stop and just look through the leader's guide and the study booklet. 
The whole kit comes in this great, sturdy box, which includes a DVD, study guide, leader's guide, and conversation cards.  The guides are a great size, small enough to fit in your purse and pack around all the time.  It's an eight week study, designed for a small group, but flexible enough to be completed with almost any size of group. 
The topics over the eight weeks are stuck, broken, mad, discontent, scared, overwhelmed, sad, and unstuck.  All are based on Scripture for discussion and reflection.  Every week gives a mini-lesson, a study section, a "who are you Lord & and what do you want from me?", some projects, and a wrap-up.  The group meets to pray and discuss the homework they completed over the week, watch the video and then use the conversation cards to guide a sharing session. 
I like it because there is nothing fake or fluffy.  The conversation cards are to the point and Scripture-based.  It is the kind of study that gets right to the heart of the matter and begs for honesty and a deeper look inside yourself.  Jennie Allen is completely transparent and encouraging to watch. 
This study is for Christian women who are spending their lives worrying about how other people see them or putting all their energy into looking good from the outside when their insides are screaming in pain and discouragement.  Life alone is overwhelming and dirty.  Add some bad relationships and hurtful experiences and it becomes a broken mess.  Throw in a dash of pride and fear of rejection and you're a mess only God can fix.  Will you let Him?
I know I am struggling these days with hiding a lot.  I am comparing my wussy complaints and inner sins with those around me and just deciding that they aren't that big a deal and kind of silly to share.  So I figure I will deal with it on my own.  I even quit bothering God about it all because I figure He has better things to worry about than my whining.  But when you start bottling all that up, you will eventually explode.  And I couldn't be more wrong.  God is our Father and He wants us to share every little, tiny thing with Him. 
I haven't worked through the whole study, but I am showing it to our pastor's wife for our next women's bible sutdy.  This is the first one I have seen in a while that just made my heart leap a little.  I know I need this, and from what I can tell, a lot of women do.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

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