Book Of John~What Matters Most...

{Keep Studying! Keep Growing! Next Week's Discussion: John 14: 15-16:4}

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This week is a "rewind" of the weekend to tell you about something that has meant more to me than anything.

Yes.

 Even more than my husband and children.

Definitely more than Lucy.

More than decorating.

Much more than cooking, cleaning, and -gasp!-organizing.

More than blogging.

More than reading.

More than anything.

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 My husband spent the weekend away from us last weekend. The older boys and I headed to a hockey game with friends:

and our littlest guy had his very first sleep over, and I did okay with it...

If you know my husband {AKA: Tin Man on here, or if you are on X-Box 360: Deuce ...not that I am ever on there, or endorsing X-Box..Eww~}, he is not one to leave us for a long weekend. He is my home buddy-so this was big that he was leaving us, and not going for a golf trip. Or work.

He was in Louisville, Kentucky:

He is a children's leader for BSF {The Bible study that motivated me to write my thoughts this year while I am studying the book of John}.

He was one of the 3,000 leaders from the Midwest to converge on Louisville for the BSF Regional Weekend Retreat. And he came home with stories.

Stories I wanted to repeat to you-because it puts my life, my thoughts, my goals in perspective.

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BSF International is growing signifigantly around the world...except in the United States. The United States BSF class membership is in decline.

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BSF has gotten clearance from the government in CHINA* (!!!) to begin Bible Study Fellowship in China.

That is where the founder of BSF {A.Whetherell Johnson} began as a missionary many, many years ago. Not only that, but the actual class will be held in the same location {but a new building} as where she was a missionary in Bejieng before she was expelled, and then went on to start Bible Study Fellowship in the United States.

{*If you are unaware, or would like to read more about the plight of Christianity in China please read, Heavenly Man, a favorite -but difficult-book of mine.}

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In the United States, men formerly only made up about twenty percent of the membership. Now, the men make up forty percent of the attendance in the United States. {Show me a man who truly loves God, and I will show you a man who loves his family, and others better-}

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As Tin Man told me about this last story, he said many people were openly crying, and he was desperately trying to keep it together as well:

A woman from an Indian village came to know Christ thru BSF. The village she met in for her Bible study was attacked by bandits. The bandits rounded up some of the people of the village and held them at the blade of a machete. The woman was asked to recant her faith in God. She answered,

"It took my whole life to find Christ, I will not give Him up now."  They forced one of her children to pour kerosene on her, and light her on fire. Then the bandits killed her children. The host pastor of the village escaped with his wife and their two children and traveled through the jungle for four days living off whatever they could find. They made it to the coast of India to another BSF group in coastal village. He told the story and said,

"Do not focus on what has  happened, but focus on the people who still need desperately to hear about the cause of Christ in India!" 

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Puts my life in perspective.

{Eternal perspective, you know?}

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Studying the Bible through BSF International for nine {non-consecutive} years has

made me who I am,

 encouraged me to be

 the best me that I can be,

to be the mother that I am,

the friend that I am,

and the wife that I am.

When I am not what I want to be~

this {the study of God's Word} has motivated me to

ask forgiveness when I need to,

work towards be more selfless and giving to those around me,

take a closer look at my prorities,

and grow closer to God.

***

BSF International

It is a non-demominational Bible study.

For anyone,

almost anywhere in the world.

Any church background,

or no church background.

Around the world, every group {Women, Men, Singles, and Children-birth through 12th grade-} studies the same book of the Bible for the year.

{I could go anywhere in America, look up the group, and be right where I left off at home.}

Next year we are studying the book of Isaiah.

Why not look up the BSF group near you?

{If you attend BSF, Why do YOU love it?}