Life Group

At school this year, an opportunity arose for me to lead a small group Bible study called a Life Group. While I was worried about over-committing myself to too many activities, I could think of no better use of my time than building into the lives of the young women at my school. In praying about which grade I should lead, God kept showing me what a blessing it could be to lead the 12th grade girls Life Group. I teach many of these ladies every day, but I have not had the opportunity to connect with a lot of them on a deeper level yet.

Some of the goals/vision I have are that this group would be:

• A place where everyone feels welcome. It is not an exclusive group, but rather an open invitation for people to live life together.
• A place to learn about God's Word and how it applies to our lives today.
• A place to be honest and open about what God is doing in our lives, our praises, and our struggles.
• A place of prayer and encouragement to those in the group and those outside of the group.

I am so excited to see how God will show up in our group each week. We meet on Thursday afternoons from 5-7pm Eastern time (until you guys in the States change your clocks back). If you ever think to pray for us throughout the week or during that time, we would really appreciate it!

Last week we had our first meeting and I was encouraged by the 4 seniors girls who attended. They were full of questions and stories and the 2 hours flew by. I can tell they are eager to learn how to deal with the difficult situations they face and to be a part of a community of women who can support and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. This week we will be starting our study of the Book of Ruth. I am so excited for these girls to study the characters of the book and to learn from Ruth's example of incredible faith and redemption. In preparation, I have been listening to Mark Driscoll's sermon series called Redeeming Ruth, and there is SO MUCH GOODNESS packed into each message. I urge you to check out the first installment and watch the Book of Ruth come alive with analysis, context, and theology.

Here is the first part of the series:

Praises:

• Praise God for this opportunity to minister to the lives of the seniors girls through this Bible study.
• Praise God that 4 girls showed up last week eager for community and truth.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that God would bring the girls to this Life Group that He wants to be there.
• Pray that God would use this group to be an encouragement and a challenge to each girl.
• Pray that God would give me wisdom to lead and guide these women.

Thank you for your partnership in prayer. I know that I could not serve and do ministry without your prayers and God's strength and grace.