Before we dive into the details of the James study, I must reveal the winner of Hayley Morgan’s e-Book The No-Brainer Wardrobe…Our lucky winner is Allison from Allison Hoffman Photography!!!!  See the proof in the pudding below…

The first five readers to download the book from here will also receive 50% off – the code is “onfire2”.  Now hurry on over to The No-Brainer Wardrobe and get yourself a copy!

Now on the to James…

“James: Mercy Triumphs” by Beth Moore provides a personal study experience five days a week plus viewer guides for the 8 video sessions of this in-depth women’s Bible study. James, Jesus’ own brother, started out as a skeptic. See how one glimpse of the resurrected Savior turned an unbeliever into a disciple. Bible scholars compare James to the prophet Amos. In other ways, James more closely resembles the Book of Proverbs than any other New Testament book. Topics in this study include: joy, hardship, faith, reversal of fortunes for rich and poor, wisdom, gifts from above, single-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue, humility, and prayer. 8 video sessions with 7 weeks of print study. (from Lifeway.com)

I can’t explain it but I’ve been led to the book of James several times as of late and usually when this happens, I get that He’s trying to tell me something.

Like maybe I should study it.

I’m not sure how he’s going to grow me but as I read through the chapter the other night there was one thing after another that was hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Not to mention that Beth Moore’s latest study is on the book of James.  If you’ve never done a Beth Moore study then you should know that there’s not another teacher that has grown me faster than this one.  I didn’t really start Bible studies until about four years ago and in those four short years, I feel like I’ve been on the Bible “fast track”. 

I love her style of teaching.  I love her authenticity.  I love her sense of humor and I love how she has a way of teaching that makes the scriptures come to life and therefore just stick with you.

This one looks particularly powerful because for the first time, she has partnered with her daughter, Melissa, who holds an M.A. in Biblical Exgenesis (translation of the Bible from it’s original languages – had to look that one up) and her Th.M in the New Testament.  In other words, she’s quite scholarly in the history and translations of the scriptures and I must say that the nerd in me is snorting and happy.

In the past, Beth Moore studies traditionally include a teaching lesson a group would view together on DVD or online then five lessons to complete each week – about 20-30 minutes each day.

There was once a time when I thought “There’s no way I could do 20-30 minutes a day of Bible homework”  and it’s true that there are seasons in life in which you simply can’t devote that much time each day.

When I expressed the frustration of devoting 20-30 minutes of daily homework to a friend, she wisely reminded me that I was investing in myself – growing closer to Him is something we do for us.  The more intricately we know how He is and how He works, the more comforted and at peace we are when things just don’t seem to be going our way.

Not to mention that I did somehow find the time to read a novel or People magazine…Not that there isn’t room in life for “brain candy” reading but if I’m putting it above time with Him, my priorities are out of whack.

But perhaps this is a season in which you CAN’T do 20-30 minutes of daily homework. No problem.  There are now FIVE LEVELS in which you can participate that I think will appeal to many.  They are:

1. Watch Videos: Participating in the video sessions only
2. Complete Homework: Participating in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework assignments
3. Handwrite James: Participating in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework assignments + handwriting the Book of James
4. Read Articles: Participating in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework assignments + handwriting the Book of James + reading “The Next Level with Melissa”
5. Memorize James: Participating in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework assignments + handwriting the Book of James + reading “The Next Level with Melissa” + memorizing the Book of James

Don’t you love when we have choices?

Starting on February 1, Cherie from “Heart and Soul Reflections” and I will be leading the James study online.  Admittedly, this is a new journey for me – I’ve never hosted a study online and I know there will be great things and not so great things but isn’t that how we learn?

Each Wednesday, Cherie or myself will post thoughts and reflections as well as welcome discussion among participants in the comment section.  For those of you on Facebook, we will also start a group where we can keep up with one another with thoughts that come to mind or questions that you want to raise for discussion.  Depending on how many participants also have a blog, we might even host a link-up for your own posts.

And I just might get back to vlogging a bit.  I’ve kind of missed it.

The teaching videos are available for download at $4.99 each.  I plan to view the video on Wednesday nights after I settle the brood – each video kicks-off the week’s homework (IF you choose to participate at Level Two.)

So there you have it.  Would you please pray about joining us?  Even if the Lord only leads one person to study with us, we’re in!

The first step is to order the member book – you can order directly through Lifeway by clicking here or at Amazon by clicking the link in my sidebar – do the latter if you want to help a starving blogger…

Click here to read an overview of the study.

Click here to see where to download the videos.

If you are in, would you please let us know via the comment section?  We would love to know who’s studying with us!  We plan for February 1st to be introductions and logistics and we will discuss Chapter One on February 8.  I’ll post the rest of the schedule next week!