Blessings everyone,

Praise God for another glorious week!

How did it go last week?  Everyone ready for Week 8?  For this week, read Luke 12:1-13:35.  Questions are located on the Week 8 page.  Please review these questions and those in your study guide.  Plus, please share your thoughts!

Last week started off nicely.  My family and I had a lovely time with relatives on Labor Day.  Bill had the chance to share the rewards of his new smoker (he smoked a pork loin).   We had a good time hosting family and enjoying the food everyone brought.  However, by Tuesday, I started to feel tired and achy.  By that evening, I was in bed with a fever, sore throat, and aches all over.  It hit me pretty hard and it took a few days for me to recover.  I still tire easily and am now in what I like to call the “coughing phase.”  Typically, after this phase I will be well again.

There were several things that did not get done last week that I would typically have done if not sick, like errands and housework.  In turn, my illness helped me to focus only on the most important things, my recovery and keeping others in my family well. Furthermore, it allowed more time for me to contemplate on God and my spiritual growth.  I felt very close to God and offered up my suffering to him several times.  It made me feel so blessed how healthy my family and I normally are in a year.  I was grateful knowing that this illness will pass.

Sometimes, God has to knock me off my feet to get me to reevaluate my priorities.  This week’s readings are about that same thing.  We must all focus on what’s most important  – God – and we must not focus on what isn’t important – worldly things.  By doing this, we will help strengthen our spirit so that we will be prepared to enter Heaven when our time comes.

I pray that each of you find strength in your study this week!

On a side note, I am contemplating the idea of maybe moving this study group to Facebook in the future.   It would eliminate most of the pages (i.e. Getting Started, Schedule, Gospel Info., Member Corner, Prayer Requests) as well as my list of questions to the group.  Instead, it would just be a stream of comments and/or questions posted by me and the group members.  Any thoughts?  Anyone for or against this move?

May God bless you all,

Angie