Knit and Crochet Bible Study

Month: April 2015

  • Through My Headset – Twelve Extraordinary Women

    I am currently listening to AND reading in print, the book Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur.

    This books takes a look at 12 women in the Bible. He goes deep into the culture and through Scripture tells a story of each women.  I am reading it with 2 other women and we are using the corresponding workbook to add to our reading.

    I find the book very encouraging. He brings to light different angles of the stories we hear. Through Scripture he brings out how God used each woman to tell the gospel story. God’s mercy and grace abound!

    For example, consider Rahab the prostitute. She hid the Israeli spies and lied to protect them. She later told the spies of her fear of what the Lord could do that motivated her faith.  She had grown up hearing stories of the God of Israel and the triumphs in battle.

    John MacCarthur goes on to say “Hers was a healthy kind of fear. It had convinced her that YHWH was indeed the one true God.

    As a child we feared our parents discipline when we knew we did wrong. That led us to doing the right thing.

    “Fear of the Lord” can be frightening OR it can lead us to believing in the One True God. Is your ‘fear’ a healthy fear leading you into the arms of the Lord?

    John MacArthur is very encouraging of women throughout this book. He shows a respect of I don’t often find in male translations.

    If you are looking for a study of women in the Bible for yourself or as a group, I highly recommend this book

  • God’s Pattern

    Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me – a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 1:13 (NLT)

     

    My name is BearyAnn and I am pattern hoarder. There, I said it.

    I have pattern books, flyers, pages and leaflets. My craft room has book shelves filled with them.  I have thousands of digital patterns saved. because ‘one day’ I will want to make it.

    I love patterns!  They are inspiring, they get me into a creative frame of mind and they build up because I don’t follow through. If I never obtained another pattern and crafted only from what I have, I would not live long enough to complete a small fraction of them.

    Having a pattern no more creates the item than paying for a gym membership gets me into shape without attending.  Or maybe like ‘sitting in a church doesn’t make me a Christian’.

    No matter how you look at it, these patterns are of no value until I apply them to yarn and hook or needle.

    Scripture tells us to ‘hold on to the pattern’ learned about our faith. But like my multitude of knit/crochet patterns, it must be applied.  That is what he means by ‘hold on to’; he is telling us to make this teaching a part of your life. The pattern offered up is shaped by ‘the faith and love that  you have in Christ Jesus.’

    How does that pattern show up in your life? Are the stitches in order? How is the tension of your stitched pattern? Does it reflect the faith and love you have of Christ ? What will you do to complete and display that pattern?