Buddy Reading the Bible

Recently, I began studying the book of Hebrews with a friend. It's a tough book for me at times, so I'm grateful to be going through it with somebody. Sharing thoughts about it, what jumps out to each of us, and the way certain verses relate to our lives is turning out to be enriching and encouraging. We're only a few chapters in, but we've both expressed hope that we'll understand the book better by the time we're finished studying Hebrews.

Have you ever buddy read a book of the Bible with a friend?

Which book of the Bible are you studying right now?

Cast Out All Fear

Hello, friends! Thank you so much for your patience as I'm figuring out how to fit everything into a condensed sit-down schedule, due to my current back discomfort.

{Remember when I mentioned an article on color-coded editing, to be looking for that in June? Well, my schedule did not go as planned in June. I have not forgotten about that article, and it will be coming. My new goal for that is before summer is over (so before the end of August). I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get it to you sometime in July.}

How many of us have experienced fear in the last few months? We've had lots of reasons to be afraid, and I don't think I have to list them all out. Just scroll through any social media site or mainstream media news feed if you want details. (I don't recommend this, for your sanity. Search for conservative news outlets instead. There's more truth and less fear in these outlets.)

I wonder if we've forgotten what the Bible says about fear.

Trust is a Choice

Trust.

It’s not always easy. Being human, we very often like to have “control” of our lives. Funny thing is that it’s only a façade. True control of circumstances is not ours to have. But something we can control is our perspective during anything we face.

Will we be afraid and angry and aggressive and violent?

Will we choose kindness, encouragement, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and faith?

Will we choose to trust God even when life falls apart around us?

Hold Out for Hope {Focus on Jesus}

Over the last week, I've been listening to the audio version of a memoir about a girl who was kidnapped at age eleven and was sexually, mentally, and emotionally abused for nearly two decades. It's a tough, tough read, and it broke my heart from the first chapter. I've got less than half the book to go, and I'm sure it will continue to be an emotional read for me.

The thing about stories like hers is that they are often robbed of hope.

When a person has been kidnapped and/or abused for years and years on end, it's incredibly difficult to keep holding out for hope. Everything seems dark, lonely, and painful.

Even if you've never been abused in such a brutal, destructive way, I'm sure we can all relate to feelings of loneliness or hopelessness or despair. Life doesn't always go the way we want it to, and sometimes it seems downright cruel to us. In those moments, hope is extremely hard to find and even harder to hold on to.

That's where Bible study comes into play, at least for me.

Hope for the Rough Days {Focus on Jesus}

Welcome back to the Focus on Jesus Scripture Memory 2020 event.

How did your first couple of verses come along? Can you spit them out at the drop of a hat? Pause and practice right now.

Yes, this is a pop quiz. ;)

I was late starting my second verse, but it didn't take long to get it memorized. I'm still practicing several times a day, and that's helping the words really sink into my heart.

Many of you may be wondering how this whole thing got started.

Focus on Jesus {Scripture Memory 2020} - Part 1

During these unsettling times when an illness has shut down the world for an indeterminate amount of time, there is only one place to look for peace and comfort.

Jesus Christ.

Let's focus on Jesus together by memorizing Scripture that encourages us. You may choose your own verses. You may go at your own pace.

If I'm Honest

There’s a song by Francesca Battistelli that speaks of being honest, laying our fears and secrets down at the cross, and finding healing in God’s love. It’s what I’m borrowing the title of this article from, and it’s part of the inspiration for what follows. If you like to listen to music while you read, be sure your volume’s turned up and click the below video before moving on to the next paragraph.

“Not one to wear her heart on her sleeve—at all.”

~ The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel ~

Wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve is all about being vulnerable and sharing the deepest part of oneself. I’m not always great at either. Yet, here I am, typing up this gut-deep article. The way I see it, if I can’t be honest with myself and with you, then what’s the point of writing at all?

Oh, trust me: All the rest of my articles prior to this point (and afterward) have been (and will be) honest. But I haven’t always dug very deep. I haven’t always made myself be very vulnerable with you.

It’s hard to put myself out there, to say what’s moving my heart in monumental ways. It’s even tougher to admit what’s holding me back.

Those Who've Come Before

by Andrea Renee Cox

As I'm working on the Bible study God's called me to pen, I've been thinking about those studies I've worked through and appreciated that were written by other authors. I only got into Bible studies and nonfiction books about biblical topics a few years ago. While I've collected enough of them to keep me busy for a decade, I've only read through a a handful or so in the last three or four years.

Stay tuned to the end of this article. I'll be asking for your advice!

Here are some of the books that have made a positive impact on me. They are written by authors I admire, ones I've gleaned knowledge from as I've read their books. It is my hope that the Bible study I'm working on will someday make a similar impact on the hearts and lives of my fellow nonfiction readers.

Happy New Year and a TBR Extravaganza!

by Andrea Renee Cox

May many blessings and joys come your way this new year. What goals do you have for 2018? I am aiming to learn a lot more about grace (my One Word for this year), but I'm also diving back into a couple of different writing projects. Firstly, there's the fictional story I began during last November's NaNoWriMo. I want to finish the first draft this month and tackle my first round of edits during February and March. Secondly, I'm jumping back into a Bible study I began writing about a year or so ago. (The time frame eludes me, quite honestly; it's been on my heart for a long time now, I know that!)

Here's a little more about both projects (both copyrighted by me):

A Note from the Psalms

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hey y'all! I hope you're having a very blessed day. Something that recently blessed me was looking at some notes I'd jotted down in one of my many Bibles. (One for every occasion? Maybe....)

The one I was using isn't even in this old picture. :)

Take a look at this verse from the Psalms:

"Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my adversaries; make Your way straight before me."

Psalm 5:8 HCSB

Inspired by Lovely

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hey, y'all! Things are crazy around here right now, which usually happens to me when I'm on the last week of an editing deadline. Dishes are piled up, laundry needs to be washed, but I'm determined to finish these chapters even if my chores get shoved aside for a couple of extra days.

One thing that isn't allowed to get shoved aside, though, is my time in God's Word.

Every morning, I pull out my Precious Moments Bible and the workbook I'm going through and find my quiet spot for the next forty-five minutes. This isn't something I've always done, but it has quickly become my favorite time of day. There's nothing more beautiful than spending time with my heavenly Father.