Wanna Dig Deep?

About a year and a half ago, I did a Beth Moore Bible study at church called Believing God. Emma Kate had been involved in these studies for several years, so I'd heard lots about them, but I really didn't get why they were such a big deal. I mean, great for Beth that she's written a bazillion books and sells out arenas and all, but I was wary of what, if anything, I'd take away from the study.

Honestly, I wondered if Believing God wasn't just one more cog in a big ole Christian marketing machine (I'll save my thoughts on Jesus action figures and the Full Armor of God playset and how just because I'm a Christian I'm "supposed" to see End of the Spear for another post). So I was a bit, um, cautious. Okay, cynical. Years of church baggage at your service, ladies and gentlemen.

So no one was more surprised than I was when the study started to really hit home with me. Beth Moore is a gifted teacher, no doubt about it. It was probably the deepest spiritual digging I've ever done, and I finally, finally connected the dots between the Old and New Testaments (remember, despite a lifetime in church, I don't have a very, um, strong understanding of Scripture). By the end of the study, I had experienced more "ah-ha" moments than I could count. It was intense, and it was challenging, and it was a catalyst...it really took me outside of my comfort zone .

Our church has continued to offer Beth Moore studies since I finished Believing God, but the times haven't been schedule-friendly for me. I even bought the workbook for one of the studies, thinking I'd go through it on my own, but I underestimated the importance of group accountability and Beth's teaching videos. I have definitely wanted and needed an in-depth Bible study...but I wasn't sure how to make it happen with this crazy schedule that I keep, and this crazy toddler that I parent, and this crazy husband that I do enjoy, you know, seeing from time to time.

Big ups to technology, though, for filling the gap. I'm doing an online Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself. Thanks to the wide world interweb, I can download the workbook, watch the videos online, and post my thoughts about each week's lessons on this blog. I'm doing this study with some other bloggity people, and if you're interested, I would love it if some of y'all joined us.

See that fancy Beth Moore button over there in the sidebar? Click on that, and it'll take you to Lauren's site and all the info you need to know. And no, you don't have to start a blog to do the study. I will let you hijack my comments and post your stuff there if need be - because I'm all about comment hijacking in the name of Jesus.

Just furthering the Kingdom, y'all. ;-)

It costs $23.95 to download all the study stuff, and I'll provide detailed instructions on how to do that if you need help, because we're all about being Savvy McInternets here at BooMama.

So if you feel like you need a little wind under your spiritual sails, or if you've been wanting to do a Bible study, or if you just need a good, fresh perspective to line up with the freshness of the season, Living Beyond Yourself might be just the thing indeed. We're planning to get started March 27th.

And you are cordially invited to attend.