Bible Studies | Cookie Cawthon | product of a tenacious grace

April

No Trespassing

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor

(Isaiah 61:3).

I want to be that. An oak of righteousness. A planting of the Lord. I want the seed to take root in good soil. And grow and grow. And grow. Changing to look more like Him. So that my life displays just what a splendid God He is. So someone might say, “You look just like your Daddy!”

Not allowing weeds and thorns – worries and stresses and a gross desire for more – to choke the life out of His whisper in my ear, His voice in my heart.

Funny how that was one of the key points of the first session of Tell the Truth, but I find myself worrying this week. Our next session is on faith, but I find myself a little anxious with doubt. Isn’t that how it goes? I certainly learn far more through the studies than I teach. Love, though, that the Truth is so at my fingertips as I prepare that I have been quickly redirected when my skin tries to get in the way.

Here we go with the practical again. ‘Cause I think Bible study should be big on the practical. Nice ideas aren’t very useful to us, right? How does the whole Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-23) resonate with you? How have you seen worry and wealth diminish God’s work in you? What have you found to be effective in combating that?

I’ll go first. I can turn in to a complete stress ball. And I can get so hyperfocused on the tasks of my life. And my brain can get so set on getting things done that my quiet time is completed as one more thing to do. I can be super faithful to read His Word, but my heart and my mind are on lock down. “No Trespassing” my brain says even to His Word, His voice. Closed.

I am in a busy time of life – the next two weeks involve a lot of deadlines and things to do, but for the very first time in my life, I am feeling free in the face of what usually crumbles me. Coming out of a fresh season of brokenness, I think He has given me new perspective on how to finish well, how to rest in Him, how to actually increase productivity and creativity by prioritizing times of refreshing. I submit my day to Him in prayer in the morning; I beg for right perspective when I begin to feel crushed by my own expectations, and I am refusing to sacrifice my family, my relationships on the altar of my own crazy perfectionism. I have found that a genuine desire to be changed, to run the race well, and persistent prayer for help is working for me. Praying, too, that He will work this change through and through so that I find some lasting freedom from a brain and heart on lock down.

Now. Your turn…

March

Resemblance

So. I’ve had absorption on the brain. Absorbing Truth into our DNA instead of consuming it. Allowing it to totally change who we are and how we operate, what we look like instead of just momentarily relishing its sweetness on our palates. I guess that was the most salient point for me from our first Tell the Truth session on Monday night. And here’s the thing I keep coming back to – practically, how do we absorb Truth? How do we do that? The idea of it is of no use to us if we don’t know how to act on it. In my own personal study time I just began Beth Moore’s To Live is Christ: The Life and Ministry of Paul. And the first few days of homework explore what life would have been like for a Hebrew boy. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21 would have been posted on the doorframe of his home:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deut 6:4-9

By the age of thirteen, he would have memorized vast amounts of Scripture and would wear certain passages in a leather cube strapped to the middle of his forehead and on his left arm. God’s Word ever on his mind and close to his heart. Without a doubt, the Hebrews had Truth coursing through their veins.

So here’s question numero uno for you: What does that look like for us? Please share very specific ideas that you have tried or plan to try to allow Truth to soak bone deep in you.

Secondly, I would love to hear what God is doing in you this week. How is He making himself known to you? What are you hearing from Him? What is He repeating to you? Margaret Feinberg calls that the Sacred Echo…

If you are participating in Tell the Truth, please read back over Monday night’s lesson in your workbook – giving God the chance to drive home any points that I may have bungled in the delivery.

I, for real, cannot wait to hear from you, so jump on in and do your thing! Rock on, sweet friends…

March

Connect the Dots

I have written and will be teaching a women’s study entitled, Tell the Truth: Getting Real about Being the Real Deal (get the scoop here). As a teacher, all I know to teach is what Jesus has taught me:

For fifteen years after my real deal salvation experience, my relationship with Jesus had very little effect on how I lived my life. During some seasons I attended church regularly. Even read my Bible. But my heart wasn’t different. My thoughts and attitudes weren’t different. My choices weren’t different. How is it that there could be such a disconnect between my beliefs and my reality?

Ten years ago, I began to cooperate with Him and discovered that He wanted far more for me than I ever wanted for myself (John 10:10). You see, I think you and I can so easily allow the trappings of this world to distract us from God’s best. Just like in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-23) where the thorns (“the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth”) choke the life out of God’s Word in our lives, rendering it unfruitful. Unproductive. Ineffective.

That has been my story.

And sometimes it still is.

So now I am highly flammable about sharing the truth about how stinkin’ excellent life is with Him! The world would have us believe that life as a follower of Christ is less, diminished, boring, and restrictive. I beg to differ. I beg to tell the Truth.

And my approach isn’t fluffy and pink. It’s probably more like a good strong cup of coffee. My aim is to be real and present Truth that connects the dots between what we believe and how we live.

Life is gritty.

The Bible is true.

Jesus is real.

Women are strong.

Let’s do this thing! I would love for you to join me!

*If you are planning to register for the study (you can do that here), please do so by March 20 to ensure that you have a workbook on the first night. We will be printing a few extras for those who register after the 20th…

February

Tell the Truth

Here’s what’s up, lady friends! I am teaching a three-week women’s study beginning Monday, March 28.

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If you are new to these parts, you can find out more about me here. This is the third women’s study I’ve written and taught, and the heart of this one is my desire for us to be committed to knowing, loving, and following Jesus in a way that changes everything, everything, everything. EVERYTHING! How we experience a sunrise. How we treat the cashier at the convenience store. How we see ourselves when we look in the mirror. How we approach a new job situation. How we heal and how we hope. How we listen and how we love.

We will meet for three Monday nights (March 28, April 4, & April 11) from 7:00-9:00 at the Florence Civic Center – where their meeting rooms give us a couple of options for space depending on the interest level. And one thing I know and love about some super fly chicks. We like a ‘lil social time built in to our schedules, so from 7:00-7:30 we can all trickle in and chat. Teaching will run from 7:30-8:45, and we can all debrief over goodnights as we part.

You can register online here or in the left sidebar. It seriously pains me to charge anything for the study, but I need to help defray its cost. I will not profit from one cent, I promise! The study is $10 and can be paid online via Google checkout (see left sidebar), or you can email me an address request to mail a check. You are successfully registered once your registration and payment are received.

Finally, I stand in ovation to my friend, Lindsay Haselden, who designed the study logo, promo video, the online registration and payment options, flyers, and the study workbook, which you will receive on March 28. God has engineered a neat partnership out of our friendship, and I am so super thankful that He gave her crazy skillz and then plopped her down right beside me in life. Too fun! So grateful!

August

Who’s Your Daddy?

I’m back at it and would love for you to join me!!!

I am going to be teaching a six-week study (for gals only) beginning September 13. Six Monday nights in a row. 7-9 pm @ Bean Groovy (in the shopping center beside Swamp Fox Cinemas).

This study was born from my own journey. I was tripped up for years and years by an incomplete, skewed, and inaccurate understanding of His character. We are incapable, in our human skins, of completely “getting” Him, but by studying who He is in His Word and who He has been and is in our lives, we can know Him in a way that completely revolutionizes how we live our lives. Seriously!!

We cannot allow negative church experiences to define who He is to us. I remember standing – as a nine year-old – crying with one ear pierced. I was certain that I’d be most unwelcome in my grandmother’s church with pierced ears. I also wore pants and had divorced parents. Three strikes against me then. I knew I was out for sure.

We cannot allow other Christians to define who He is to us. I have met some pretty cold and mean-spirited folks in churches. I was abused as a child by a man who was highly esteemed in his church. I have seen church families ripped to shreds by dissension. That stuff will mess you up – if you allow your view of God to be wrapped up in all of that human yuck.

We must allow Him to define Himself through His own Words and His own faithfulness in our lives. And when we do, we will discover that He is more attentive and communicative than we can grasp and far greater than we ever imagined. We will discover that His healing is complete and useful and His love is tender and astounding. He’s everything that a girl longs for… Come discover Him with me!

You can register online here or in the left sidebar. It seriously pains me to charge anything for the study, but I need to help defray the cost of the location and the materials. I will not profit from one cent, I promise! The study is $10 and can be paid online via Google checkout (see left sidebar), or you can email me an address request to mail a check. You are successfully registered once your registration and payment are received. Registration will be capped at 50 participants due to limited space.

Finally, I give monster props to my friend, Lindsay Haselden, who designed the logo, the video, the online registration form, the online payment option, etc… She has mad skills, and I am soooo grateful for her encouragement and her creativity!