Author Archives: Oakwood's One Heart Bible Studies

True Woman 101: Week 4 Snake in My Garden

Posted on by
Reply

Hello sisters welcome to week 4: Snake in My Garden. “This week, we’ll be taking a look at the Serpent’s strategy, how Eve fell for the deception, and how sin started to make Swiss cheese, first of her relationship with God, and then of the male-female relationship. And we’ll see how those consequences have been passed down to every human being who has lived ever since.”

I wanted to share a paragraph from day 4 on page 104. “Eve listened to the lies told her by Satan. I’m confident she had no idea where those lies would ultimately lead her and her family. Perhaps it didn’t seem particularly dangerous just to listen to the Serpent – to hear him out, to see what he had to say. Listening in itself wasn’t disobedience. But – and here’s the key – listening to a viewpoint that was contrary to God’s Word put Eve on a slippery slope that led to disobedience, conflict in her relationships, and spiritual death. Listening to counsel or ways of thinking that are not according the the Truth is the first step in a downward spiral into bondage.”

If we’re honest with ourselves, how many of us have found us in a position of “just listening”?  I encourage you to spend some time thinking and praying about that very question on page 105.

Once you’ve completed the homework for this week click here to watch the True Woman 101 Week 4: Snake in My Garden.

Come back on Wednesday for our Discussion Questions. You can share your thoughts and comments with us here, jot them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you. Please let us know how we can pray for you throughout the study. Have a great week!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry

Week 3 Sugar and Spice: Additional Resources

Posted on by
Reply

Hello sisters! As we end week 3 of our study I would like to share a few additional resources for a deeper study. All these can be found on the True Woman 101 website at http://www.truewomanbooks.com.

Click here to read an article by Nancy called Biblical Portrait of Womanhood.

The second article can be found on the Revive Our Hearts Blog. Click here to read Embracing God’s Divine Design by Mary.

Click here to watch What Is A True Woman? by Nancy.

Lastly, Revive Our Hearts has a radio with lots of great programs on this very topic we’re studying. This week I would just like to highlight one called It Takes A Lot of Strength to Be Soft. Click here to read or listen to the program.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you throughout the study! Have a great weekend!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Woman’s Ministry

Week 3 Sugar and Spice: Discussion Questions

Posted on by
Reply

Hello dear sisters! I hope you have been enjoying week 3 of our study and learning God’s design for us is. “The Lord created His girls to have responsive spirits. Women are responders. Responding is in our nature. We will either respond to good or we will respond to evil. We will either respond to truth or be swayed by lies. If we don’t establish the practice of receiving and responding to God’s Word, we will be more vulnerable to be receptive and responsive to the wrong kinds of men, ideas or counsel.”

We had a great discussion in our Monday evening study! We all found the information about the differences between men and women in day 1 was very fascinating.

Here are some discussion questions. You can share your thoughts and comments here, write them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you.

  1. What negative reaction or fears might the thought of being considered the “soft” ones evoke in some woman? Monday night one of our sisters brought up the point she never thought of as being soft but comparatively speaking we definitely are. Maybe we have some things to work on in the area of being “soft” but that’s God’s design for us.
  2. As we were discussing day 3 and being responsive, one of our sisters brought up the example of ballroom dancing and the difference between having a partner who knows how to lead verses one that does not. When a man knows how to lead a woman can respond accordingly. How could you cultivate a heart that is even more soft and responsive to Christ and His Word?
  3. What do you think it means for a woman to look well to the ways of her household? In our discussion we all agreed this is much more than just keeping a clean house. One of our sisters said creating a safe place for family and their friends and sharing Christ with them. How might this calling to manage the home be applied by single women?

“It’s one thing to understand God’s ideal; it’s another to apply it in a world that is broken and fractured by sin. This week we’ve considered several elements that are at the heart of what it means to be a woman: softness, forming deep relational bonds, having a welcoming, responsive spirit, creating a place to beget and nurture life and being a helper. Which of these do you find the most challenging or difficult? Ask the Lord to mold you into a woman who reflects His heart and ways.”

We have a group of women meeting on Monday evening to do this very same study. Click here to see our discussion on week 3 Sugar and Spice. Enjoy this extra just for fun, click here to read or listen to Responding to His Lead.

In His Love
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry

True Woman 101: Week 3 Sugar and Spice

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome friends to week 3: Sugar and Spice. Last week in our study we learned what God’s Word says boys are made of and this week we will do the same for girls. “The desire in every woman’s heart can only be fully satisfied in a relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s the relationship to which all of our womanly longings point.”

I want to share a couple paragraphs from the authors in the introduction. “The world does not affirm God’s plan, and it tells us in a thousand different ways why we should not accept it either. All of us have been influenced by the world’s message to greater or lesser degrees. So as we consider our God-created deign, you may find yourself bristling at times, when His plan runs counter to the image of womanhood promoted by our culture. That’s why it’s so important to approach this matter by first bowing our hearts before Him and saying “Yes, Lord!” Before you dive into this week’s lesson, why don’t you take a moment to do just that? Acknowledge that His is God and you are not. Affirm that His ways are right and good. Ask Him to show you His ways and to give you grace to embrace them and to live out His design for your life.”

Once you’ve completed the homework for this week click here to watch the True Woman Week 3: Sugar and Spice video.

Come back on Wednesday for our Discussion Questions. You can share your thoughts and comments with us here, jot them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you. Please let us know how we can pray for you throughout the study. Have a great week!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry

Week 2 Snips and Snails: Additional Resources

Posted on by
Reply

Hello sisters! As we end week 2 of our study I would like to share a few additional resources for a deeper study. All these can be found on the True Woman 101 website at http://www.truewomanbooks.com.

Click here to read an article by Nancy called The Men Speak Out.

The second article can be found on the Revive Our Hearts Blog. Click here to read Wear the Pants MAN-ifesto by Mary.

Click here to watch How God Overcomes Failure in Your Family by Voddie Baucham.

Lastly, Revive Our Hearts has a radio with lots of great programs on this very topic we’re studying. This week I would just like to highlight one called Recovering from a Gender Earthquake. Click here to read or listen to the program.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you throughout the study! Have a great weekend!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Woman’s Ministry

Week 2 Snips and Snails: Discussion Questions

Posted on by
2

Hello dear sisters! I hope you have been enjoying week 2 of our study and learning God’s design for men. “Genesis presents God’s original design before sin entered the world and messed everything up. God’s ideal for men (and women) will never be perfectly attained in a fallen world. Yet, through Christ’s work on the cross, both men and women can be redeemed and find grace to live out their divine design.”

I’m excited to see what God’s design is for women in the coming weeks of our study!

Here are some discussion questions. You can share your thoughts and comments here, write them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you.

  1. In what way does the responsibility of man to take initiative mirror what Jesus does for the church?
  2. Can you think of an example of how a man might appropriately provide for or protect a woman who is not his wife?
  3. As you reflect on this week’s study on biblical manhood, what are some of the things you appreciate about God’s divine design for men?

On page 64 we were asked to compose a prayer, letter, or poem. Express your heart response to what you have studies. Personalize this week’s lesson in the way that will best help you apply them to your life. I would like to encourage you to do that!

We have a group of women meeting on Monday evening to do this very same study.Click here to watch a clip of our Monday night group discussing week 2.

In His Love
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry

True Woman 101: Week 2 Snips and Snails

Posted on by
1

Hello sisters welcome to week 2: Snips and Snails. We hope you’ve been enjoying the study and our posts. This week we are going to learn about what God says boys are made of.

I wanted to share a paragraph from day 2 on page 48 and 49. “Obviously, that doesn’t mean that a woman is incapable of working, or that a man is incapable of creating a home and relating, or that they do not ever do these things. It just means that God created male and female with differing natural “dents” and spheres of responsibility. The male was created with a unique responsibility to work to provide for the family, and the female was created with a unique responsibility to nest and to nurture family relationship.”

What are your thoughts about that and do accept God’s plan for male and female or is it something you still wrestle with?

Once you’ve completed the homework for this week click here to watch the True Woman 101 Week 2: Snips and Snails video.

Come back on Wednesday for our Discussion Questions. You can share your thoughts and comments with us here, jot them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you. Please let us know how we can pray for you throughout the study. Have a great week!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry

Week 1 Gender Matters: Additional Resources

Posted on by
Reply

Hello sisters! As we end week 1 of our study I would like to share a few additional resources for a deeper study. All these can be found on the True Woman 101 website at http://www.truewomanbooks.com.

Click here to read an article by Nancy called Whatever The Cost.

The second article can be found on the True Woman Blog. Click here to read Plastic Womanhood by Mary.

Click here to watch a video of The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood by John Piper.

Lastly, Revive Our Hearts has a radio with lots of great programs on this very topic we’re studying. This week I would just like to highlight one called Do Roles Really Matter. Click here to listen or read the program.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you throughout the study! Have a great weekend!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Woman’s Ministry

Week 1 Gender Matters: Discussion Questions

Posted on by
4

Hello dear sisters! I hope you have been enjoying week 1 of our study. There is so much good stuff packed into this week. I want to share with you a quote from the authors from day 2 page 27. “Men were created to reflect the strength, love, and self-sacrifice of Christ. Women were created to reflect the responsiveness, grace, and beauty of the bride He redeemed. And marriage was created to reflect he covenant union of Christ and His bride.”

For those of you that attend Oakwood Community Church or listen to PD’s sermon messages online, I love how our study goes right along with The Gospel Series we began earlier this month.

Here are some discussion questions. You can share your thoughts and comments here, write them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you.

  1. Do you feel that your womanhood displays God’s glory? Explain why or why not.
  2. Describe some ways in which you think a male-female relationship could put God on display.
  3. How do you feel when the Bible uses male-gendered words like “man” or “brothers” to refer to men and women as a group? Why?
  4. What are some of the places you look to find your sense of value and worth?
  5. What kind of impact do you think might be made if multitudes of Christian women were to say “Yes, Lord!” to His biblical design for their lives as women?

On page 39 of our homework we were asked to write out a prayer, asking Him to teach us more about what womanhood means, and to help us grow to be a True Woman of God. I would like to encourage you to do that!

We have a group of women meeting on Monday evening to do this very same study. Click here to watch a clip of our Monday night group discussing week 1.

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry

True Woman 101: Week 1 Gender Matters

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome sisters to week 1 of our online Bible study; True Woman 101: Divine Design by Mary Kassian and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (Nancy Leigh DeMoss). We are so excited you’ve decided to join us for this study!

As you work through week 1 be sure to check in here for additional posts. If you get behind that’s okay, the posts will always be available here.

I want to share a paragraph from the authors in the introduction. “What exactly is a True Woman? She is, quite simply a woman who is being molded and shaped according to God’s design. She’s a woman who loves Jesus and whose life is grounded in, tethered to, and enabled by Christ and His gospel. As a result, she is serious about bringing her thoughts and actions in line with what the Bible says about who she is and how she ought to live. She is a woman who rejects the world’s pattern for womanhood, and gladly wears God’s designer label instead.” I desire to be a True Woman and I guess you do to since you’re doing this study with us. Please join me in praying for our sisters to be True Woman.

Once you’ve completed the homework for this week click here to watch the True Woman Week 1: Gender Matters video.

Come back on Wednesday for our Discussion Questions. You can share your thoughts and comments with us here, jot them down in your book during your quiet time or discuss them with another sister doing the study with you. Please let us know how we can pray for you throughout the study. Have a great week!

In His Love,
Melisa
One Heart Women’s Ministry