It's that time again

Women's Bible Study started up again this evening.  I'm looking forward to the routine and discipline of studying the Bible. 

Once again, I am going to attempt to spread the weekly study out over the course of several days, rather than leaving it all to Tuesday night or even Wednesday during the day.  It will be even more important to do my best to achieve this goal because this study is much more introspective than some of the past studies that have been more concrete and in some cases a little too "fill in the blanks."  If I leave the whole lesson till the last minute, I will be shortchanging myself as to what God wants me to learn from His Word. 

This year my group leaders are the same leaders I had the first two years I attended the evening study.  I really like N and S and I think we are going to have a good group.  There are four women who I know from previous small groups and several other women who I know from other ministries at church.  It usually makes for a more comfortable start for me if I at least know a few of the small group members.

There are two women in the group who, if left unchecked, have the potential to take over the discussion -- sometimes with good insights, but often with long-winded stories and examples.  It's not my place to try to control either one of these women; hopefully N and S will do that.  My responsibility is to come to Bible study prepared to listen and learn what God wants to reveal to me and to ready to share what He already has revealed to me through my individual time in His Word.  I also need to spend time in prayer, ahead of time, asking the Lord to help me to focus on the study and not be distracted by the eccentricities of the participants. 

I'm trusting God that this will be a fruitful year of Bible study.