Intro to Philippians.

Dun-dun-dun-DUUUUNNNN!!!! We're here!! And If I could make a trumpet sound I totally would! Almost every day this week someone's jumped on board the Bloggin' Bible Study train and  I've become more and more excited about it. You guys have shown me that its NOT scary to study the Bible, especially if its in the un-scary ( hehe) realms of the internets where no one can come to your house and TP it because you didn't answer "Jesus" to every question ( that would never happen) and apparently you guys are totally willing to join in this little experiment with me and hopefully bring this particular blogging community closer together! Excellent!

So lets get this party started: 

Philippians. The background:

It was written by this guy named Paul ( read how Paul became a follower of Jesus here) . And he probably dictated it to this other guy named Timothy ( basically Paul's right hand man, quite a bit younger but had also helped Paul start the Church at Philippi ) . He wrote it while he was in PRISON ( now there's a long story, and if you don't know it...I suggest you read the book of Acts sometime) . And he wrote it to the church in the city of Philippi in around the year 63 A.D. ( whatever that means! Man, I wish I was good at history sometimes!!) .

  

Now, I got most of my background info on this book from this handy-dandy other book called "Halley's Bible Handbook"  but you could probably find most of your basic background on the book of Philippians in most Study Bibles or....the wonderful world of Wikipedia. 

Some of the things that were clarified for me by doing my background research is that, it had probably been three or four years since Paul had last been to Philippi and it had been about ten years since his first visit when he founded the church there. It looks like the church had sent this guy, Epaphroditus ( don't name your son after him...please) with some monetary support for Paul and he'd gotten really sick on the way. When he recovered Paul sent him back with this letter ( Phil. 2:25-30, 4:18). 

Major themes thoughts of the Letter (I guess I'll stop calling it a book now...) 

Without even realizing it I picked a nice seemingly "lighthearted" book to study. Which I dig. But its also a bit of a mishmash of topics and I got waaaaay overwhelmed trying to make it into any kind of outline/major themes. So instead I'll just point out some things that stuck out to me this read-through. 

~Using seemingly difficult/awful circumstances for the good and glory of God. ( Chapter 1: 12-, 27-)

 I definitely need to have this attitude more often. The attitude that even when things do NOT go my way, my prayer should be that my circumstances in some way are advancing the Kingdom of Jesus. I guess I'd call that "Heavenly Minded"...which I am not. 

~A reminder of how Christ lived( and how we should live): 

Treat each other in a servant hearted manner ( first section of chapter 2). Something I really want to do better in. Especially with the people that have been placed in my life that may not be the easiest to love. 

Remember you are a light in a world that may not know Jesus. You might just be someones only chance of meeting Him ( through you!). (second section of Chapter 2) 

~A reminder that just because Paul had 'everything together' none of that really matters for Christ has made us ALL equal in our salvation in Him. ( Chapter 3:2-11) I need to stop looking at my "street cred" as a Christian...the fact that I give money to the poor...that I volunteer...the fact that I've read the Bible...memorized verses etc. etc. as what makes me cool or uncool. Bottom line. NONE of us are "Good People" unless we have Jesus in our lives. Period. 

~Striving to be like Christ, look to others that are doing the same and look to them to help you in your growth. ( chapter 3:12-20) I really want to reavaluate and make sure that the people I'm looking up to, the people I'm spending my time with and who influence me the most are REALLY the type of people that I want to be like. aka...are they following hard after Christ?

~Chapter 4:4-6...these are the verses I quoted yesterday and that I need to seriously write on my forehead sometimes!! They are SO helpful. 

Chapter 4:8-9...very helpful to me in keeping my mind from dwelling on whatifs and fears and concerns that I've contrived in my head..they've even helped me from spending my time daydreaming and thinking about things that I WISH would happen...which can be just as detrimental. 

Final thoughts: 

One thing that reading through this whole letter reminded me of this week, is that there may just be sections that I just DO NOT GET. And that's ok too....in fact, that's one of the major cool-factors of doing this bible study with all you awesome people. So I'd like to go ahead and add that to next weeks homework: Ask some questions that you do NOT have the answer to......I think sometimes the "A-student" in me comes out and I only want to ask questions that I immediately have the answer for, but there's something really great about reading the Bible with the attitude that we do not understand everything in it...and that we can come away with new questions and answers every time we read it! again and again! 

OK, now I'm SUPER EXCITED to hear what you guys think!!  I'll be collecting your studies ( if you want to send them in!) via email and blog-link. And I'd love to share some of your thoughts here on my blog if that's ok! Maybe a little sum-up-age later this weekend? ;-) 

Preview...

I'm so excited about our bible study this week!!! So may of you have said you're going to get involved and I can't tell you how that warms my heart! One thing I know for sure and that's that I need PEOPLE. Fellowship is one of the THE most important things about my faith, the sharing of that faith with one another- sharing what God has put on your heart and then rejoicing/crying/wondering/marveling at ( even questioning) what He's said together...well, its all pretty well the best.

So, because I can't wait until Friday I'll share one of the very first thoughts I've received from one of you guys...and it was very much needed today:

Favorite verse?!? Possibly.

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7


I've got a LOT of things to be anxious about today...so yeah. Sendin' up some prayers

Daddy son time...

They are so cute together!  I am thankful that the Army never allows me to be at all casual or flippant about our times together as a family. Every minute is precious. 

Blogging Bible Study: How it'll work!

Pic I took coming back from my first Family Readiness Group meeting for Brett's new company.

Alrighty folks! I'm excited! I've been praying and thinking about it all week and I'm starting my very first  Interactive Blogging Bible Study! WOOO!  Basically how it will work is if you're also a blogger and you'd like to post your thoughts on the Bible Study please comment a link to your blog post so we can all share. ( and if you don't mind, link to mine on YOUR blog post too!) 

Since everyone seemed excited about the idea, but no one had any thoughts on WHAT we should study, I've prayed about it and decided to go "Old School". We'll be doing a "Searching the Scriptures" or STS style study of the book of Philippians.  I loooove this kind of study but it scares some people so hopefully by going through it with me this month you will loose that fear ( since if *I* can do it...anybody can!) and learn to love it too...because it will work with EVERY SINGLE BOOK OF THE BIBLE ( and that's a lot of ready made bible studies ;-)!!  ) 

So here's my schedule: 

Week One: 

Read the WHOLE BOOK of Philippians!!! Come back here on Friday ( Sept 30) and I'll be sharing my answers to the following questions: 

Background of the Book. ( who wrote it, when did they write, who was the audience.)

Main Themes of the Book ( what I think I'll be getting out of the study, things I'll be on the lookout for-no wrong answers here! I won't be going back to see if its the same answer at the end of the study...so don't hold me to this ;-) )

Post YOUR thoughts either on your own blog and link it in my comments section, or email me your answers at abigail.abt(at)gmail(dot)com. I'll probably do a follow-up post where I share your thoughts ( IF YOU SEND THEM IN!) 

Week Two

 Read Chapter 1 (again!). Come back here on Friday( Oct. 7th) and I'll be sharing my answers to the following questions: 

What does this chapter say? ( any main things that jump out at me...)

Where else does it say it? ( I'll probably do some cross referencing here-basically looking up verses that I particularly like from the chapter on awesome websites like biblos.com and www.biblegateway.com and see where the same things are talked about in OTHER parts of the Bible!! 

What does it say to me? ( How does what I have just read and "researched" affect my life?) 

What will I do about it? ( Here's the really tricky part! I would like to come up with some way I can VISIBLY apply what I'm studying each week to my life so I will come up with some way to measurably and tangibly apply the Word of God in my life for the next week....I'll be telling you guys what I come up with and hopefully following up with you the next week to keep me accountable to what I'm doing ( or not doing!) hehe!

AND THEN!! I want you guys to do the same and once again link/email me your thoughts!!!

Week Three

Read Chapter 2, come back here on Friday for the same question/answer roundup. Rinse Repeat

Week Four

Chapter 3 etc. etc. etc.

Week Five 

Chapter 4 etc. etc. etc.

Week Six

I'll be coming back on the 6th Friday to talk about my major takeaways from the Book...the things that stuck with me throughout the whole process...I'll probably also discuss this whole "blogging biblestudy" business and what I learned from it, what I'd change if I do it again...If I should do it again. And hopefully get all your awesome feedback on these questions too! 

feedback.

A lot has been going on in the Wilson household the last week or two-but what's new? However, here are some thoughts I've yet to do much with, other than voice them one or two times:

One, I'm thinking about starting an Etsy store for my Mystery Dinners. Sure. I only wrote one of them but it was such fun( !) , an I've got one or two more roaming around in my head and I'm thinking I might also offer the option for a "personalized" one too, where the buyer could tell me the theme they wanted and how many people ( guys and girls) would be at the party and I would write one specifically for their needs...  Anyway, I think it'd be fun though I'm already hearing the voice in the back of my head saying, "no one would buy that!"

My other thought is I'm really itching to do a women's bible study...and while i have one or two ladies here that I think would also be interested, I'm ALSO thinking about maybe a BLOGGING BIBLE STUDY! Anyone interested could join in and start the bible study with me, and then I'll blog my thoughts once a week in the hopes that others would also share THEIR thoughts! Anyone interested?! Any thoughts on a topic or a study you think is awesome blossom?

So those are my major thoughts the other minor thoughts going on in my head are as follows: I'm SO glad Ransom has started having an appetite again ( last week was a LONG week that included some awful puking moments)...I'm SO excited that my Aunty D is coming to visit this week...I'm also excited for all the fall premieres of television starting up soon ( Castle, anyone?!?)...which makes me feel a little bit lame, but whatevers...I've also put off cleaning Brett and my bathroom for an embarrassingly long time and I'm really feeling like a housewife failure. WILL DO THAT TODAY. I really want to make those brownies again and I'm kind of glad I don't have any more beer in the house otherwise I'd make them RIGHT NOW....oooo....I could make some and send them to work with Brett...hmmmm...there's a thought! And speaking of food, I've instituted a "Waffles Sunday" at our house the last few weeks and its really ( oddly) helped my attitude about the day. It immediately makes the day feel "special" ( since really all my days end up having the same basic schedule) and I feel like I've had better quiet times/ listening to sermons/ singing hymns and praise songs "with" Ransom times since I've started this "tradition"....

Another....winner?

So, I never heard from the Katie that wanted to win the amazing ( or at least I thought) polish prize that I gave away a week or so ago... therefore I had to do a redraw. And to be honest, I hope this person comes forward because I'm starting to think that people don't like free stuff as much as I do...and if that's not the case, maybe the stuff that makes ME happy doesn't really do it for all you folk.

Anyway.....here's the winner!! She better comment on this post in the next 24 hours or I will seriously keep my totally adorable nail polish to myself in the future ;-)
Congrats:

 Esther said...

There was even a nip in the air here this morning. Fall is definitely on it's way. YAY!
My favorite thing is definitely comfy cozy sweaters (I have a new mustard yellow one that I'm dying to wear 24/7 when it gets cold enough).

PS. I really miss you! Kiss Ransom for me (if he'll sit still long enough).

The Holy Grail of brownies.

In college I lived in a Hall called Carrington. We had an amazing chef who prepared amazing meals for us three times a day.
I ate those meals and they were incredible. I also gained SO MUCH weight during my time there that when I was 9 months pregnant I did not weigh as much as I did then...which is neither here nor there except to point out that the food was AWESOME. And I still dream about the Mud Cake. The Mud Cake was this ULTRA rich chocolate cake that was SO dense it never got a joke in its life, and it was so rich that it put the Queen to shame...anyways. It was incredible and I've spent the past 6 years (!!) trying to find a recipe that lived up to its amazingness...

And then....then I joined Pinterest and I found this little gem:

Guinness Stout Brownies.

You can find the recipe here. And you best head over there right now and make these brownies. Because they will rock. your. world. Also you will need  milk with them or at least some whip cream...possibly some simple vanilla ice cream because they are not your stand alone whimpy brownie. These babies have bite.
And I believe that the search is over. These brownies seriously take the place of Mud Cake. Holy Moly are they good....PLEASE MAKE THEM YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

P.S. Katie hasn't contacted me about her Win and she has until Friday to claim her prize or we do another "drawing"....

There's a WINNNNNNNNNNNER!

So, since Brett's in the field this week, and my dear friend Tabitha is visiting for the week SHE got the honor of "picking a number" for my September Giveaway...and she picked....

katie said...

I love the weather feeling perfect, bowls of soup, and hot chocolate. mmmmmm

So, ummm...actually its kinda funny but I have several Katies who read my blog and so I'm not sure WHICH Katie this is...soooOOOoooo...if you wouldn't mind contacting me at thebrettwilsonfam(at)gmail(dot)com that would be awesome blossom and letting me know which one you are..and your address if I don't already have it ;-) 

In other news, I've started running again. I had forgotten how much I loathe/love it. Its a terrible combo that always keeps me in a state of not knowing whether I'll actually go through with it today or not ;-) But today, today I DID. Mostly because I plan to eat something yummy this evening in honor of my friend Miranda's birthday...because I'm supportive like that. 

Welcome!

Seasons.

DONT FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN "ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS"

So, today I feel like I was rather productive. I give full credit to the amazing weather. Weather that allowed me to wear jeans and not break out in a sweat. Magic. I am lovin' the cooler temps but wish upon a star that they'd last longer than a week...*sigh* Until then, however, I'm burning my autumn candles and pulling out all the domestic stops.

Case in point: Today, I went through my 'fall clothes' ( meaning, very thin sweaters, short sleeve shirts that are a tad thicker in material...) took all the "too summery for september" things out of my closet. Just because its going to be 90 degrees again next week does not mean I'm going to feel like wearing my floweredy print dresses until next May. I also, duh-duh-DUN, organized Brett's closet. I got one of those totally awesome collapsable hanging shelves things from the Target 2 dollar section ( SCORE! those things are usually 10 dollars, but if you wait until "fall" they always have them on sale for the "teens going to college" time of year) Anywho, his uniforms are now no longer "neatly piled" on the floor ( aka. THROWN ABOUT) and his PTs are not wadded up on the top shelf. ahhhhhh!!!! I feel so happy about this!

In other domestic pursuits, my darling friend Melissa and Baby Emmy came over this afternoon and we made some "Fall Decor"....I made a wreath which I think I'm happy with...I'll post a picture once I've taken a good one.  But really the point was I got to enjoy some good quality time with a good friend making something fun. I say it was a win-win-win. ( Idea for my fall wreath...TOTALLY FROM Pinterest ...are you following me yet?! Because seriously. I love this site.
In fact, Miranda, being the good friend that she is asked me today how my Facebook addiction was going since I'd gotten back on...And to be honest, its a NONISSUE now that I've found Pinterest! ( hehe)  I mean, I check it maybe twice a day! ( Seriously, taking a break from facebook was SO helpful and really gave me the perspective I needed, pinterest not withstanding, it was just what I needed.)

Many of you may be wondering how I've been doing since Brett's taken Command ( really?! You haven't?! What's your problem?!) and therefore dropped off the face of the earth. And to be honest, Ransom and I are doing surprisingly well. We miss him terribly. But evening routine has gotten better and I've learned to expect an evening of "Abigail Time". Once Ransom goes to bed I am able to sit around and lounge. Which, lets be honest, I'd rather do with Brett....but since he's away it gives me opportunity to be more productive. Such as this evening. I made and froze 8 breakfast burritos for Brett's breakfasts this coming week.  So yes. This is not optimal. But, as I keep hearing repeated over and over in my head. "This is only for a season...."

“There are things I can do now that I won’t be able to do later, and it’s about making sure I do the important things pertaining to that season right now.” - Louise

A diet coke ( and a giveaway)

I drank some diet coke yesterday. the pure kind. the kind with caffeine in it. Thus I was awake a LOT longer than I should have been last night...when will I learn?!
Anyway, here are some thoughts I had:

Firstly, I came across a craft that I really really want to do, but I'm scared because we all know my artistic abilities run rather short...You can read all about it here, but basically the idea is taking one of these ugly kid play mats:

And painting it to look like this:

So, yeah...probably not something I'm capable of pulling off so that it'd look good...but BOY would I like one of these for my kitchen!!


Secondly, I am SO READY FOR FALL! It is my favorite favorite time of year and I'm pretty much dying for sweaters and scarves, hot drinks ( without caffeine, obviously), spiced candles, soup, cute boots....the list goes on. Anyway, this made me think about how I needed to pull out my "fall" nail polishes ( the darker colors just seem to scream fall) and it reminded me that I haven't done a give away in a while. And this one...well...its super girlie....but we could argue that they have ALL been super girlie thus far so why mess with a good thing?!

Ok, so this month I'm giving away something that NEVER FAILS to make me super happy. Its my GO TO winter nail polish....and I think its best on toes, though it might be way fun for a holiday party nail too...so go with your heart on this one!
Here it is:

Yeah, its called RUBY PUMPS!! How could I NOT love it?!?! 

So here's the dealio...feel free to enter to win by commenting with your favorite thing about Fall...and I'll announce the winner next Monday! YAY!! I so love sharing my favorite things with my wonderful readers! 

New territory ( that looks rather old)

Brett's taken command! Exciting!
Yesterday his ceremony and the reception afterwards ( that was only a success because I have awesome friends)  went well...and then we had an Army function that night ( 'no rest for the weary' is my new catch phrase)  also went well...though I was COMPLETELY shattered by the time we got home at 10pm. Seriously, I was not cut out for all this shmoosing. Anyway... I was way looking forward to the long Labor Day weekend, even though today was technically the only day Brett and I would get to spend together since we're headed to the Navigator conference in north Georgia tomorrow. The conference that last year I cried at...( yaaay).

Annnnyway, of course, first day on the job Brett had to go into the office to deal with an unruly soldier. So there goes our day together.

And here's what I'm fighting against. I'm so annoyed. so disappointed. How do I not have a bad attitude?!?
Honestly. I'm about to have to be more like Jesus if it kills me.