Introduction to With the Master: In the School of Tested Faith 

 

Attention Valley Heights Ladies! 

This morning while I was eating my routine bowl of fiber cereal sprinkled with ‘Post; Grape-Nuts,’ I couldn’t help but be drawn to the question on the back of the cereal box: “WHAT’S YOUR MOUNTAIN?”  This grabbed my attention, so I kept reading, “Almost 60 years ago Grape-Nuts was chosen to be part of man’s first summit of Mount Everest.  With power-packed nutrition, each nugget helped to provide concentrated, sustained energy that led to the ultimate conquest of the world’s highest mountain.  Since then, Grape-Nuts cereal has given people around the world the energy they need to conquer their own mountains.  From Everest to the everyday; Grape-nuts has the power-packed nutrition you need to reach for the top!”

 

“So, what’s your mountain?”  Maybe it’s: Facing trials joyfully? Constantly giving into temptation? Tempted to blame other people or circumstances for your own sin? Reaching outside of your circle of friends?   Believing God is good in all things? Delaying obedience? Keeping a tight reign on your tongue? Bragging/boasting? Lying? Flattering? Slandering? Gossiping? Talking behind other’s backs? Passing on rumors? Shading the truth?  Being sarcastic or cutting?  Works based relationship with God? Having a head-knowledge faith?  Keeping yourself polluted by the world?  Getting yourself out of your ‘comfort-zone’ and putting yourself into a positon where you have no choice but to rely on God? ………….

 

This year in our Ladies Bible Study we will be endeavoring to climb a magnificent mountain!  We will be studying through and carefully exploring the BOOK OF JAMES “verse by verse” and learning HOW TO listen and HOW TO live out the “fifty-four” commands in this book!  With “power-packed nutrition”, each “nugget” of truth will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, provide for us the “concentrated and sustained energy” we will need to conquer the “mountains” of our lives daily. 

 

No doubt there will be many challenges from the beginning of our excursion to the end of it.  But NOTHING is impossible with God, help from the Holy Spirit, prayer and one another to aggressively and humbly attack this mountainous book - one step of obedience at a time! 

 

One thing I am very excited about is that we will also have a very seasoned and experienced “mountain guide” to help us through the difficult terrain of this book - her name is Susan Heck.  Susan is a pastor’s wife who has been married for 38yrs. and has been involved in Women’s Ministries for about 29 yrs. She speaks to woman around the world, and is a certified Biblical counselor with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (www.nanc.org) now renamed (ACBC, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors).  She has personally memorized 23 books of the New Testament word-for-word and is the author of the “With The Master” Bible Study Series for women.   

 

Susan has published a very thorough guidebook called, “With The Master in the School of TESTED FAITH” that we will be using to explore the book of James.   It is said to be “rich in content and doctrinally sound.” We all know that mountain climbers MUST prepare physically and mentally before they even take their first step towards the mountain they want to enthusiastically explore and enjoy.  

 

So, with this in mind, who is ready for the climb with me?  Let’s start prayerfully preparing with reading the book of James at least once a day so we can be FIT for our first study this fall!

 

I have been given permission by Susan Heck’s ministry to type out for you her “Questions to Consider” at the end of each chapter in a format that you can have room to write out your answers. Because the chapters are big and very thought-provoking we will not have time to read the chapter out loud together at our study.   So, I am going to attempt to organize for you a daily bite-size reading plan from Susan’s book along with a question or two that would accompany and compliment your reading! I will put this all together for you in a binder. So this is going to take some commitment on your part to daily dig into God’s word.  I am praying we will have LOTS of discussion about how the Word of God has impacted us and how we are implementing it!  There are 24 DVD lessons given by Susan Heck that we will glean from each time we gather together!  

 

“From Everest to the everyday” the book of James “has the power-packed nutrition and fuel you need to reach the ‘top’— conforming more into the image of our precious Saviour Jesus Christ!

 

Are you ready to join me? 

 

Joyfully desiring to grow together with you in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Christyn

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