the lifeready woman workbook: session 1
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
1/16
w e l c o m e t ot h e
L i f e R e a d y
woman
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
2/16
The Life Ready Woman
FamilyLife Publishing
5800 Ranch Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas 72223
1-800-FL-TODAY FamilyLife.com
FLTI, d/b/a FamilyLife
, is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963,
1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (ESV ). Copyright 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used
by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984
by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 1996. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971]
by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible, Todays New International Version. TNIV. Copyright 2001,
2005 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.
Quotes on pages 3, 4, 6, 15, 20, 24, 32, 44, 56, 59, 62, 65, 67, 73, 74, 80, 90, 102, 105, 106, and 110 are taken from Shaunti
Feldhahn and Robert Lewis, The Life Ready Woman (Nashville: B & H, 2010).
Quotes on pages 12, 30, and 104 are taken from The Life Ready Woman Video (Little Rock, AR: FamilyLife, 2011).
ISBN: 978-1-60200-374-3
2011 FamilyLife
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publisher. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of this publication should be sent to: permissions@
FamilyLife.com.
Design: Brand Navigation, LLCPhotography: Masterle Corporation, iStockphoto, and Bigstockphoto
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
3/16
Raise your hand if you want a balanced life that fits like a
glove instead of a crazy one marked by worry or stress.
Me, too!
Like you, I juggle the demands of a busy life, so Im delighted to have girlfriends joining me on this journey
toward that place where we can thrive. Well be traveling together, digging into the same biblical passages and
asking similar questions, but well each end up with an answer that is Gods very personal direction for our lives.
What challenges does your life hold? You may be a young woman wondering how to launch a great career
or an older single who has a good job but wonders, Whered all the good men go? Perhaps youre a
stay-at-home mom, wrestling with the conflicting demands of busy teenagers and aging parents, or a
single mom wrestling with how to get some sleep! Maybe you re an empty nester wondering what to do
with more free time in your schedule or a grandmother with lots of wisdom, but unsure whom to share
it with. As for me, my life is typified by the recent comment from a garden-center guy who, pushing
aside sports equipment, camp chairs, homework folders, and a computer bag to load mulch bags into
my minivan, looked up at me and said, Soccer mom, huh? My own challenge is how to juggle time
for a husband, grade-school kids, soccer runs, church activities, and work.
I have a special word for those who are single women. When we talk about marriage and children in this study,
it would be easy to think, This isnt for me. But it is for you! This series is for women in all stages of life, and that
includes where you are nowsinglewhere many of you will bemarried, probably with kids or stepkids
and where some will be one daysingle again. The Life Ready Woman looks into the Bible for a very personal
life road map that can guide your decisions as your situation changes.
There are many reasons why our lives may not look the way we expected, but we can be sure that God has
a special design and purpose for each one of us, regardless of our life circumstances. In an imperfect world,there can never be a magic formulathriving doesnt mean no trouble or happy every moment. But as
we learn about our unique design and callings, and as we live in a way that fits this design, we willarrive at
the abundant life that God promises us and we are longing for.
Im so glad youre joining me as we chart a course to get us there.
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
4/16
Contents
you, todays culture,and your compass
session
1
Gods cal l ings, you r coordinatessession
2 1
fa i th s tep 1:
l i ve f rom the ins ide outsession
3 2
fa i th s tep 2: embrace abig-picture understanding of l i fe
session
4 3
fa i th s tep 3:
use wisdom with a mansession
5 5
fa i th s tep 4: steward your g i f tsf rom an eternal perspect ive
session
6 7
fa i th s tep 5:
bel ieve God, not your fearsession
7 8
two women, two dest in ies
session
8 10
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
5/16
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
6/16
you, todays cu lture,
and your compass
session
1
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
7/16
The Extraordinary World
We Live In
( A ) Key implications for us as women
1. We must the belief that we can have it all.
2. Were going to have to make .
3. We must learn how to ourselves.
4. We must more fully engage what it means to
and live under His authori ty.
( B ) What it means to be Life Ready
1. I am clear about my life . . .
in my direction.
in my priorities.
in my relationsh ips, especially with God.
2. I am bold and practical in my faith.
3. I am able to find Gods best for my life.
I
2
FAST FACTS:
Half of the American
workforce [today] is
female.
In 1970, women
contributed less than
6 percent of family
income. Today, the
typical working wife
contributes 42 percent.
In 1971, women earned
only 6 percent of
professional degrees
(such as medical and
law degrees). By 2005,
the percentage had
soared to 50 percent.
A 2007 research study
showed that Fortune
500 companies with
three or more women on
their board of directors
outperformed compa-
nies with fewer female
board members by as
much as 66 percent.
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
8/16
( C ) How do we get there?
1. By taking a fresh look at ourselves as women through
the lens of Gods Word.
2. By interacting over this material each week in our
Guided Application Project times (GAPs), small-
group discussions, and optional homework.
3. By taking bold and practical next steps of faith that
will better our lives as women.
3
1you, todays culture,and your compass
No matter how crazy
your life is, there is a
solid, encouraging,
and empowering
guide that we can find
in the ancient words
of the Bible that
applies directly to our
life today as contem-
porary women.
Shaunti Feldhahn
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
9/16
Understanding the
road blocks that are
in the way will be key
to removing, fixing,
or navigating around
them.
Saunti Feldan
Te Callenes
Blockin Our Pat
( A ) The of life
1. We are often stressed, overloaded, and tired!
2. We need a way to balance our lives.
3. Jesus offer . . .
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light. MATThEW 11:2830 (NIV)
( B ) Living to Gods design and callings on our lives
Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.
JEREMIAh 1:5 (MSg)
I I
4
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
10/16
1. When we live contrary to Gods design, life
breaks down.
2. God has specific callings on our lives.
For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do. EPhESIANS 2:10 (NIV)
( C )
1. We need an unchanging reference point.
2. We need a perfect guide for our lives.
3. We need what Gods Word says about our
design and callings.
( D ) Our desire to be in
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have
left Gods paths to follow our own. ISAIAh 53:6
(NLT)
( E ) Soft, vague
1. No deep, practical convictions about life
from the Bible
2. No firm action steps to steady and em-
power us
Having a form of godliness but denying its
power. 2 TIMOThy 3:5 (NIV)
1
5
you, todays cu lture,
and your compass
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
11/16
Our Life-givin Compass
( A ) The is Gods compass for our lives.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teachin
for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousnes
so that the man [and woman] of God may be adequat
equipped for every good work. 2 TIMOThy 3:1617
( B ) The special direction this compass gives
1. Heading #1: Our callings
2. Heading #2: Our callings
3. Heading #3: Our callings
( C ) Taken together, these three headings map out a uniqu
direction God has planned for each of us.
1. No womans life is the same.
2. Every womans life has a one-of-a-kind divine de
sign and purpose.
For I know the plans that I have for you, declares th
LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give yo
a future and a hope.JEREMIAh 29:11
3. It takes a purposeful decision and bold faith t
manage our lives Gods way.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he wh
comes to God must believe that He is and that He is
rewarder of those who seek Him. hEBREWS 11:6
I I I
6
To the extent that we
live in accordance
with Gods design
and callings for us,
well thrive.
Saunti Feldan
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
12/16
7
1you, todays cul ture,and your compassIV Wat to Expect in te Comin Weeks
( A ) A look at the sessions ahead
1. In session 2, well explore the compass headings Gods Word gives us for our Life
Ready journey.
2. In sessions 37, well explore five important Faith Steps for becoming Life Ready.
3. In session 8, well summarize all weve learned by comparing the lives of two important
women in the Bible with their two very different destinies.
( B ) Our process
1. Guided Application Projects (GAPs) will be done within each session.
2. Small-group discussion will take place at the end of each session.
3. Optional homework will be offered between each session.
( C ) When this study ends
1. You will be clear about how to find Gods best for your life, and equipped and
emboldened to do so.
2. You will have a personalized Life Ready Map (on page 116) for wisely navigating
the days ahead.
( D ) Are you ready to become Life Ready?
my l i fe read map
Live from the Inside OutEmbrace a Big-Picture
Understanding of LifeUse Wisdom with a Man
Steward Your Gifts from an
Eternal PerspectiveBelieve God, Not Your Fear
What am
I doing well?
What do I most
need to work on
and change?
What New
Action Steps
do I need to take
to move forward
and please God
with my life?
MyPresentLocatio
n
MyCourseCorrections
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
13/16
8
For your small-group discussion, you will be asked to circle up with several women.
Your host for this Life Ready Woman series will have discussion leaders assigned to
each group to help guide you through the questions below. They can also help you with
any concerns or questions you have about this series overall. Please follow one simple
guideline as you now interact together: Everyone participates; no one dominates.
Enjoy your time together!
1. What does thriving in a do-it-all world mean to you? What would your life looklike if you were thriving in todays world? Describe it.
2. What do you think about the idea that if we really cant have it all, all at the sametime, were going to have to make choices? What might that mean for you?
3.
Which of the five challenges blocking our path to finding Gods best (pace of life;living cont rary to Gods design and callings; disorientation; desire to be in control;
soft, vague faith) did you most identify with during this opening session? In what
ways is this challenge impacting your life right now?
4. Do you struggle with accepting the authority of the Bible? Why or why not?5. Is the idea that God has a specific design and callings for your life a concept youve
never considered before? Does it give you a sense of excitement and hope, or does
it make you a little anxious? Explain.
small-group discussion
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
14/16
1
9
opt ional homework
1. Read the introduction and chapter 1 ofThe Life ReadyWoman book (and chapters 2 and 3 if you can). Record
any special insights that might apply to you.
2. Other than the Bible, what do you find yourself using asa reference point for your life (happiness, relationships,
money, etc.)? Why do you think you look to those things as signals? What might
happen in your life i f you relied solely on Gods Word as your reference point?
3. Reflect on Ephesians 5:1517. In light of session 1, how do these verses speak toyou? What about Matthew 11:2830?
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
15/16
my l i fe ready map
Live from the Inside OutEmbrace a Big-Picture
Understanding of Life
What am
I doing well?
What do I most
need to work on
and change?
What New
Action Steps
do I need to take
to move forward
and please God
with my life?
MyPresentL
ocation
MyCourseC
orrections
10
-
8/4/2019 The LifeReady Woman Workbook: Session 1
16/16
Use Wisdom with a ManSteward Your Gifts from an
Eternal PerspectiveBelieve God, Not Your Fear
11