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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Despicable Shadow Puppets

Image
We watched Despicable Me today.  At the end, when they do the shadow puppets I had an idea.  I remember when I was little that my mom went through this silhouette phase in her artwork and made us kids pose for silhouettes.  I didn't like my own silhouette, even as a child. I also remember loving to do shadow puppets, and the very few times my mom would get out the old projector to show us slides, we would ask to have time with just the light on the sheet so we could play shadow puppets.  So my brilliant idea today, since we use a projector to watch movies instead of having a big, expensive TV taking up space, was to pause on a good spot and let the kids pose.  Here is what we came up with.  Not without a little begging and pleading on my end!  Two bunnies hopping towards a duck   Two ducks quacking at a bunny   Butterfly   Guy with mohawk   First shadow puppet ever...not sure what she is going for   Baby Girl  
Read more

Peanut Butter and Bananas

Growing up, my favorite sandwich in the world (when it came to peanut butter at least), was a peanut butter and brown sugar sandwich.  Crunchy peanut butter made it better.  My best friend's favorite sandwich was peanut butter, banana, and honey. "Gross!" I said. "Gross!" she said.  We both agreed that we wouldn't know until we tried it.  So, one day in her kitchen, we made our favorite sandwiches.  She sliced her bananas as I wrinkled up my nose.  I sprinkled brown sugar as she looked nervously at me from the corner of her eye.  We presented one another with our beloved sandwiches.  We had to try.  To understand one another a little better.  Just one bite... That's all it took.  And we switched right back.  She finished hers, and I finished mine.  Right now, I am sitting on the couch eating a frozen banana with peanut butter drizzled on top.  It is amazing.  Who would have thought that over twenty years later, I would be loving peanut bu
Read more

Things My Kids Say... Ready to Cry/Laugh/Groan a Little?

When we were young, my mom had a notebook that she used to record all of the cute and funny things we said.  Of course, she was a single mom of four kids under the age of 6, so there were very few things that actually got recorded.  We cherished that book... each of us had a few written memories, and we would read and reread them to one another.  So, when my kids were born, I got each of them a book.  My intentions were just as good as my mother's... but their books are mostly empty.  I've ended up using Facebook and blog posts more often than pen and paper.  I even got desperate in the car one day and voice recorded a few priceless events.  Here are a few that happened over the last month: We all rush in to the awards night for our Olympic Weight Loss Challenge.  The room is packed, auditorium style.  I have Leilee on my lap.  Jason has the boys on his.  They call up each contestant, say the percentage of weight they lost, hand them their card and check, exchange a hands
Read more