Welcome to our first podcast in the How To Pray series. Today we discuss the topic of how to go about praying God’s word. Jane VanOsdol and Mary Kane discuss several ideas that will help you to develop the powerful habit of incorporating God’s word into your daily prayers. Whether you’ve tried this before or you’re new to the idea, you’ll want to listen in for a few pointers on how to enrich your prayer life.

Thanks for joining us and please be sure to leave any ideas or suggestions you may have on praying God’s word in the comment section below.

Listen here for an older, mp3 version of Praying God’s Word:

Or watch the video below:

What can we learn from those God called to play a part in the birth of Jesus? Mary, the Magi, the shepherds, Joseph, and Jesus all have important gifts to give us as we seek to understand their roles in the story of the Nativity. Join Mary Kane and Jane VanOsdol of OnlyByPrayer.com as they explore The Gifts of the Nativity in today’s podcast. Prepare your hearts for Christmas as you delve more deeply into the birth of Jesus. Be sure to download your free viewer guide. This podcast is available as both an MP3 and in video format.

To listen to the MP3 audio version, click at the top of this post.  To watch in video format, click below.

Jane and I welcome you to Week One of Simple Thanks! We are very excited to be with you during this journey into the simple thankfulness. In the weeks leading up to this study, we have been praying for you. Thank you for answering God’s  call; it is not an accident that you have joined this study. God is calling us to live fully in the moment. Life is a gift–rejoice and give thanks.

Here is our TalkShoe Webinar from week 1 if you missed the live call-in:

Weekly Homework

Each week we will add your assignments to a password-protected post. Look for the password every Tuesday evening in your email. Below you will find homework for each level of study. Feel free to change from Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3  as your schedule allows! Remember, there is no pressure to complete every activity. These are just options for your growth. They can be accessed at any time, even after the study ends.

Level 1, Study: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1, watch  SESSION 1:Attitude of Gratitude, Ann’s video.
• Take time to notice and thank God for His simple gifts.
• Complete the study guide  and Between Sessions homework PDFs.
• Start your 1000 Gifts List in a separate journal.
• Feel free to do any of the other activities from Levels 2 and 3 as your time allows.

Level 2, Community: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1 watch  SESSION 1:Attitude of Gratitude.
• Take time to notice and thank God for His simple gifts.
• Complete the study guide  and between sessions homework PDFs.
• Start your 1000 Gifts List in a separate journal.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post.
• Join the Community Call, Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. EST on Talk Shoe (Information on TalkShoe is in your weekly email.)
• Read Thankfulness, the Way of Jesus from the Soul Shepherding website.

 Level 3, Opportunity: Weekly Goals 

• For Week 1, watch  SESSION 1:Attitude of Gratitude.
• Take time to notice and thank God for His simple gifts.
• Complete the study guide  and between sessions homework PDFs.
• Answer the question on the Speak Your Mind comment section at the bottom of this post, join the Community Call on Wednesday night on TalkShoe, and listen to the Podcast at the link provided up above.
• Don’t forget to check out our private Facebook page. Leave your comments about this week’s study, post your prayer requests, or share any insights/questions you may have. Only members of our Bible study group will see these posts.
• Start your 1000 Gifts List in a separate journal.
• In the evening, do devotions 1-5 in the one thousand gifts devotional journal.
• Read chapters 1-3 in One Thousand Gifts trade book by Ann Voskamp.
• Take advantage of the Extra Simple resources by clicking on the links below:

  From Grumbling to Gratitude

Please take a few moments to worship and express your gratitude to God through music for His many blessing and gifts.

Questions of the Week (Please respond in the Speak Your Mind section at the very bottom of this page).

What simple gift are you most thankful for this week?

Thank you for joining us in our Colossians series. Today Mary Kane and I (Jane VanOsdol) will be discussing Colossians 1:13-17. This session finds us exploring how we were each created for God.We also learn that God is involved in every facet of our lives.

For such a small book of the Bible, Colossians is loaded with information. So, grab your Bible and a pen, and let’s get started!

Feel free to pick up our Viewer Guide to get even more out of this podcast session. Some sessions also have additional resources available for download, which you will find on the Viewer Guide page.

We pray that this series blesses you. Feel free to add your comments and questions below.

Pray on!

Join Jane VanOsdol and Mary Kane as they discuss how to live a life of purpose in 2012. Be sure you also check out the blog series on this same topic. We share several ideas with resources on how to live a life of purpose, but we’d also love to hear your ideas too. Please share them in the comment section below or on the blogs’ comment sections.

To listen, scroll to below the share button and look for the little mp3 icon. Click on the sideways triangle, mp3 icon, download link or “Play in Popup” link. You can also listen to it on iTunes.

Resources:

The Cost of Discipleship By Dietrich Bonhoeffer / Touchstone

Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ By John MacArthur / Thomas Nelson

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, Third Edition By Dave Ramsey / Thomas Nelson

The Power of a Praying Parent By Stormie Omartian

Join Jane VanOsdol and Mary Kane as they finish discussing how to pray for your teenagers. The teen years are exciting and stressful times. Today Jane and Mary finish discussing how to pray for all the important issues in your teens’ lives. This is the second part of a two-part series.

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