Hey, girls! It’s Raechel. I feel like we haven’t gotten to say “hey!” in a while. Lots of studying God’s Word together, yes. But it’s always nice to check in a little more personally in between plans! So…
How is the Gospel shaping you this year?
How have the fresh starts we’ve studied these past three weeks changed the way you are doing life? I don’t know about you, but I am grateful even now that with a new plan this week comes yet another fresh start to seek His face daily!
Our vision as a SheReadsTruth community is that we would be lovers of God’s Word, that we would be changed, and that our lives would reflect His glory. This means that our interaction with our Savior doesn’t end with a half an hour in the Word before breakfast. It means relationship, not checked boxes. It means Jesus isn’t asking for thirty minutes of your day. He’s asking for your whole day.
A friend in my Tuesday morning Bible Study recently likened herself to a moon, and Christ to the Sun. We cannot produce light on our own (Romans 7:18), but we are specifically created to reflect His light. At times, that light is eclipsed by things of the world, and other times we are full-moon image bearers of Glory! Such an encouraging picture of how we should be living in relationship with our Maker!
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This week we are going to begin a new plan – one that those of you who have been with us from the beginning have done before. It’s actually the very first plan we ever studied together as a community, and it was so life changing for so many of us that we want to do it again as an even larger community!
It’s a 5-week plan called Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel, and it’s going to be a great follow-up to the Fresh Start plan as we are still in the first month of a new year. We’ll begin tomorrow (so wait to click “start this plan” until then so we’re all on the same day!) and it will take us all the way to the 24th of February. Girls, this plan is a life-changer.
An important note: even though the plan will take place primarily on YouVerison (we won’t actually be able to share the content in blog post format), there will still be important daily discussion here on the SheReadsTruth site in the comments. That’s were the joy and authenticity and accountability of community takes place!
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And, since we haven’t been awesome about sharing calendar plans with y’all, and even though we’re not completely solid on dates yet, this is probably a great time to share our tentative schedule for Spring/Summer! (But seriously, this is loose – please don’t hold us to this exactly!!)
- Soul Detox (January 21-February 24)
- After Soul Detox we’d love to take a week to get real with y’all. You remember how Paul charged us in his letters to tell what God is doing? We want that to happen here! We will take several days as writers (and possibly community members!) to share – maybe even via video – where we have been, and where God is taking us. It will be a week of testifying to His faithfulness, fresh starts, comfort in trials and grace in our lives. (I’m just a leetle bit geeked about this…)
- Then, a plan we are currently writing called Songs of Ascent. It will cover Psalm 120-134 – the “traveling Psalms” that were actually written as songs to be sung as the Israelites ascended to Jerusalem for Passover. Which will land us beautifully in Jerusalem for…
- Holy Week. Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, from humiliation to exhalation, we will prepare our hearts and examine the scriptures as we study the cornerstone of our salvation – the cross.
- After that, beginning on April 1st we are going to do a neat new format for a Prayer Plan. We willl study six types of prayers, and with each type, we’ll take a day to study study scriptural instructions, a day to find Biblical examples, and then there will be a day for us to practice what the Bible has taught us. (You should see our pages of notes and Bible references – it’s going to be an amazing scripture bath and hopefully a game-changer in the way we commune with our God!)
- After the Prayer Plan, we have a strong desire to really Dig Deep. Like Old Testament, huge-chunks-at-a-time deep. Even whole books at a time. We’d love to find God with you all in the major and minor prophets – and perhaps elsewhere. We may write accompanying devotionals, or we may just soak it in each day with y’all and join the conversations in the comments. We are still praying about the format, length and resources for this time, but we trust that the Lord will reveal Himself to us in brand new ways and we’re seriously looking forward to this!
- Finally, we’d love to spend some time this summer studying Women in the Lineage of Christ. This will allow us to take time to study more Old Testament stories from a slightly more conversational perspective. It’s always a rewarding challenge to see the way every story in all of the Bible whispers His name.
Whoosh.
Yes, that’s what we like to say around here when we’ve just dumped a giant load of information.
Oh girls, Kacia and Jessi and I and the rest of the SRT team are just so incredibly grateful for you and blessed by you! You hold us accountable, you point us to Christ, you remind us why we’re doing what we’re doing. We serve a great God, don’t we? And He is at work All. The. Time.
Have a restful, blessed Sabbath, sisters. Looking forward to a good, clean Soul Detox with all you daughters of the King!
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38 thoughts on "Moons, Detoxes and WHOOSH!"
Education is a very important part of our life because education is the basic thing that we need to excel in life. We should focus on our studies and take it from all available sources.
I actually have read a book from a book series that I don’t remember what it was called but it was about some of the woman in the lineage of Christ. I read the book about Mary these stories were part true and part false but I really enjoyed the story.
I discovered this site through YouVersion when I participated in the Fresh Start plan. Thank you so much for the encouragement, but more importantly for showing the truth within his word! I was deseparatly looking for a Bible study that was grounded in the Bible and not just using one verse to make a larger point. Thank you so much for being that for us. I am a little late getting started with Soul Detox but am so looking forward to it and the great things you have in the works this coming Easter season! God bless you and the whole team!
Thank you, ladies, for your sharing and devotion! I'm excited to be doing this right along with you!
So glad to start the Soul Detox plan with the ladies of SRT! Currently reading Souk Detox and it's been an eye opener! Can't wait to dive into the plan in a couple of hours! :)
Hi! I think I’ve followed you on twitter for a while, but never visited the site until today. I am so excited to find you! I did the soul detox a while back with some friends but we were never able to finish it together because of kids and school schedules and such. But I just recently bought the kindle version. I might just join in:) I love what you are doing here. So nice to meet you!
Thank you ladies behind SRT! You all are definitely God inspired and a true blessing to all of us who hunger for more of the word! I am so excited to do this plan–I’ve gone thru a food detox program, and I’m truly intrigued by a soul detox. This should be a great, God focus’d cleanse.
I thank God for leading me to the SRT devos and I pray he will fill my moon with his “Son” light.:)
Looking forward to my very first study with all of you!
This is so God girls. Soul detox is one I've been feeling my heart pulled back to. It was life changing. Thanks for your beautiful hearts and leadership!
Can't wait to start it with you all!!! What an amazing group of ladies!
Great news! I am currently on day 20 of Soul Detox and will happily start over tomorrow. I can hardly wait to receive new insights from. SRT and the community, which will further teach and inspire me. Our Father knowa our needs and blesses us continually.
Thank you SRT team for all of your hard work! The fresh start series was phenomenal!! I am so looking forward to the soul detox! I will continue to pray for our community and that each of us will grow intimately with God!
wow!!!!! cant wait to begin!! I am soo excited, but nervous to begin the studies and learn more!!!! I was soo happy that I was able to complete the Fresh start study, since I have fully completed one before. I feel as though I can see that I have embraced my fresh start that God has provided for me. Thanks She reads truth!! May God continually bless you!!
"It means relationship, not checked boxes" – what a great reminder! I am guilty of just checking the boxes to get it done, forgetting the reason behind why I'm checking the boxes in the first place. I'm ready for yet another fresh start with our latest and greatest SRT reading plan! :)
I know I found SRT in the middle of soul Detox, so didn't do it with y'all. Can't remember if I did it on my own or not, but looking forward to doing it now with all of you.
So EXCITED for Soul Detox :)
You guys sound like you have awesome things in store.
What a blessing this site is <3
Soo excited for Soul Detox!! Noticed when I first looked thru your web site a lot of comments referring to Soul Detox and was preparing to start it along with Ephesians next, but now I’ll have all of you with me!! How cool is THAT?!
THANK YOU!
BLESSINGS TO ALL OF YOU!
Thank You LORD, for answered prayers!!!
I am so excited to do Soul Detox again. What a great idea! The Fresh Start study was incredible. Thank you so much for all you do!
Thank you SRT team for putting these wonderful devotions together for us. I'm so blessed that I found SRT this year, exactly what I needed. I have been asking the lord to guide me back to church, and although I'm still on the search for a church to attend, I feel like he lead me to the SRT community. I'm very eager to get started on the Soul Detox! And what you ladies have in store for us sounds great as well. The Women of the bible sounds like a great journey. I like the analogy of the Sun and the Moon, makes sense; that's what I like about SRT you make it so we can understand the scripture! Thanks and bring on the detox!
Christ is the Son & I am but a lowly moon to reflect His Glory — AMEN!
I loved Soul Detox when I did it last time. And yes, it is a great followup to Fresh Start.
Thank you for blessing us with these studies, SRT.
So. So thankful for you amazing ladies. These plans have found a deep way in my heart. A little giddy about Songs of Ascent coming up. A beautiful study. And wondering if there is a wallpaper/graphic for SoulDetox? Would love to post to instagram as well as my blog.
Thank you,
~jamie
So excited y’all! Can’t wait for this!
I’m looking forward to this journey with y’all! :)
A 21-day challenge starts tomorrow on YouVersion too. http://blog.youversion.com/2013/01/21-day-challenge-2013-win-1-of-5-ipad-minis-other-prizes/
The Fresh Start plan was exactly what I needed. I was walking around carrying chains of guilt and shame over a sin from which I had already received God's grace. The guilt created depression that was keeping me from being able to fully worship The Lord as he intended. These devotions have opened a conversation with my Father through scripture that spoke directly to me every single devotion!! It was awe inspiring!!
Fresh Start blessed me immensely and the joy I have at being a part of this community is just such a God thing. I'm really looking forward to Soul Detox. Sounds like JUST what the Great Physician ordered. :)
Thank you for the Fresh Start. The Advent was the first SRT plan I read, but I found it late into Dec. It was great to do the Fresh Start plan along with the other gals in the community this time. Looking forward to the Soul Detox.
Fresh Start was such a blessing. There has been some pain in my life that I’ve been working through for a number of years, even getting some therapy for, and with my therapist we reached a standstill. This study helped me break through that last roadblock, specifically the one where God told the Israelites to move on. I felt God saying very clearly to me, “it’s time to move on. Give Me the pain and let Me handle the rest.” It was time.
So so excited to venture through soul detox with you all again… it blessed my heart so much last time!
I am so glad that I have found this community. I look forward to studing and going deeper in God’s word.
This devotion has shaped me in prayer spending more time with God, and learning to accept his forgiveness, I've read the word more and my heart is less clog up, and more refreshed. so i can't wait for soul detox. Stay bless sister's one love to all.xxxx
The lords knows I need this detox. I have a lot of soul searching to do.
The Fresh Start plan was exactly what I needed. I was walking around carrying chains of guilt and shame over a sin from which I had already received God's grace. The guilt created depression that was keeping me from being able to fully worship The Lord as he intended. These devotions have opened a conversation with my Father through scripture that spoke directly to me every single devotion!! It was awe inspiring!! I started it late, but I will not let that stop me from starting the detox on time. I am very excited!! Thank you for these devotions!!!
I am really looking forward to the soul detox plan. It is such a blessing to be able to study God’s word with a group of women who. share the same passion for understanding God’s word and allowing it to shape our lives
Sounds great! I've read the book but I think it will be exciting to do the study along with the girls at SRT:)
I'm thrilled that you're going back to Soul Detox! I wasn't in SRT at the time. And the rest of your plans after that … Whoo! What a ride through Scriptures, I'm ready to dive in!
I loved your Fresh start devotions! It really inspired me! Can’t wait for tomorrow to start the Detox!! I agree about us being moons who reflect God’s light and love to the world and to Him. Sometimes the enemy attacks with a snide remark like: “You don’t really love Jesus.” Then I pray that I will just reflect God’s love to others cos I’m redeemed but way too imperfect not to sin at all. Living in a close intimate relationship with God is what I want with all my heart and I’m so thankful that He has saved me and is daily transforming me by te renewal of my mind. Many blessing for each of you! Xxxx.