Forgiveness – Lesson 10 TW Class 2014

Forgiveness – Lesson 10 TW Class 2014

Not That, but This...
The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail…
~ Zephaniah 3:5
I have shared for years that forgiveness was pivotal for me on my Thin Within journey. And it continues to be. I had one very wise accountability partner who,  when my eating was out of whack, asked me who I need to forgive.
After seven years of knowing about the hunger/satisfied approach to eating for weight loss and rarely, if ever, being consistent to do it, the thing that made the difference in my being able and willing to be more consistent was, simply, forgiveness. Being vulnerable with God in this important area kick-started my journey and took me from being merely a hearer of the truth to starting to DO the truth. Maybe the same can be true for you.
I have to admit, though, my way of sharing about this is easily misunderstood, easily misconstrued. So pardon me if I include disclaimers here *and* in the video. NOTE: I am not teaching THEOLOGY. I am, instead, sharing my experience. But my experience might be helpful to others of you and so I share it. As with everything I (or anyone) teach, please take all of it to the Lord and compare it to the Word of God. Where what I share seems to be at odds with the Word of God, always ALWAYS esteem the Word of God more highly than what I share. This has ALWAYS been important to me and it most assuredly is today as I share about this challenging topic. My experience or yours or anyone’s should never be the basis for TRUTH.
I can honestly say that what I will share here has been pivotal in enabling me to get rid of the largest road block hindering my obedience.
If you wonder what could be blocking your obedience, prayerfully consider if something I share here could be helpful to you.
Again, ALWAYS AND ONLY go to the Word of God and the Lord for understanding what is TRUE about God, life and you.
If you have a check in your spirit as you listen to this video, I suggest you STOP THE VIDEO and move on to the rest of the assignment. DO NOT IGNORE the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Any time you expose yourself to something I say, I hope you will do this. Check in the spirit? Then stop the video. End the audio. Close out of the blog post. Only continue if you sense God’s leadership to do so.
A final request, please understand…I share my experience with great vulnerability and at great risk. I didn’t weep while I was creating the footage for this video, but I wept all the way through the editing process as God reminded me of the pain of that place. Please tread with grace if you feel the urge to “correct” me. First ask the Lord, please, if there might be a log in your own eye before you insist on trying to pluck a splinter out of mine, ok? Sometimes when we don’t like the truth that God may want to bring home in our own lives…a truth that requires us to change…we want to shoot the messenger. But consider this…God used a donkey to speak his truth to Balaam. Before you beat this donkey :-), ask HIM if there is some tiny shred of truth that you should respond to, ok?

This Week’s Video:

 Video Questions:

1.) I knew about eating according to the boundaries of hunger and satisfaction in 1999. But it wasn’t until 2006 that I had a break-through that enabled me to be able to start walking in obedience in my eating. God laid on my heart why I had trouble with being obedient. What was it he shared with me? (You will find it at about 02:17)

2.) What did it feel like I needed to do with that realization.

3.) About 03:20 I share a lie that I believed…that affected my journey to that point. What is that lie? “You, God, have _________ me __________.”

4.) What can happen when our feelings are given too much sway and begin to “define” fact for us?

5.) (04:27) “I was living as if God had _____________ too __________ of me.” Have you ever felt that way? About what? Do you today?

6.) Is there anything that has so disappointed you about God that it might be affecting your willingness to surrender your food to him? God does no wrong…he hasn’t done you wrong! But is there any way that this *feels* like it is similar to needing to forgive someone who has done you wrong? If not, what can you do with this sense that God has required too much of you? How might dealing with it (somehow) help you to honor him, to delight in him?

7.) I mention 4 kinds of forgiveness (of 5) that have been included in my journey. What are the 4 types of forgiveness that I mention (keeping in mind that #4 is not literally forgiveness)? Do you have any idea what my 5th kind of forgiveness is (not mentioned in the video)? 🙂 Post here at the blog what you think it might be!

8.) At about 07:27 I ask you some questions. Stop the video and take time to ask the Lord what the TRUTH is for you.

9.) Everyone acts based on what they believe. If we believe that God has done us wrong, we will act on that belief. We have to go to the root of it…how can you do that today?

10.) In the closing minutes,  I ask you to bring God your feelings and process them with him. Will you? If not, why not?

Renewing the Mind – Pressing On

What might you need to renew your mind about? Select one of these to speak truth to your soul about. Can you reference Scriptures to help you with this? What is true about night-time eating? What is true about eating when you feel wounded? What is true about this journey right now wherever you currently find yourself–IS God doing a “new thing” in you? Remember, renewing the mind with TRUTH is the point. BIG T truth…What GOD says is true. We want to think God’s thoughts after him. His Word sanctifies us.

Pick One (book or workbook):

Trade Book Assignment – To Be Completed by March 17th

  • Here is the Thin Within Study Guide Week 10 . Feel free to discuss it at our Facebook group or here! THIS WEEK, we will have a drawing for Rebecca Bryan’s music! This is great music for renewing your mind. If you post a comment this week your name will be put in a drawing to win a downloadable version of Becky’s CD. Comment on this blog post (or any other this week) to be entered in the drawing. You can enter more than once, too. 🙂

Workbook Assignment – To Be Completed by March 17th.

1. Read, highlight, mark 🙂 Lesson 10, Forgiveness, on pages D18 – D24 or listen to the “audio book” version of it at Sound Cloud.  Discuss it here in the comments section below this post or at our Class Facebook Group.
2. Complete the exercises for Lesson 10 on pages D26 – D32. Next Monday before the webinar, respond to the Review questions on page D33 or even better–do so at our Facebook discussion group!
3. Have you been creating a God List? Have you been Praise-Festing? Gratitude is yet another way we get our eyes off of ourselves and place them firmly on God. If we want this experience to be different than our dieting days (or previous goes through the Thin Within material, perhaps) we want to change our thinking and change our focus. Exalting God intentionally through praise and gratitude may be one way of doing this.
4. Use the entries for Day 64 through Day 70 in the Temple Tool Kit. Have you been using any of the tools? How is this going? What is God showing you through the use of the tools?
5. Memorize Colossians 3:12-13. Personalize it and add it to your truth cards.
6. Join us on March 17th for our live webinar at 4:30 Pacific Time. We will be wrapping up lesson 10 on Forgiveness.

How About You?

In these last few weeks of our study, you might experience the most profound changes to date. Invite God to help your heart to be wide open to whatever he may want to do be prepared to have new eyes to see. Forgiveness work is HARD WORK. But it is well worth it. Whether it is forgiveness of others, seeking their forgiveness for ways we have wronged them, asking God for forgiveness for our sin, forgiving ourselves or what I have called “forgiving” God. It is all hard work. But it is well worth it. As we put off bitterness and resentment, we are able then to put on kindness, compassion, and love.

Lesson 9’s (Boundaries) webinar recording is available here
Here are slides (in pdf form) from Lesson 9’s webinar: 09-Boundaries
Following the Spirit

Following the Spirit

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the lawGalatians 5:16-18

I LOVE when I’m reading a verse I’ve read thousands of times jumps out at me and the Holy Spirit reveals this super amazing and awesome powerful truth to me as if I’ve read it for the first time!!  It’s always so exciting!  That’s what happened one day when I read this verse.

When I am following after the Spirit’s guidance with my eating, I am not giving into my flesh or the enemy’s temptations.  That is pure and simple truth.  And if I’m being led of the Spirit, it is not necessary to be under a law.  For me, being under a law when it comes to food is following a diet (man-made set of rules in regards to what, when, and how much I should eat).  I have noticed that when I’m following after my flesh and giving into temptation, I immediately think I need to jump back on the diet bandwagon.  So when I read this verse, it finally made sense to me why my thoughts would go to dieting after eating outside of my boundaries.  Knowing this brought me a sense of freedom because IF I follow the Spirit, I am set free from dieting or any kind of eating “law”.  Praise God!

So how does one follow after the Spirit when it comes to eating?  And eating within the principles of Thin Within?  Well, first of all, I think you have to know without a doubt that eating 0-5 (between hunger and fullness) is what God has called you to do.  Heidi has talked about this many times.  And then if you are convinced that 0-5 is what the Lord wants for you, then you know that the Holy Spirit is going to guide you to stay within those boundaries of hunger and fullness and whatever secondary boundaries He asks for you to follow (which could be boundaries such as eating without distraction, eating slowly, eating while sitting, etc.).  The Holy Spirit will gently lead you.  And if you are listening, you will hear His gentle voice, like a shepherd with his sheep, guiding you.  He will prompt you.  He will ask you questions.  He will help you in time of need.

And as long as you are listening to Him, you won’t need ANY other voices telling you what you should eat, how you should eat, etc.

I truly believe and am convinced that God has created us all to eat within hunger and fullness.  I guess you could say it’s like a divine plan for our life in taking care of our bodies.  It’s obvious that it was never His will that we become gluttonous and overweight, because look at all of the problems we can have with our health when we are.  I am also convinced that He doesn’t want us following some regimented and strict diet plan because that wreaks havoc upon our physical body and our mind.  Something is unbalanced when we are eating in a way that numbs the natural hunger and fullness signals, whether it’s from a strict diet plan, overeating on purpose, or any type of eating disorder.  God is a God of order, not disorder.  And I think that eating within hunger and fullness (0-5) is a very peaceful, pleasant, and orderly way of eating.  Praise God!  His ways are perfect!

A friend of mine shared one of her truth cards with me.  It’s a quote by Jack Hayford from the New Spirit Filled Bible:

“We are called to war against the flesh.  Our flesh urges indulgence and the Holy Spirit constrains us to righteousness.  Victory in this war is found in: abiding in right relationship with Jesus, understanding that true strength is found in our weakness, and continually submitting to the unction and urging of the Spirit.  Victory comes as we take these practical steps, avoiding or overcoming the pull of our flesh.”

I’ve heard it said from Heidi and others that there are times when we can make 0-5 a “law”.   Of course, this isn’t what God intends for us.  I believe this is where we need to be graceful with ourselves and ask the Lord how we can go about eating within hunger and fullness without turning it into another diet plan.  It takes time to get back to God’s natural order with our eating, especially if we’ve dieted for many years.  It takes time to get back in tune with those intuitive signals.  And for some of us, the diet mentality may be so engrained in our brains that it may take time to completely let go of all of those rules we were so used to being under before.  The Holy Spirit can help us with that as well.

There have been times the Holy Spirit has asked me to stop eating, prompted me about when to stop, and has asked me not to eat because I wasn’t hungry.  He’s also asked me at times to leave a bite on my plate.  Sometimes I really don’t want to, but I know He knows what He’s talking about, so I choose to obey.

I’m so excited to know that if I’m following after the Spirit, I don’t even have to concern myself with thinking I need to go on another diet plan.  This brings me so much relief and joy!  There have been times during this journey where I have felt like I need to go back to measuring, weighing, and tracking my food during the times when I felt like I have failed.  But now I realize that I don’t need a diet.  I need the Holy Spirit.  He will show me truth and lead me into all truth.

How about you?

Are you convinced that the Lord wants you to eat 0-5?  If so, do you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you in your eating?  When you feel like you’ve failed, do you automatically think you need to go on a diet?  I’ve been there myself, but now I see that if I keep on renewing my mind and continue on this journey with the Lord, that I won’t need to diet.  Praise God!

Boundaries – Lesson 9 TW Class 2014

Boundaries – Lesson 9 TW Class 2014

Chapter 25 - Godly Boundaries - Broadening? Or...?
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:5-6
Boundaries…we have been talking about them since our orientation week. They are fundamental to a godly life and eating is no exception. Eating without boundaries gets us to places we don’t want to go! Eating within the boundaries of hunger and satisfaction is a wonderful goal for us, honoring our body’s requirements and the way our amazing God has created us. Truly, this is a wonderful, pleasant boundary. No more diets! No more restriction! No more obsession! It is my hope that you are experiencing the blessing of living within God’s boundaries for your life.
This week’s video is so special to me! I am definitely eager to feature other people in the videos that we supply to encourage you on your journey. Last week, I traveled with my husband to the Chicago area where I was able to meet up with Cathy Maher, a new facilitator of Thin Within classes online. She let me twist her arm into being in this week’s video with me! Cathy is still taking sign-ups for her Workbook #1 online study, so hurry over to the sign-up page and click the link to register!

This Week’s Video:

http://youtu.be/SjSdjhJnOmw

 

There are more video questions than normal this week.  The reason for that is that Cathy is a fount of wisdom, knowledge, ideas, and inspiration. I want to be sure to “milk” our video interview for all we possibly can. If it seems like too much, then just do what you can.

Video Questions:

1.  What is Cathy’s definition of a boundary? (0:43)

2.  How do you identify with Cathy’s definition? What is the parameter that you have for yourself with regard to your eating?

3. Cathy referenced 2 Timothy 1:7 at 1:15. Look this up in your bible and evaluate the place that fear, power, love and a sound mind might have in your Thin Within journey.

4. From 1:33 to 1:45 Cathy mentions some reasons that we may have trouble with “finding” our 5 boundary lines. What are some of the reasons she describes? Are any of these possibly keeping you from “finding” 5?

5. What does Cathy suggest will make the difference for us to be able to recognize our “5?” (1:50-1:59)

6. What role does evening eating have in your difficulties with staying within the godly boundaries of 0 and 5 for your eating? What would happen if you created a secondary boundary of not eating after dinner unless you had a very insistent “0?”

7. How can using Truth Cards assist you in accepting the truth of your identity and help you no longer to break your 0 and 5 boundaries?

8. Cathy’s 0 to 5 boundary has had to shift, as she has discovered she has food sensitivities. What has helped her the most? (4:46)

9. At 5:17 Cathy speaks about her struggle with condemnation and how she has broken free from it. Can you identify with what she shares? How would adopting a personal boundary about rejecting condemning thoughts help you?

10. At 6:12 to 7:53, Cathy mentions a relatively new boundary for her regarding the scale. How can you identify with what she shares? Should you adopt a boundary relative to the bathroom scale? How might that actually serve your boundary of eating within 0 and 5? How has using the bathroom scale helped you? How has it hurt you?

11. At 8:48 to 8:55 Cathy says she had to redefine what a good evening is about, what time with her husband was about. How can you change the definition of what a good evening is for you to honor your godly eating boundaries? How can you change what it means to bond with your loved ones and friends to honor your godly eating boundaries?

12.  One of Cathy’s earliest boundaries (she has released 30 pounds so far!) was her body would belong to God. In fact, she asserts at 10:52 that it is a “necessary boundary to do this program.” If you struggle consistently with respecting your godly boundaries, perhaps this is the most fundamental boundary that you could establish that might help. What are your thoughts about this? Your fears? Your concerns?

13. Cathy shares some tips at the end of the video. The first is to “Keep it Simple.” How might you apply this tip from Cathy? The second is to “Make it Personal.” What changes could you make to approach Thin Within in a more personal way, welcoming God’s Truth to come deeply into your own heart uniquely?

14. Another tip Cathy shares is to pray for discernment and pray for a willing spirit. Can you carve this into your time with the Lord each day, to include a request for discernment and willingness?

15. Cathy’s final tip is to “Go Easy.” What are ways that you are too hard on yourself? What can you do instead? Even if you have not lost weight in a week’s time, what other changes might you take note of? (12:23)

16. At 12:34 we dialog a bit about a boundary of “What will I call progress?” This is where I refuse to use numbers or weights or sizes to evaluate our progress given that God is doing so much more in our lives than just weight/size. What are some of the things in your life that God has been doing?

Renewing the Mind – Pressing On

1. What is true about failure? Take some time to generate a list of what is TRUE about “failure” on this journey…and tell yourself the truth. If you need help with this, just ask. Failure is NOT an undertaker, but is one of the best teachers we have going!
2. If you haven’t started using Barb’s book or iTunes app yet, now is the time! Make the final 4 weeks of this class your best yet by using her material to renew your mind.

Pick One (book or workbook):

Trade Book Assignment – To Be Completed by March 10th

  • Here is the Thin Within Book Study Guide Week 9 . Feel free to discuss it at our Facebook group or here! THIS WEEK, we will have a drawing for one of Barb’s books. The comments made last week and those made this week … all names will be put in a drawing to win either Taste for Truth or I Deserve a Donut and Other Lies That Make You Eat! Comment on this blog post or any others this week or last in order to be put in the drawing. You can enter more than once, too. 🙂

Workbook Assignment – To Be Completed by March 10th.

1. Read, highlight, mark 🙂 Lesson 9,Boundaries, on pages D3 – D8 or listen to it or download it from Sound Cloud.  Discuss it here in the comments section below this post or at our Class Facebook Group.
2. Complete the exercises for Lesson 9 on pages D10 – D16. Don’t worry if you are behind. Just do what you can of this week’s material. Next Monday before the webinar, respond to the Review questions on page D17 or even better–do so at our Facebook discussion group.
3. List 10 attributes of God that have ministered the most to your heart. Have a praise fest, saying back to Him these attributes and thanking him for how they have ministered to you. Share here at the blog how this impacts you.
4. Use the entries for Day 57 through Day 63 in the Temple Tool Kit. All the tools have been introduced to you now. Remember, only use them if God leads you to do so. If you have the freedom, try a new one this week. Don’t forget that the Thin Within app includes all the Sound Cloud files, YouTube videos, and the tools!
5. Memorize 1 Corinthians 6:12. Personalize it and add it to your truth cards.
6. Join us on March 10th for our live webinar at 4:30 Pacific Time. We will be wrapping up lesson 9 on Boundaries.

How About You?

One of the things I love about Barb Raveling’s book is how she helps us to see that boundaries are really what this is all about. Will we live according to the boundaries that God has so lovingly offered us? Or will we blow through our boundaries again and again? Do you need to take time to sit with the Lord and evaluate if 0 to 5 eating (between hunger and satisfaction) is something that you are convicted are from God for you? If you know that this is your primary boundary then creating secondary boundaries to help support you in your pursuit of honoring this godly boundary seems no where near so laborious. It becomes a joy to submit to the Lord in this way!

Lesson 8’s webinar recording is available here.
The Difference

The Difference

Image courtesy of Suvro Datta / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Suvro Datta / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Recently, I was sharing with a friend about where I’ve been on my journey about food and eating.  I was sharing with her that it didn’t work when I tried to be a “normal eater” years ago.  I’m not sure why, but I remember really struggling and feeling like I was never going to overcome.  I had a few successes, but something would come up, and then I would go back to overeating or obsessing about food.

Almost a year ago, I came back to Heidi’s blog after really having a hard time with food thoughts and fears.  Immediately, the Lord gave me this incredible peace and then He showed me that He wanted me to let go of all of the food thoughts and fears and to eat within hunger and fullness (0-5).  It was a rough start of one step forward, two steps back, but after a couple of months, the Lord showed me that in order to be completely set free from the fears and thoughts, that I needed to renew my mind.  And so began my “truth cards”.

And that, my friends, has been the difference.  Ever since May of 2013, I have met with the Lord every day to renew my mind.  It started with renewing my mind about learning that I can enjoy ALL foods with no fear attached, to currently, where I am learning to delight in my God-given boundaries.  And there have been things in between that I have renewed my mind about.  I am currently reading through my second set of truth cards.  I felt that I “graduated” from my first set of truth cards, so I was ready to move on with the Lord in this journey to becoming free in this area of my life.

In May of 2013, I was already at a healthy weight.  I wanted to maintain that weight.  The “weight” I needed to release were the lies and obsession.  It was more of a mental weight.  That’s where I needed to be set free.  And He has been doing just that, setting me free with His truth!  Every day I choose to renew my mind with His truth, and every day I’m set free more and more!  Praise God!

I truly believe I wasn’t able to press in and persevere with eating between hunger and fullness years ago because I wasn’t getting to the inner parts of me that were causing overeating in the first place.  I wasn’t renewing my mind.  I was looking to myself for strength instead of falling at the feet of Jesus each time I messed up or needed Him.  I remember one of the things I really struggled with years ago was thinking that Thin Within was too spiritual.  I didn’t want to dig into the reasons I ate emotionally.  I felt like that was for wimps.  But oh, I was so wrong!  I am stronger today because of falling at the feet of Jesus and humbling myself before Him and crying, “HELP!”

Facing the “spiritual” side of hunger and fullness is uncomfortable for some.  I know I was uncomfortable.  And even last year when I was just starting out, I really fought the spiritual side of this journey.  I didn’t want to admit that I was indulging my flesh every time I overate or even obsessed over food.  It was like I wanted to walk in unrest instead of the peace God was offering me.  I kept thinking, “I can do this without being so spiritual about it.”  Oh, how I have been humbled with His truth!

It DOES take time to renew your mind.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have experienced any of the victory in Christ that I have if it wasn’t for renewing my mind.  Let me say it plainly: If I didn’t take time to renew my mind, I would overeat, I would obsess about food, and I would be freaking out!  Just ask my husband.

I remember when Heidi would post about how HARD this journey can be.  I did NOT NOT NOT want to hear that.  I remember thinking, “Then I’ll just keep tracking [Weight Watchers] points!”  I wanted and want this to be easy, but at times, it’s not.  Why?  Because sometimes I want to eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat it.  Sometimes I don’t want to read my truth cards or stop my mind in it’s tracks and renew my mind about WHY I want to overeat.  But guess what?…the harder times make me stronger.  Just think about it, when you renew your mind, it’s like you are retraining it.  You are suddenly STOPPING it and steering it in another direction.  And each time you do that, you are training it to turn the other way!  This is totally unrelated, but when I was potty training my daughter, each time she started going, I picked her up and put her on the potty.  And after a short time, she recognized that when she needed to go that she needed to sit on the potty.  It’s sort of the same thing when we renew our mind.  After awhile, we no longer have “accidents”, but we direct ourselves in the right direction.  Isn’t that awesome!?

Let’s look at this with an example.  Let’s say I’m feeling emotional.  Something just happened and I am sad.  I want to numb myself with food.  Well, I know that I’m not hungry, so eating right now would not be within my boundaries (0-5).  I have 2 choices, I can eat, or I can STOP and renew my mind.  One way that I can renew my mind is getting out my journal and getting out the ‘I Deserve a Donut’ app (if I ever meet Barb Raveling she’s going to get the biggest hug ever–I hope she likes hugs!) and I am going to go to the section under Attitudes called Emotional Eating.  And I would answer the questions in my journal and read through the scriptures.  If needed, I would take a time-out and write out to the Lord what I’m dealing with and really just let the emotions pour out to Him.  As I do this, the Lord meets with me and speaks to me from His Word.  The questions from the Emotional Eating app make me think about why I want to eat and how it’s not a good idea to eat outside of my boundaries.  And pretty soon I’m feeling better because I’ve gone to the LORD instead of food.  I may still want to eat, but I realize that it’s not even worth it because food isn’t going to fix the problem.  Most likely, I won’t want to eat outside of my boundaries because the Lord has met my need.  And so the next time I’m feeling emotional, it will be easier to turn away from the thoughts about eating and turn instead to the Lord and His truth.  Each time I renew my mind, I will be transformed!

So there you have it, the difference in seeing victories in Christ as I have applied the Thin Within principles has been that I have renewed my mind.  That was the missing key before, but it’s no longer missing now!

How about you?

Have you been diligent in renewing your mind?  Are you seeing a difference as well because you are renewing your mind?  I would love to see some comments about how renewing your mind has made a difference!

 

Celebration of Grace – Lesson 8 TW Class 2014

Celebration of Grace – Lesson 8 TW Class 2014

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But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
– 2 Peter 3:18
We have been saying for eight weeks that God’s grace is a constant pardon, provision, power and Presence on this journey. Jerry Bridges says:
As we grow in grace…we grow in our motivation to obey God out of a sense of gratitude and reverence to Him.  Our obedience will always be imperfect in performance in this life.  We will never perfectly obey Him until we are made perfect by Him…Begin to think daily about the implications of the grace of God in your life.

If you want to see greater obedience in your life, maybe it isn’t necessarily that you need to “buckle down.” Perhaps it is looking up! Maybe it is praising God for His grace that is really what is needed!

Video Questions:

1. Have you felt frustrated by falling far behind in the lesson material? What will you do about it? Pick one of the following: a.) beat yourself up about it b.) quit and join another group when you can do it “more perfectly” c.) pick up where we are now and just move forward extending yourself grace

2. At 01:00, I talk about tools, workbooks, webinars serving US, rather than the other way around. What does this mean? Have you been feeling burdened by slavery to your workbook? What will you do instead? What would exemplify grace in your life?

3. 01:35 What are three ways that you can extend grace to yourself?

4. 02:18 Do you Observe and Correct? Or Observe and Condemn? What is the difference, practically speaking? Why should we *never* condemn ourselves?

5. 03:26-03:49 What is the root of perfectionism? What do you think about this?

6. Look up Psalm 74:1. What is the significance that God has recorded statements like this one forever in His Word? How is the fact that this is a *song* sung in worship by the Israelites indicative of grace?

7. In what ways do you have the most difficulty (on this journey) extending grace to yourself? In light of the price Christ paid to be able to offer you grace, how do you feel about that?

8. At 05:58 the video shifts to looking at the Observation and Correction chart, beginning with a discussion of the Keys to Conscious Eating. Which keys are our primary boundary in Thin Within? Can you state them in your own words? Has God convicted you that this is a boundary for you to follow? How might a boundary actually be an expression of grace?

9. Consider the discussion of the Keys to Conscious Eating. Which of keys #2 through #7 are the most difficult for you to follow? Which might be the most helpful for you in sensing an approaching “5” on the hunger scale?

10. Prayerfully consider using the Observation and Correction Chart this week in the Temple Tool Kit. If you don’t have the TTK, you can download O & C charts here. (The Apple TW app also has the Observation and Correction chart in it.)

11. At the tail end of the video, I fade out making a comment about Daisy Dog. Had grace not stepped in to her life, her end would not have been so rosy. How are you and I similar?

Renewing the Mind – Pressing On

1. What is true about failure? How has your view of failure changed since beginning this journey?

2. Look up these verses and write new truth cards about failure:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Philippians 3:12-15

Isaiah 43:18-19 I know I use it a lot, but have a good look at verse 18. Consider what that means. 🙂

Pick One (book or workbook):

Trade Book Assignment – To Be Completed by March 3rd

Here is the Thin Within Book Study Guide Week 8. Feel free to discuss it at our Facebook group.

Workbook Assignment – To Be Completed by March 3rd.

1. Read, highlight, mark 🙂 Lesson 8, Celebration of God’s Grace Part 2, on pages C44 – C49 or listen to it or download it from Sound Cloud.  Discuss it here in the comments section below this post or at our Class Facebook Group. We are having another drawing this week! If you comment this week at the blog and want to be entered to win one of Barb Raveling’s books, Taste for Truth or I Deserve a Donut and Other Lies That Make You Eat, post a relevant comment and indicate that you want to be entered in the drawing. 🙂 It’s that easy!

2. Complete the exercises for Lesson 8 on pages C50 – C56. Don’t worry if you are behind. Just do what you can of this week’s material. Next Monday before the webinar, respond to the Review questions on page C57 or even better–do so at our Facebook discussion group.

3. List 10 attributes of God that have ministered the most to your heart. Have a praise fest, saying back to Him these attributes and thanking him for how they have ministered to you. Share here at the blog how this impacts you.

4. Use the entries for Day 50 through Day 56 in the Temple Tool Kit. This week, the Observation and Correction chart is added. In the video, I mention how I have used the O & C chart. Prayerfully consider giving it a try. It is called Observation and Correction so that you can see where there are “holes” that you can correct. If you don’t see any marks (or few marks) in the “Paid Attention to my Food” row, then you might want to be more mindful of the eating experience if you continue to go past satisfied or “5.”

5. Memorize Philippians 1:6 this week. Personalize it and add it to your truth cards.

6. Join us on March 3rd for our live webinar at 4:30 Pacific Time.

How About You?

Is grace something that you don’t really grasp? How about responding to the encouragement in 2 Peter 3:18…be intentional to “grow in grace.” What does it mean and how can resting in and growing in grace apply to your life and bring relief rather than a burden?

Lesson 7’s webinar recording with Judy Halliday is available here.

I will post the Lesson 7 Discussion Questions here when they are available.