Second and Fourth Saturdays, 9:30am

The Saturday women’s group is studying a book: How to be a Mary in a Martha World. Anyone who joins would want to get the book (we all ordered through Amazon). All are welcome!

After clicking the link below, when prompted:

  1. Enter your name
  2. On the next screen, click on “Call via Device Audio”
  3. The password is 907251

 

Study Guide Questions

Chapter Three: The Diagnosis

Questions for Discussion or Reflection

1. Martha wanted Jesus to tell Mary to help out in the kitchen, hut instead of giving her what she wanted, Dr. Jesus made a diagnosis: “Martha, Martha… you are worried and upset about many things.” If you had been Martha, how would Jesus’ words have made you feel?

2. According to Dr. Edward Hallowell, over half of us are chronic worriers. Which of the ten signs of a big worrier on page 33 do you struggle with? How do worry and anxiety spill over into your daily life and affect your behavior? your physical health?

Going Deeper

3. Fear not only affects us physically but spiritually. Read Luke 8:14. List three things that may choke the Word of God out of our lives. Which one do you struggle with most, and how does it choke you spiritually?

4. Look at the “Concern and Worry” diagram on page 38, and read the quote from Gary E. Gilley. What concerns are you currently facing? What worries?

5. What do the following passages tell us to do with our worries and concerns, and what will be the result?
Proverbs 3:5-6     –     COMMAND:
RESULT:
Philippians 4:6-7  –     COMMAND:
RESULT:

6. a. Rewrite Matthew 6:25-30 as if God were speaking directly to you and your current situation.

     Therefore, I tell you, (your name) do not worry about…

6. b. Read Matthew 6:31-34. Respond to this passage in a prayer to the Lord.

     Lord, I don’t want to worry as the world does. Help me to. . .

7. According to 1John 4:16-18, how can we respond to God’s love, and what will happen to fear when we do?

8. What spoke most to you in this chapter?

Chapter Four: The Cure

Questions for Discussion or Reflection

1. Read the wagon and the rocks story on pages 48-51. Take a look in your wagon. Which rocks has God asked you to carry? Which rocks have you unwisely and sometimes unconsciously volunteered to carry for someone else?

2. Do you ever feel the driven, perfectionistic,spiritual Martha Stewart coming out in you? What does she look like at home? What does she look like at church?

Going Deeper

3. What do you think Jesus meant in Luke 10:38-42 when he told Martha that only one thing was needed?

4. a. Turn a few pages, to Luke 18:18-25, to another exchange Jesus had. What qualification did the rich young ruler give for entering the kingdom of God?
b. What was the one thing Jesus said he lacked?
c. Why do you think Christ focused on his wealth?
d. Why may the one thing God asks us to do be different from what he requires of someone else? (Consider 1 Corinthians 13:3 and Philippians 3:4-7.)

5. Perhaps like the rich young ruler you find yourself trying to perform for God, carrying more rocks in hopes of earning God’s love and favor. What do the following verses say about works-based Christianity?
Galatians 3:3 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – ­
Titus 3:5 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

6. What did Paul say in Philippians 3:13-14 was his “one thing”? Why was forgetting what was behind him so important for Paul? (Consider Acts 26:9-15.) What things in your past hold you back from experiencing all God has for you? Take a moment to ask the Lord to help you let go of anything that holds you back.

7. Using the guidelines on page 55, sit down this week and begin “dumping rocks.” But before you start, ask the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5).

           He loves to give it, and he wants to set us free!

8. What spoke most to you in this chapter?

An invitation for every woman who feels she isn’t godly enough… isn’t loving enough… isn’t doing enough. The life of a woman today isn’t really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord’s feet… but the daily demands of a busy world just won’t leave you alone. Like Martha, you love Jesus and really want to serve him… yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy.

 

Then comes Jesus, right into the midst of your busy Mary/Martha life-and he extends the same invitation he issued long ago to the two sisters of Bethany. Tenderly he invites you to choose “the better part”-a joyful life of “living-room” intimacy with him that flows naturally into “kitchen service” for him.

 

How can you make that choice? With her fresh approach to the familiar Bible story and its creative, practical strategies, Joanna shows how all of us-Marys and Marthas alike-can draw closer to our Lord, deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy.

 

-Quoted from https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=SOhe_h5_6zYC&gl=us&hl=en-US&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmpb0BRCBARIsAG7y4zZpoQGPT_Nd7Joovp3iCSDcctSI045DXAW3CghWYjib1c_ZieavPo4aAn8IEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

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