The Doorposts Blog

Giveaway Winners!

Daniel — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 23:34:07 +0000

Here are the randomly-drawn winners for last week’s giveaway!

1. One-Year Gift Membership to the MamasRefill.com Bible Study site.

Won by Anna, who said “I listen to a dramatized version of the Bible oh, and I also really enjoy listening to Christian podcasts.”

2. Busy Mamas Bible Study Kit from Doorposts

Won by Angela, who said “I use a journal, and Study Bible. I have greatly appreciated your studies in the past, by the way! Great work.”

3. ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: New Testament Set

Won by Lauren Gonzalez, who said “My favorite was to stay in God’s Word is to spend an extended period of time on one book of the Bible and writing it out as well as reading multiple translations.”

4. ESV Journaling New Testament, Inductive Edition

Won by Juliana Hawley, who said “I’ve enjoyed Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem and the Read Scripture App.”

5. ESV Journaling Psalter

Won by Henna–Maria, who said “Thanks for the giveaway, the gifts all look amazing!

I use books and sometimes blogs and articles for Bible study. But the best way I learn is that I have a question that I start looking answers for. I will start writing about it…that’s when I really learn. As I write, I will look everywhere what has been written about the topic, and read different translations and use the Blue Letter Bible resources. I found the BLB through you, thank you so much, it is a great tool!”

Congratulations to the winners!

We’ll be in touch by email to make sure you get your prizes. We hope and pray these will help and encourage you in your Bible study.

And thank you all for studying with us this year at Mama’s Refill. Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2018 Giveaway!

Daniel — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 15:47:35 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve had a giveaway, and many of you just completed studying Psalm 118 with us at MamasRefill.com, so we would like to celebrate — just in time for Christmas!

Answer one of the questions below in the comments, and you’ll have a chance to win one of the following prizes:

1. One-Year Gift Membership to the MamasRefill.com Bible Study site.

Give a membership to a friend, or use it yourself and enjoy 12 months of access to 20+ inductive Bible studies all planned out for you, and a community of women who are studying along with you. You’ll love the new studies and other developments coming in 2019!

2. Busy Mamas Bible Study Kit from Doorposts

Includes eight 30-day study booklets plus a Moleskine journal, non-bleeding fine tip pen, and Prismacolor pencil set for Bible marking.

3. ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: New Testament Set

This beautiful set has a separate booklet for each book of the New Testament, with lots of blank pages for your notes, drawings, etc. Someone is going to have a lot of fun with these!

4. ESV Journaling New Testament, Inductive Edition

Here’s an ideal Bible for inductive study! It has wide line spacing, just like the printouts we’ve been using for marking up a passage and making notes.

5. ESV Journaling Psalter

We’ve enjoyed using this lovely little booklet containing simply-formatted Psalms alongside lined pages for journaling and Bible study notes.

Giveaway Rules:

One entry per person; giveaway starts 11/30/18 and ends at midnight PST on Tuesday, 12/4/18. Comments will be drawn randomly for each prize and winners will be notified by email. Winners will have 48 hours to respond and claim their prizes. Shipping costs outside the United States, if required, will be the responsibility of the winner.

Entry Questions:

For Mama’s Refill members: How has your membership in Mama’s Refill influenced your enthusiasm, skill, or consistency in studying God’s Word?

For those who are not Mamas Refill members, what tools and resources do you use that help you stay engaged and growing in your study of God’s Word?

Just answer one of these questions in the comments below by Tuesday, December 4!

Child-Training Boot Camp 2 Begins on Sunday!

Pam — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 16:20:15 +0000

I love being outside, but I’m definitely not the athletic type. Gardening is my outdoor “sport” – a nice quiet form of exercise and relaxation that has helped provide food for us over the years while getting me outside to enjoy the sunshine.

My very first garden was a whopper. I tried growing just about everything I could find in the Burpee’s seed catalog. I learned as I went, with Rodale’s Organic Gardening book in one hand, and a hoe in the other. One thing I learned, thankfully before I planted all those seeds, was that our hard clay soil needed help if it was going to grow very much.

We brought in a whole dump truck load of sand to spread over the 60 x 60 foot space, ran a big tractor back and forth to work the sand and composted manure into the soil, and hammered in stakes and strings to mark rows all over that beautiful soil, following my very carefully drawn-out-on-graph-paper plan.

Boy, did that garden grow! After more than forty years of gardening, I think I can still say that first garden was probably my best and most productive garden ever. I had the whole summer off, since I was a school teacher, and I spent hours out there, watching seedlings magically push up out of the ground, hoeing out the weeds, and eventually hauling loads of produce into the house and around the neighborhood to give away.

I worked hard. But if the soil hadn’t been prepared so that it was rich and loose, it wouldn’t have mattered how much weeding and hoeing and bug-squishing I did. The garden would simply not have thrived in that hard clay soil.

If you’re a gardener and a parent, you’ve probably noticed the similarities between gardening and raising children;

Plants and children both need lots of loving attention. Tons of time and energy need to be invested in both.
There’s weeds to take care of in the garden and in our children’s (and our) lives.
Vegetables and flowers need the right kind of nutrients to help them grow. Our children do, too, both physically and spiritually.
Pests and diseases threaten the health of the garden. Outside influences, harmful friendships, and plain old self-centered sin threaten our children’s spiritual health.
Even though we work hard to plant and take care of a garden, God is ultimately the one who brings life out of all those little seeds that go into the ground. The same is true for parenting. We have a job to do and it involves a lot of work. But when all is said and done, God is the one who renews our children’s hearts and brings fruit from our labor.
And like my first garden with its heavy clay soil, if our children’s hearts are not soft, if they aren’t prepared to receive God’s Word and our instruction, we can teach and correct and discipline, but true, life-changing wisdom won’t take root.

The Bible has a lot to say about raising wise and godly children. I’d like to invite you to join me as we begin our new Busy Mamas Bible study on Sunday, July 1. In Child-Training Boot Camp 2, we’re going to consider our children’s hearts, not just their actions.

We’re going to dig into the book of Proverbs and see what sort of soil produces fruit in our children’s lives.
We’re going to look at the Word to see how we can raise wise children who thrive spiritually, who know how to live in a way that pleases God, and who actually want to please Him.
We’ll consider some of the weeds and pests that threaten our children’s spiritual growth, and look at the Bible’s remedies.
While we consider all these aspects of parenting, we’ll also learn how to more effectively study the book of Proverbs.
In addition, a lesson for the kids will follow every one of your lessons, if you’d like to share what you’re learning with your children.

No need to worry if you haven’t done Child-Training Boot Camp 1. You can still jump right into Boot Camp 2. The study will be posting daily lessons at www.mamasrefill.com. If you’re not a member of Mama’s Refill yet, this is a great time to join! From now through July 8, 2018, you can save $10 on an annual membership that gives you access to almost twenty different studies (including Boot Camp 1) – studies that will teach you how to study the Bible while you study in bite-sized, busy-mama-appropriate-length lessons.

I hope you’ll join me! We need the wisdom of God’s Word to raise our children for Him!

Giveaway Winner and an Invitation!

Pam — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 22:58:56 +0000

“Warrior,” by Kerilynn Wilson, www.kerilynnwilson.com

Congratulations to Yolanda Green who is the winner of Kerilynn Wilson’s “Warrior” print! Our granddaughter, Ruby, picked the winning number for me on her birthday!

Thank you all for entering, and for sharing your joys and challenges of motherhood! Your comments were good reminders of how blessed we are, as well as how dependent we are on God for the strength, wisdom, and courage to do the job He has given us to do!

Please join us tomorrow, May 1, when we start our group study of of the ideal “Woman of Valor” described in Proverbs 31! If you think you know all about that amazing woman, or if you think you don’t want to know anymore about her because she just makes you feel guilty or discouraged, you really should join us!

This study will be posting at mamasrefill.com, our new members (which is a bargain for all that you get for $44.95 a year — over $180 worth of studies if you bought them in book form, plus a whole lot more!), but right now you can still find the lessons here in the archives of this blog, if you don’t mind hunting down the lesson each day. (Our plan is to remove studies from the blog as we post them on Mama’s Refill, so there’s no guarantee that they will be in the archives all through May and June. You might want to put them into a file or print them out ahead of time.)

You can also buy a print or eBook version of the study at Doorposts.com.

If you haven’t already joined the Busy Mamas Bible study Facebook group, make sure you do, so you can join in on the discussion as we study. I’m going to be making a point in our discussion of addressing how this chapter applies to single women as well as wives and mothers. So invite your daughters to join us, and don’t be afraid to join us if you’re unmarried.

We’ll be working through this study at a more relaxed pace, allowing two days for each lesson. So it’s a great time to study along with other ladies.

I hope you’ll join us! The study of this chapter in Proverbs could totally revolutionize the way you view your role as a woman in the world and in your family or workplace!

A Giveaway!

Pam — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:09:16 +0000

Hello! I’ve been busy writing Bible studies, making housebuilding decisions, and helping our daughter’s wedding happen lately. As a result, there’s not been much happening here. I’ve been focusing most of time on Instagram, if you want to follow us there. (Look for Doorpostslady). But I want to share some artwork with you today that I think you’ll like! (And if you want to order one of these you need to hurry, because pre-orders end tomorrow! I meant to post this a lot sooner, but have been busy!)

This wonderful picture is done by a friend of mine, Kerilynn Wilson, a very creative young woman who works hard to be a good steward of her God-given talents. I love what she’s put together in this piece of artwork — the warrior mother, doing battle for her King, for her children, for her husband. It makes me think of Proverbs 31. Did you know that the word translated virtuous in Proverbs 31 is the same word as valor? It’s the same word that is used in reference to David’s mighty men of valor! Boy, can that change the way we view our roles as mothers!

Here’s some words on that mighty woman of valor from our Busy Mamas Bible study on Proverbs 31 (which we will be doing as a group study on Mama’s Refill during May and June, by the way).

“When I discovered this [that virtuous and valor are the same Hebrew word], it completely changed the way I viewed the Proverbs 31 Woman. She ranks right up there with David’s mighty men of valor! And so can I, if I fear God and go out in His strength to fight the battles He assigns to me! The same word that describes David’s bravest, strongest, most loyal soldiers is used to describe this God-fearing lady of Proverbs 31.

“Every time I conquer another load of laundry, I am fighting to roll back the effects of the curse. (Do you think there was laundry before sin? I’m guessing not. After all, there weren’t any clothes until sin entered the world.)

“Every time you change a diaper, you are fulfilling your role in training up new little soldiers for Christ.

“Every time you stop what you are doing to calmly correct and instruct a sinful child, you are shaking your victorious fist at Satan.

“Every time you straighten up the kitchen or take out a messy seam to re-sew it the right way, every time you clean out the refrigerator or weed the garden, every time you carefully talk through a disagreement with your spouse, you are telling Satan that the battle is already won. In Christ’s strength, you are no longer enslaved to him. You are following Jesus now.

“When we fear God and go out and do what He has called us to do, trusting Him and doing our very best in His strength, we are mighty women of valor marching right alongside the Proverbs 31 Woman!

“See if that doesn’t change how you think about your day!”

I love this picture, because it grabs hold of the glory and meaning of motherhood! It may seem tedious and even meaningless at times, but it’s not! We’re doing kingdom work!

So I want to give away one of these prints by Kerilynn Wilson! And I want to encourage you to order one for yourself at Kerilyyn’s website! She’s taking pre-orders and printing a few extras along with those orders, so it’s going to be first come, first served after April 25! (If you win, you can always give the other one away to some other fellow-mom-warrior!)

Hang this picture on your wall, and it will help you remember what your job is all about every time you see it!

To enter, tell us two things:

1. What is your greatest joy as a mother?

2. What is your greatest challenge?

The answers don’t have to be long (but they can be if you want!)

Give your answers to both questions in one comment below before midnight tomorrow, Wednesday, April 25, and I will pick a random winner so you get your print in time for Mother’s Day!

Why Good Friday Isn’t Black

Pam — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 17:51:46 +0000

I’ve talked to more than one person over the past few days that accidentally referred to Good Friday as Black Friday. We chuckled, and at the same time wondered why Good Friday is good instead of black, and why Black Friday is black instead of good.

On this Saturday, wedged between Good Friday and Resurrection Day, I want to share this wonderful post, “WHY WE CALL THE WORST FRIDAY ‘GOOD.'” In it, David Mathis reminds us of why Good Friday is good. God’s mighty and loving hand was at work even in the midst of the evil that led to His Son’s crucifixion. He was bringing the ultimate good out of the ultimate evil, and He is at work bringing good out of everything that touches our lives, as well. (We’ll be seeing the same truth as we study the book of Ruth in April, too!)

God is in control, and because He is good, everything that He allows, that He ordains, that He planned since before the world began, is good, too. Even if we don’t understand what He is doing, He does, and we can trust Him.

Child Training Boot Camp Is About to Begin!

Pam — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:38:24 +0000

Does parenting ever leave you feeling like you’re in a war zone (and you’re losing the battle)?

Maybe it’s time for some encouragement! We start “Child Training Boot Camp” on Thursday, February 1 and I would love for you to join us! Even if you’ve done the study before, the refresher will be a good reminder of things that are all too easy to forget while we’re in the trenches! We’ll be looking at common parenting challenges — disobedience, complaining, arguing, etc. — and how to deal with those challenges in a God-honoring way (in our children, and in ourselves . )

Please note: This study will be posting on our new MamasRefill.com site!

For those of you who aren’t members of MamasRefill.com, you have several options for still joining us for this study:

OPTION 1:

Look for the “30 Days Child Training Boot Camp” posts from the archives here (in the side bar) and copy or download them before the study comes down off the blog this week. (They will no longer be available here after this week.) Then you can follow along and still discuss the study with others on the Busy Mamas Facebook group page.

OPTION 2:

If you don’t want to mess with all the work of copying, you can buy the “Child Training Boot Camp” eBook ($6) or the print edition ($10) from Doorposts. (The lesson numbering in the book will be a bit different than the numbering on Mamas Refill, so you’ll have to do a bit of adapting, if you want to follow along with us day by day.)

OPTION 3:

Take advantage of the discount code “bootcamp1” to save $5 while you invest in a year’s worth of studies on Mama’s Refill. The subscription gives you access to almost twenty different studies, plus the three additional new studies we will do together during 2018, plus additional mini-studies that we will continue to add throughout the year, plus a bunch of bonus resources to go along with the studies. (New Busy Mamas Bible studies will all be posting on Mama’s Refill in the future.)

The discount code “bootcamp1” is good through February 4, 2018.

Study with Me at Mama’s Refill This Coming Year!

Pam — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 10:00:56 +0000

I’ve loved studying with all of you over this past year! I continue to learn and to be encouraged as part of the Busy Mamas Bible study group.

Five days from now, we’re taking Busy Mamas studies to a new level with MamasRefill.com!

You will be able to start any of our 15+ Bible studies at any time
You’ll have new tools to track your progress,
You can get any study by email when you want it,
You can download bonus materials to enhance your study and to help with the children’s studies, if you choose to do those
We’ll be doing four brand new studies as a group
During the other eight months, we’ll also offer monthly focus studies (totally optional!) for those who would like to study and discuss a passage at the same time with other ladies (See below for the full lineup of encouraging Bible studies for 2018)
It’s going to be easier to use, easier to interact with others, easier to keep working through a study.

If you have questions, we’ve (hopefully) answered them on this FAQ page; if not, please contact us and we’d love to talk with you.

Our next Bible study (studying James 2 every other day) begins January 1, and until then you can get an early-bird one-year membership for 33% off (and stay a member at the lowest-ever cost for as long as you like!)

Don’t forget to join MamasRefill.com by December 31. I look forward to studying together with you in the new year!

Giveaway Winners and Early Bird Special on “Mama’s Refill!”

Pam — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:00:39 +0000

Subscriptions are now available for our new Mama’s Refill website! Until January 1, you can save 33% when you buy the Early Bird Special or a Gift Subscription. These specials are available now while the site is still under construction. The site will officially launch on January 1, 2018.

Mama’s Refill is Busy Mamas Bible Studies in a new user-friendly format.

Complete each day at your own pace, track your progress).
No Facebook or Instagram required
Start your own (optional) 10-30 day Bible study email challenge any time you like!
New, “live” Bible study with Pam Forster every four months
Drawing-in-your-Bible tutorials
Bible study app tutorials
Gift memberships available before Christmas… Plus extra surprises!

Congratulations to the ten winners of a one-year-subscription to Mama’s Refill!

Rebekah said, “I think, that for this season of my life, I would like to have shorter daily studies. Also, links to coloring sheets for the little ones would be great! Great ideas, Rebekah!

Jamie said, “When not studying along with you, I am usually studying another passage exegetically/inductively. Lots of good books to read in Christian living literature, but best for Bible study is still the Bible.

Dini said, “I love your studies, maybe there would be a possibility to make them a little shorter? After a while I find it hard to catch up. I always admire your drawings – I wish I could do that.” I’l try to make them shorter!

Charissa said, “When has God been faithful to preserve and care for you in the midst of trials? We moved to a new area a couple of years ago, leaving behind a beautiful home and a close group of friends. It was an extremely difficult move for me and I really had trouble connecting. But God was faithful to bring just the right group of women and opportunities to serve, which helped connect me to a faith family.

Luona said, “The whole idea that trials help to test our faith – to see if we will stand firm and not move away from what we claim are our beliefs just because things are hard. I loved the word picture of the coins being checked to see if they were genuine. I want to stand before God and see Him check and know that my faith was genuine.”

Marcia said, “Loved the James study! I often get behind, but still think the length and pace is good. I felt like it was written for me as I have had a lot of trials this fall, physical problems, family members struggling spiritually, loss of a dear cousin at age 31, etc…but I am learning to count them all joy. I’ve also been reminded of the depth and power of the Word of God. As a young person I memorized the book of James, but now as a mom of 4 young kids, in some ways I feel like I’m learning from it so much more. It’s changing me!!!”

Rebecca Ray said, “I am so excited about this! I love your studies, and I wouldn’t really change anything except to maybe have two levels of children’s instruction on the children’s lessons. I’m still working through James 1, but I’ve found myself really struck by trials and testing and how it’s what God is using to prove that we are growing spiritually. I’ve often found myself thinking that God is giving me a test and just waiting to see me fail, and I realize now, from this study that he’s on my side, and that he wants to prove how much more like him I am becoming.”

Bekki said, “I always thought “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds …” sounded good, but was really only possible for “Super Christians”. But now I have a different perspective and understanding. After reading it so many times and studying it almost word-by-word, I “get” it. Thank you SO much for all your work, Pam. I can’t even imagine how you have a life outside of writing these studies! They are each packed with proof that you spent an enormous amount of time preparing and compiling the information for the rest of us. Thank you and God bless you!

Jennifer said, “I’ve been reading the Bible in a year, and it’s made a huge impact in my life! I’m also going through a Bible Study called Disciplines of a Godly Woman.”

Nicole said, “I’ve been reminded that my heart motives really matter…do I pause in the midst of a trial to take a breath and trust God and experience joy or do I just keep plugging away on my own strength? When I try on my own…it usually leads to anger (which I’m needing to be slower at…esp in the midst of the busy). And most importantly, I need to take time to let the word of God sink into my heart and cultivate the good soil so His word and all good things can take root in my life.”

I Just Keep Making Boo Boos!

Pam — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 15:24:47 +0000

Perhaps it has to do with writing posts after everyone else has gone to bed, when I ought to be doing the same thing, but I seem to be making more than my average share of mistakes during our study of James!

Just to clarify, the giveaway ends on Monday, December 10, not in September as the post originally said.

I think I’ll go take a nap…