devotional series

An Article to Share for Bereaved Parents Awareness Month

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

In the January Bible Study for the Encourager’s Devotional Series, I shared several articles on how to (and NOT to) help people who are suffering with depression, grief or other life altering issues. With July being Bereaved Parents Awareness Month, I’m linking below to another great article on what you should (and should NEVER) say to a grieving parent.

I know when my sister lost her son, she found this to be true:
“People are sometimes tempted to list their own periods of grief — the death of their grandmother or a beloved family pet — as a way to sympathize, but those are not equivalent losses …”

And when I lost my sister, I finally came to see the truth of this statement (though I cannot fathom how much more true it was for her): “To try to explain to people that this is the kind of loss that transforms you into a different person, that you will never be the same person you were before this happened, is almost impossible.”

http://www.today.com/parents/child-loss-what-you-should-should-not-say-parents-t30596

Help The Rock Christian Radio Expand Its Reach

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

In the post “Finding Peace in the Midst of Chaos”, I shared a story about how Christian radio helped my father when he was battling cancer. And in the March wrap-up post for The Encourager’s Devotional Series, one of the suggestions for ways to encourage others was to support Christian radio. I’ve just learned that The Rock (a St. Louis based, internet radio station) is trying to expand its reach by creating an app with many great features to help connect Christians and offer faith building materials. It’s an interesting project and the people behind it are great people, so I thought I’d support their cause here.

For more information, or to discover ways you can support this project, click here.

What’s the most encouraging thing someone has ever done for you?

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

The Encourager’s Devotional Series is planned around a monthly theme with related posts every Wednesday according to this schedule:

Week 1 – main devotion

Week 2 – correlating Bible study

Week 3 – Bible study answer guide

Week 4 – monthly wrap-up with suggestions for application or any other additional material I’d like to bring in

So, what happens when we have a month with five Wednesdays? Well, I’m going to call that the “5th Wednesday Free-for-All.” This is where I’ll ask you to bring your best encouragement ideas to the table. I will probably have some directed themes in future free-for-alls, but this being our first one, I thought I’d just ask, “What’s the most encouraging thing someone has ever done for you?”

INTRODUCING The Encourager’s Devotional Series …

/ Lisa Womble / 5 Comments

The idea for an “Encouragers Ministry” came to me after reading Hebrews 10:24-25 which says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds … encouraging one another …” In a commentary on that passage, William Barclay1 said:

Barclay on Encouragement

As Barclay notes, it just seems to be easier to discourage one another than to encourage. And yet, encouragement is such a wonderful and much needed thing. How powerful it could be if we set our minds on becoming more encouraging people. Unfortunately, the rigors of everyday life keep us from developing this ministry as we should. It takes focus and practice; it is something we must be intentional about doing. So, I thought, maybe if even just a few people decide to be intentional about developing encouragement skills … And thus, this devotional series was born.

Originally, I sent the devotional out in hard copy to subscribers. Each month they would receive the devotion, a companion Bible study, and suggestions on how to apply the study. Some used it as a group study to start an “Encouragers Ministry” in their church or with a group of friends. But many individuals have worked through the material on their own as well and found it rewarding.

When shipping the materials in hard copy format, I always included a little something “extra” – bookmarks, magnets, note cards, craft ideas and such – which could be used by the recipients as reminders of the monthly focus or be given away to others they sought to uplift. The hard copy version is still available. If you would like to subscribe, email me (pullupachairwithlisa@gmail.com).

This is the first time I have tried to put the devotional into digital form, so bear with me as I experiment with format. And feel free to leave me suggestions in the comments.

Here’s what you will receive if you follow this series on my blog every Wednesday:

A year’s worth of monthly devotions with messages to encourage you personally and inspire you to minister encouragement to others.

An accompanying study guide with four sections:

  • Information – additional reading, further thoughts on the month’s texts, and Bible study questions.
  • Meditation – things to prompt personal reflection as to how the devotion may be speaking to you.
  • Application – a section for ideas (both yours and mine) for activities you may want to do, people who come to mind as you’re reading, and personal promptings you may want to act on. This is kind of the “brainstorming” section, so all options should be considered.
  • Dedication – a place to write down things you want to commit to doing for that month or in months ahead. This last section may contain both personal and group project ideas.

I will post something related to the devotional series every Wednesday according to the following schedule:

1st Wednesday of the month – the devotional reading.

2nd Wednesday of the month – the study guide.

3rd Wednesday of the month – the answers to the study guide.

4th Wednesday (and the 5th if there is one) – my new version of the “something extra” I used to include in the hard copy. It might be a video, a tutorial, a link to a ministry idea or … well, I’m not sure yet. But I can tell you, I am passionate about this topic. I look forward to finding new ways to “spur you on to love and good deeds.” I am excited to share this journey with you.

To make sure you don’t miss any of the posts for the Encourager’s Devotional, click on my right sidebar to subscribe by email to follow me on WordPress.

 

1William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: The St. Andrew Press, 1955), pp. 137-138.