Thank You, Jennifer!
Dear Jennifer...
posted by Amanda @ 6:00 AM
121 Comments
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Previous Posts
- Deeper Still - Greensboro, NC
- Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 15!
- Deeper Still Blog
- This and That
- I Wish I Knew Why My Husband...Results!
- He's Into the Details
- A Prayer Request for Beth and a Question from Curtis
- Picture Overload
- Siesta Summer Bible Study Gathering Three!
- Happy Birthday, Melissa!
121 Comments:
Thank you Jennifer for the opprotunity to get to know you! I loved it that you appeared on our Blog during this study for a personal message. I considered that a cool momment of the study.
We did the summer study at work. It has been several years since we have done a Bible study and we have had new women come to work there that joined this time as well as friends that was missing getting together. The thing that they cherish is having a place to talk about what is going on in their lives. And Jennifer, Me, Myself and Lies is a perfect forum to do that. After all we are talking about what women are thinking about. We could never exhust that subject!
There is one of our ladies in particular that has been completely overcome with bad distructive "mind movies". More than anything, Me, Myself and Lies, made her realize that she was totally caught up a full closet of negative, hurtful self talk that was affecting her and her family.
She emailed me last week that she had two days of staying out of her thought closet which we all considered a hugh first step.
Thank you for the love you show to us by writing this study and helping us to turn our bad thoughts into praise of our magnificant loving God.
Paula
Tulsa Office Study
Hey Jen,
This study was such an eye-opener for me. I finally realized that because I had believed the lie, "Things are never going to change," I really didn't believe I needed to make better choices.
One of my biggest issues was going to food instead of God when I was upset. I believed that what I put in my mouth wasn't really important and it wouldn't affect my health. And because it didn't seem to affect me when I was younger, I was deceived into thinking that it never would.
I just want to thank you so much for letting the Lord use you in the writing of this study. I especially appreciate your sharing of the embarrassing moments. Don't we all wish people didn't know certain things about us?
"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV
Dear Jennifer,
I am truly, like thousands of others, so very thankful to you for writing this study and for all you do. I have mentioned my thankfulness for you more than once on my blog. I really liked when you quoted the wise penguin from Happy Feet, and then you made sure to make it Biblical and say "God's power"!
I am going to attempt to use your study with high school girls, doing 1 day a week, 1 week's lesson a month, only meeting once a month. I am excited that they are excited about continuing to meet together.
I have to say Thank you to your Dr. Phil, too, for his answer to my email and for all he does.
Thank you again for everything you do!
Jennifer--
I knew as soon as I heard the title of your study that I had to do it. I did it solo,but will be teaching a group at my church this fall. It was amazing and has pinpointed some real needs for closet cleaning. Thank you for your faithfulness to His Word.
Janae
Dear Jennifer,
God has used this study to re-train my mind....to make me aware of what clutters the racetrack in my mind. I have been changed by the power of re-learning how to actively apply His truth to my heart....thought by thought. It's so simple, yet SO difficult for a stubborn-obsessive gal like me.
Praise the Lord He hasn't left me this way!
Thank you!!!
Dear Jennifer,
Just yesterday I received an e-mail from one of our group members who wrote, "This study is GREAT! Does she have any others?" I am passing that compliment on to you and praying that just as Beth said, God will shower blessings on you for all that has been accomplished in the lives of women through your Me, Myself and Lies Bible study. God has truly transformed my own mind this summer. As someone who has battled depression off and on the last ten years, your revelation that hopelessness is the root of depression has set me free! "In Christ Alone, My Hope is Found" is the song I am singing.
Thank you, Jennifer!
Terry
Louisa, VA
Jennifer, I began this study with thoughts of impressing my children and other's who have doubted my computer savy-ness in the past, but that was all about to change- "I'm doing a bible-blog study"! Oh! the joy this humble(?)heart felt when their eyebrows raised and I could see the look of admiration, EVEN IF tinged with some doubt, on their faces. Let's just say I didn't have the purest of motivation.... it would be something to keep me in the Word fresh for the summer, right? riiight...you can sense the construction zone signs popping up.... True to God's nature and His Word through your guidance, and Beth's contribution, I have come to see how very much my closet needed an extreme divine makeover & transplant, a radical surgery. Purposed to expose the cancerous thoughts of apathy towards my self-talk and reveal my spirit of complaining (however righteously I try to mask it)and its root of entitlement. God is so loving and compassionate that even a heart that is so buried in outward adornment and temple worship is a heart He is after. Thank you God for your passion for me that while I am yet a sinner you sent your Son to be sin so that I might become the righteousness of God! That, seistas, shakes the ground I'm standing on!
Thank you Jennifer for following God's prompting on your heart. Keep it up! He is using you to help us press in and seek Him!
'Thank you' doesn't seem adequate enough for the depths I've reached through this study! You were able to encourage a search of that particular shelf of my heart that I've never done before. We always taught our children to think positively, look for the good in others, never say "I can't" and try something new for at least two weeks and know that God would lead them on the path that was right for them. BUT I realized that I don't practice what I teach. I'm now listening to those little God tho'ts and praying before I speak. I have to say, it's working!
Beth has done a wonderful job in bringing out some great highlights in this study for us to discuss! Sorry, Beth, I guess those hair terms are just natural with us Siestas!
Although I've done this study alone I definitely feel that my husband of 37 years has benefited from it. Thank you, Jennifer, so much for sharing this gift God has placed in your thought closet.
In God's amazing love,
Bobbie
Hi Jennifer,
I have truly received from your study this summer and so appreciate your writing it for us. I am a teacher starting back for the school year tomorrow, and I can tell you that I have some wonderful "school supplies" to take back with me this year! You know, things like Water Words, attitudes of gratitude, hope, and even a song to sing to my soul! And of course, I know Jesus is already there, preparing the way as I prepare the classroom. So thank you, dear Jennifer, for sharing yourself with us this summer- it has been wonderful.
Love,
Fran McCurry
Gulf Shores, AL
Thank you for reminding me that Satan goes after the solitary and silent. Sometimes I tend to think that being strong and not allowing others to know my "stuff" is Godly. However, through your study I was reminded of the importance of accountability and sharing with my sisters how they can best pray for me in my circumstances. I know that people need to see and experience me being real so that they can see how God is working in and through me in the midst of challenges. Thank you for your faithfulness in speaking God's Word to us through this study. It was life altering!
Jennifer, I so appreciate your words of encouragement to expose the lies of the enemy and the lies we sometimes tell ourselves. I've been fighting a raging physical (illness) that at times, has left me extrememly weak and very vulnerable to the enemies lies of despair and hopelessness. Your words have helped eased my suffering. Please pray for me.
Jennifer,
Thank you so much for your keen insight. I started this study only because it's the one Beth picked. I had absolutely no idea I had any issues in my thought closet that needed to be addressed. Turns out, I had (have) a lot of junk stuffed in there; I am just adept at keeping the door closed.
At first I was angry because I had a perfectly wonderful self-image before I started, and through you, God showed me that I was hiding behind a false self-image (lies) and I needed to come to terms with reality. Not something I wanted to hear. And I don't mean I have somehow come to loathe myself or anything - I just am learning how to be truthful about myself and still be ok. I'm still cleaning out the closet, but it's a good thing now.
I guess I was afraid of what was in there (spiders maybe?), but I'm over that now and just trying to get it done! Maybe one day, I'll even be able to leave the door open without being embarassed! Thanks so much. God bless!
Dear Jennifer,
I actually have not done your study yet, but plan to soon, as my BFF and I were in the middle of Psalms of Ascent when this started. But I followed along on this blog, and the thing that is huge to me is: "You are not what you struggle with!" That hit me in so many places, and still does.
Also I am reading your book "What I Learned in the Light," at the same time that my friend and I listened to the first video of Beth's "Inheritence" study, and the next thing I read was the exact same thing Beth had been talking about, the adventure and the ride of our lives with Jesus! God is truly amazing and incredible in the way He shares His love with us and teaches us what we need, right when we need it.
Thanks so much for sharing your life and His love,
Love, karen:):)
Thank you Jennifer, what a blessing to share in your study this summer- in Texas, "The Long Hot Summer"- my color is yellow- I do pray to shine as a result of my Lord's divine energy- your words and study have certainly helped transform black thought patterns into radiant color. Blessings
Jennifer,
This study has taught me so many things. Beth asked us to be specific, so I want to tell you one thing in particular that God has shown me through this study. It is humbling, to say the least. My husband is a minister, and I see God use Him in amazing ways. Over the years, I have served a little bit here and there, but I've always felt that tugging to do more. I have come up with all kinds of excuses, but this study has shown me that the root of my hesitance is pride. Plain and simple. I am scared to do anything because I am always thinking of how it will make ME look. I conclude that I will probably not look good enough...that I will fail in some way and look silly...and thus I just don't do it. What I thought was being shy or having low self-esteem is actually pride. YIKES. Instead of trusting God to bring glory to His name, I have been thinking of only myself. Just discovering that has already brought me a measure of freedom. Honestly, I had no idea it was a problem! Now God is really working on me, and my continual prayer is for my pride to be removed.
Thank you Jennifer!
Thank you Jennifer for this amazing ride with our Heavening Father through your study! I have loved getting to know you and you are indeed one of my favorite Bible study teachers.
I did the study solo and learned that my thought closet was full of negative/hurtful self talk that was hurting my walk with the Lord. Thank you for pointing out God's truths in helping me to do some much needed cleaning! You are truly one of God's vessels.
Blessings to you and yours!
Cindy - Lake City, FL
Dear Jennifer...
All I can say is that I love you. You have blessed me more than you can ever know. I am so thankful that you live your life in obediance to God which allows Him to work through you and touch our lives. You are a blessing!
In His Love,
Lauren
Jennifer, Thank You! God for sure has used this study in my life this summer. I am amazed at how much untruth we speak to ourselves. Thank you for, "Who I am and what I struggle with are not the same thing". (I think this going to have to go on the bathroom mirror, so that I can see it every morning!)
One thing that I think God really brought to my attention is that if my self-talk can be so destructive to me, that how I talk to others can just as destructive (or positive) in their lives, too!
It so awesome when God uses others, like yourself, to share things with us to help us become more like the "shinig stars" we are to be. Thank you!!
Jennifer, Thank you so much for this amazing study.! Every Bible study I do, my goal is have my life changed in at least one way. You have taught me to replace those "what if's with WHAT IS" and the difference is huge !! I catch myself starting to fret or worry, I hear the Spirit say is this and is or an if?? WOW Blessings to you and your family.
thanks and love
Jill
PS I too am going to lead this study as a larger group in my church. Every woman needs these truths!
Dear Jennifer,
I just loved this study. It was also one of the hardest I had ever done. I also loved using some of the highlights of each day as devotionals with my daughters who are 9 and 12. They loved it. I sometimes just had them go back and read over the list of truths on page 36. Just such a beautiful reminder.
Thank you for reminders and fresh insights to how the enemy works, and the lessons on hope and helplessness which were huge for me...and oh I could go on and on.
But I also want to share that your confession on Day 1 of Week Four really convicted me of the condition of my stove top. I thought they were clean, but really...after that lesson all I could think of was if Jennifer was here and ran her hands across my stove...what would she be thinking? So needless to say I am reminded of my thought closet now everytime I am in my kitchen which is a lot. Thank you so much. I need visual and it's a great reminder of keeping something clean is easier when tended to daily.
I really look forward to doing another study of yours.
Thank you again for being such a blessing.
Love in Christ,
Michelle van de Ven
Woodstock, Vermont
Thank you, Jennifer, for this Bible study, Me, Myself & Lies. This study came about just when I needed it! I especially liked the times you gave us specific Scripture to use to renounce some of the lies we tell ourselves. Having them right there in front of me showed me the impact God's Word can have in my thought closet. Specifically, I'm thinking of when you listed those statements, "When the lion roars...." and then you gave us Scriptures to counter his roar. I typed out those statements and Scriptures to use against the enemy of my soul! It was a pleasure getting to know you these past weeks. May God continue to richly bless you. Your "siesta" in Christ!
Thank you so much Jennifer for sharing the lessons you have learned with us. Thank you for speaking the hard truth and guiding us through some tough homework.
I am so blessed and so grateful to have learned more about God and through the way He spoke to me through your study.
Thank you for being a willing servant of his. My thoughts have changed and I am much more able to catch the lies.
God bless,
Heather
Thank you Jennifer! We have loved this study! Well, we've mostly loved it - except when it's hard and convicting (which it usually is!) and then we love it because we know God is using it to do a good work in us. Thank you for being the tool God is using to shape us and conform us to the image of Jesus!
Keep challenging us. Your faith, honesty and courage inspire us and make us want to press in to know Him more.
Praying that God will continue to speak to you!
Blessings upon blessings to you!
Vicki for the Chehalis, Washington Siestas!
I'm not sure where to begin to put into words how meaningful and timely this study has been! There are so many things that God has used you to teach me, and I am trusting Him to keep me from forgetting them.
Today I purchased spiral bound index cards for each member of my small group and for the other 2 members of my family. We are going to fight the enemy's lies by internalizing TRUTH, and I am going to work especially hard on identifying faulty assumptions and thinking with my feelings. I feel like I'm going to need to review each week's material again after the formal study time is concluded, in order to remember everything that you so lovingly packed into each lesson.
Thank you for pursuing a life of Truth and for guiding the rest of us into its Light as well!
Jennifer,
Thank you for writing this Bible study and participating in it with us! I have learned so much over this summer, and I will be more on guard over my thought closet thanks to you! I pray that God will continue to bless you and your ministry for many years to come. You are truly a blessing!
Love, Joan
Thank you Jennifer for being such a faithful servant of God! This study has touched us all so much. Together we have opened our hearts and shared so much from our lives. We have also actively shared how this "cleaning our thought closets out" is affecting our lives.
For me personally, God has spoken so much to my heart. There is one thing that he has truly spoken to me, through your study and through the Word. God commands us to listen to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to us to guide us and we get so busy we don't hardly pay attention. I need to be still, fill my thought closet with his Word and be led by the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your stewardship of Christ.
God Bless you and your family.
Your Sister in Christ,
Lori
Jennifer, thank you so much for the study. I have always realized that my thoughts are my biggest issue. But this is the first that I have thought about the lies are from Satan. Thank you! I will be seeing you on August 21-22 at Sevier Heights in Knoxville. Already have my tickets and I am so excited.
Brenda in Knoxville
Jennifer,
Thank you for this amazing, life-changing study! And it truly was life-changing. Through working with a counselor and working hard at your study, God has brought transformation and healing to my mind and my heart in ways I never believed possible. But I believe now!
And then to have the privilege to hear you speak at the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference on Saturday night...WOW!!! To thank you and hug you and have you sign my Bible study book was just one of the sweetest gifts God has ever given me.
Bless you,
Deb
Thank you, Jennifer, for pressing my mind to go to places it never wanted to go and deal with stuff that I was unaware was eating away at me, like an ugly worm.
Thank you, Jennifer, for pouring out yourself to teach the Word and to share the word-pictures that God gives you so wonderfully. You are a dear woman of God and though you do not know me, you have walked some important parts of my journey with me--impacting my life and my family's life, even future generations.
Love you so much!! Praying for your daily strength and joy.
Love,
Holly in Monument, CO
This study has been an answer to prayer. Before hearing about MM&L, my prayer for this year was for God to reveal the roots of who I really am. Boy, your study hit me right between the eyes!!! (in a good way). The theme in my life last year was to replace my "lies" with God's truth...i.e., if I don't feel loved, I quote Isaiah 43:1-5....putting Phillipians 4:8 in action....thinking about what God says is true, not what I feel or allow others to tell me...I have always wanted Rom 12 to be true in my life: to have a sane estimate of myself....and God is really working that out this year, using your study. I thank you for giving me a tool to really delve into God's truth and allowing His light to shine to reveal what I have stuffed down and crammed into the corners of my heart or closet. You have been a huge blessing for me and I thank God for your ministry and this study.
Thank you Jennifer for your willingness to be transparent and to love us through this study. It is an amazing work and I loved every day and every minute. You are so blessed in your gift.
Dear Jennifer,
You cannot possibly know how God has used this study for good in my life. It came at God's perfect timing and corresponded with some topics that we have been studying in church recently from the book of Ephesians such as taking out the trash in our lives.
Our ladies' group at church is in need of a Fall bible study and I have recommeded this one to our pastor's wife. I just know that it will be good for so many others in our church body that struggle with some of the same things I do.
One thing that stuck with me from this study comes from Ephesians 2:10 - I am a Craftsman's tool (get it?.... a Craftsman tool). I giggle everytime I think about this verse. God surely does have a sense of humor! I am reminded that I have work to do and cannot give up no matter what dirt is in the thought closet or how weary this temple becomes.
Thank you again for this wonderful study. May God richly bless you as you continue in service to Him!
Jennifer,
You are an inspiration to me. Your study has challenged me and set me free from negative thought patterns. God is doing a great work in my mind this summer (even with my kids home ALL day)!Thank you for your obedience in learning this yourself and passing it along!Love you!!
Jenny from VA
Jennifer,
Thank you for appearing on the blog in your personal message. It was great to see you! :) After I finish a Bible Study, I always feel like I'm budies with the author because of the intimacy that entails. So it was nice to have you talk back! Ha.
I did this study solo and when I started, I thought "oh this doesn't pertain so much to me". Boy was I wrong. It's not necessarily about your self esteem but about the fact that we have to speak truth to our souls. I think that's the main thing I'm taking away from this study - to speak truth to my soul. And when I do that, it honors God. I didn't realize (until doing this study) just how much junk and lies I tell myself or allow to linger in my thought closet. Thanks for bringing it to light and for reminding me the importance of dwelling on truth.
Thanks!
Becky in TN
Jennifer ~ Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for preparing this particular study. It has been very difficult for me but in the best way. God has used it to reveal outdated, ugly clothes hanging in my thought closet. HE has shown me my tendency to go for the threadbare old baggy sweats when the evening gown would be so much more becoming. There were polyester suits and mu-mu's in my wardrobe - UGH!!!! I didn't have a clue. I thought I was looking mighty fine in my '80s shoulder pads and bright colors.
With your astute guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit, I've done a closet overhaul. Soft shades of blues and greens of tranquility have replaced the harsh and overpowering reds and oranges of anger and resentment. Beautiful pinks and purples of joy and trust in the Lord despite trying times have replaced ugly monotones of anxiety and fear.
My prayer is to keep my closet clean and not let junk pile up. May you be flooded with blessings.
Love,
Leigh
Montgomery, AL
Jennifer, thank you so much for writing this study!!! It has been one of the highlights of my summer!
The truths I learned about my own messy thought closet vs. what God's Word has to say to me have been enormous!
For me, the culmination of all I've learned came in the 2nd last chapter when I was confronted with my feelings of entitlement. God spoke to me hugely about that.
God bless you and your ministry! I pray that it'll continue to grow and flourish and that God will touch many lives through you.
Judi - Bradford, ON, Canada
Oh yes, as a P.S. to my comment, I meant to tell you that we did our study as a "Blog group" (on another blog) and we had women participate from all over the U.S. and Canada, and also one young woman from Nepal!! It truly was a blessing to study God's Word with so many women of different backgrounds, denominations, locales and customs!!!
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for all of the work that you put into writing this study, and for the ways you opened your heart to God and to us that allowed it to become so personal. I absolutely, without a doubt, needed this study at exactly this time in my life. During the course of this study, my 5-year-old daughter and I moved 600 miles to live with my parents. I am a single mom, a widow, and it is a huge help to now have family so close. My parents are wonderful, loving and generous people. But they unfortunately have filthy thought closets when it comes to their self-talk. At the beginning of this study, when God showed me how I talked to myself, I was shocked and couldn't determine how I began to talk to myself like that. But now after a few weeks with living with my parents, it is more than clear where I learned it. I can't take responsibility for my parents, but I can and will take responsibility for myself and for what I teach my daughter. Because of this study, I now feel that I am capable of allowing God to stop this trend and begin a new legacy of healthy thinking and self-talk.
Thank you, Jennifer. You rocked my entire world with this study, and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I'm honored to count you as my friend!
Thanks Jennifer, I did this study solo but gained so much about what's wrong with my thought closet. Hopefully, I will remember and change my wardrobe! Thank you thank you, thank you!!!You are such a blessing to all women who need a change of thoughts!!!
To my new friend Jennifer,
Thanks so much for this study !
I loved so much about it, but the most timely and helpful was the part on the sons of korah. Let's just say that seeing them as gate keepers after a sinful family line gave me alot of hope.
Love your work ,
Jill
Dear Siesta Jennifer,
I do praise the Lord for this study and give thanks that He laid this message on your heart for a Bible study! It is absolutely life changing to change the way we think. From old ways of thinking to the new. Know that He has used this study to change me too. I've written down my truthful labels and their support verses. Knowing who I am now in Him is a major part of the battle!
Many blessings to you, Love in HIM,
katiegfromtennessee
Jennifer,
First of all I thank God for your creativity--to come up with "thought closet make-over"!! How perfect. :-) I loved the OT examples all the way through the study--thanks for doing your homework. I was challenged constantly but to highlight just one or two, I'd say I had never really taken the time to consider what constructive learning my bad memories held for me. Thanks for making me do that! And, Debora's song "march on oh my soul!" Wow. I write songs too and it made me think, "That's one I need to sing--I need to write it!" Thankfully, there are many in our Christian heritage already. Lastly, the woman with the issue of blood; her thoughts led to actions that led to Christ. I want my thoughts and actions to always lead me to Him. Just a great charge. Thank you!
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for taking the time, the energy, the prayer, the thought processes and everything that must go into preparing a study like this. It ministered to me hugely and I often wonder if people who write Bible Studies write while asking themselves if they are only writing for themselves and no one else.
Please know that this one woman benefited so very much and I am so blessed.
Specifically, I want you to know that the colors of the thought closet was one of the most freeing things I have ever done. When I went to color mine, I realized that half the closet was dark and cave-like, and, something I have never entered. I actually stopped myself and just stared at the page.
I felt the Lord saying, "Even the dark is not dark to me," and urging me to go in.
I won't go into all the details, but I want you to know that I did go in there with the Lord that morning. I went holding his hand, and oddly, yours too. We spent quite a bit of time in there beause there was much to clean up and much to speak truth too.
And now, it is not dark and cave-like anymore. I painted it the warmest color of yellow I could find.
Blessings to you
Dear Jennifer
I loved doing the bible study, i learned a lot and appreciated your easy style of writing and sharing. thank you so much!
Monica
Dear Jennifer - I'm only 2 weeks into your study & already God has used you to teach me so much! I had no idea that I thought of myself as unremarkable! The ensuing behavior from that thought is ridiculous - from lying in an attempt to appear like something more to just plain foolishness. It's truly a break through to realize I speak such dreadful things over myself. Looking forward to the next four weeks!
- Shannon
PS - I did something cool with the girls in my small group. I sent them to Wordle.net the first week of the study to create word clouds from their "I am" discriptors on Day 1. It was really cool to see those words laid out in that format.
PPS - my security word is "UNCHANT" and I just couldn't resist. I'm going to "unchant" the lies I speak to myself.
Thank you so much, Jennifer for guiding us (along with our Siesta Mama, of course!) down this oft-untraveled path. I knew that I was not always kind to myself, but I learned things that will certainly shape my future. I am working on "marching on" in some aspects and "waiting" in others. God's goodness was again evident in His provision of this study and my mother-in-law's participation. Though she and I were already close, this has brought a new dimension to our relationship that we are truly grateful for! Thank you, Jennifer!
P.S. Maybe you can be crowned an honorary Siesta Mama! :)
Thank you with love in my heart, for digging into my thought closet. The study has changed my thought pattern from horizontal thinking (Me first) to vertical thinking (God first). Thank you for posting on the blog and for supporting my efforts to inspire women.We had over 8,000 visitors during our online "Small Group" study- Amazing! In Jesus name we are blessed by authors who walk by faith, thank you Jennifer.
Moderators: Please include a photo of a flower bouquet for the Thank You!
Jennifer--
Thank you sweetie, I did this study by myself, and learned some things that I had no idea about.
The one biggest thing I want to thank you for is this;
You reminded that I am precious to Him. Jennifer, I had forgotten that for a long time. No wonder my mind was in such a mess there for a season.
I'm precious to Him... Praise the Lord. And so are you.
I hope you have a great rest of the summer.
Becky
Brentwood TN
Jennifer thank you,
I am way behind, I have had every reason not to do the study. I think satan really doesn't want me to do it. But I have slowly progressed and boy is it relevant to me. I call myself fat and ugly all the time (it makes me sad to write this) Anyway I am working on changing my dialog to myself. Thank you again.
Liz
Jennifer,
This study was so much fun. It was also very challenging. I knew there were some things in my closet that needed to be removed, but I had gotten so comfortable with them. I appreciate you for encouraging me to closely examine the contents of my closet. I am prayerful that I can now appreciate what my Father has given me versus what the devil wants to convince me of.
Praise God for growth! May He bless you richly.
Kim
I am doing this study with my Sunday School class and solo with the Siestas. I need a double portion since it seems Satan works twice as hard on me sometimes with his lies!
The lesson concerning labels and how they don't have to define us but rather refine us has helped especially in the midst of losing my second parent and closing out his estate, etc. with older siblings. Those labels I grew up with as the baby could have made a huge impact on this season of my life if I had continued to believe the lies. I can just roar back at Satan with God's truth in my thought closest and he will not devour me!
Thanks for giving us your insights and encouragement through this study. I look forward to more of them in the future.
Eva
Knoxville, TN
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing this study with us. Both Patty and I really needed to clean out our thought closets. It will be an ongoing process. Each day I remind myself to hope in God, in His Love and in His Word.
I am already feeling called to share this study with God's G.A.L.S. (God Amazing Love Shared) next Spring. We are doing Beth's Esther study this fall.
Thank you for sharing God's Word and love with us!
Namaste,
Mary Ann Holton & Patty Tait
Woodbury, MN
Jennifer, Love the study. I've been doing it by myself and haven't been able to access Beth's videos, but it's been a real blessing to me. I plan on buying this book for my pastor's wife. I think it will be a blessing to her and the teen-aged girls she works with at our church.
Blessings!
Cheryl H., Huntington, WV
Jennifer,
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed this bible study. I think one of the things that spoke to me the most was your statement: "Who you are and what you struggle with are not the same."
This was my second bible study written by you, and I enjoyed this one as much as the first.
Thank you for being so open about your relationship with Jesus (including your struggles, etc.)
May God bless you in a great and mighty way!!
Patti, Kissimmee, FL
Hello Jennifer!
WOW!! I did the video series...that visual thing!
Jennifer, Lisa Whelchel and Kathy Trocolli all expressed some "secrets" that they have had to deal with over the years. Anger, controlling nature, not measuring up, self image....all quite surprising. We forget our bible teachers are "normal" everyday people just like us.
It was fabulous and really makes one aware of their "thought closet". I am afraid you (and God, of course) "stung" me in every video with something, BUT I have to say I did feel like I was a part of community with all of you "girls" adding your tidbits about the reality of your lives.
So, my thanks to God for the inspiration of such a series. My thanks to Jennifer for taking on the task God gave her for such a series. And my thanks to Lisa and Kathy for their contributions in this series.
So creative and thought-provoking. So convicting also. So scary to realize just what control we give the enemy in our thought processes.
I downloaded the individual video files from LifeWay's web site. Very good series!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Dear Jennifer,
I was in the second week of your study when my husband was arrested for solicitation of a prostitute--an issue that had been going on for several years. I learned of this the night of his arrest. We have been married over two decades and I am so grateful that I was involved in Me, Myself & Lies. You have no idea how meaningful and timely your words and guidance through your writing were for me. I thanked God every day for this Bible Study and even shared it with my therapist today in case it could be of use to other women.
We have a long journey ahead, but I know that we are not alone--God will never leave or forsake us. And I have a closet that will accompany me on this journey.
Thank you
Thank You Jennifer!
My womans Bible study usually takes a break to plan vacation Bible school in the summer, but our leader felt the need to do a Bible study so I suggested we do your study. I believe everyone has learn to change their self talk.
Personally I have learned that inviting 'the lion' in to my thought closet to help add gas to a smoldering issue was a bad idea. It was a way to make it all about me and not about relying on God to heal the issue. Immediately an issue that mad me angry at the thought, was forgotten.
Thank you!
Jennifer
Milford, OH
Jennifer:
Thank You for this study. God has used to to show me and reinforce things He has been teaching me from others sources. Thanks again, Kim
B. in AZ
Thank you. To say I battle my thought closet would be an understatement and way too long to go into here. Your study not only encouraged me that I am not alone but showed me ways to secure victory through Jesus Christ. Thank you!
Jennifer,
Just wanted to tell you how much our group enjoyed this study. We especially loved your sense of humor and thought someone ought to make the Flatten It. I was unfortunately born with naturally flat hair and am short so I could use something more like hair stilts. If only I had thick enough hair to hide them.
Our group was varied in age and levels of growth, so it was reaqlly a lot of fun to gather each week and encourage each other. I think it felt good to know I wasn't the only one would did this kind of negative talk to myself.
Thanks again for leading with Beth and sharing with us.
Jan
Jennifer, thank-you for doing this study. There were times that it was just plain hard to confront my own thoughts. I see where it has led me over these many years. My Bible Study buddy Heidi, and I spent more than one session in tears...and laughter.
We committed to meet each week rather than every two weeks. We were not sorry we did. We never met for fewer than 3 hours and we still did not get to talk about every little thing. The studies were so rich for us...brought out so much stuff that we have been stuffing down in the dark recesses of our closet. Thank-you for helping us clean them out.
Heidi and I meet tomorrow and we will decide how to best continue in our encouraging of one another and keeping ourselves accountable as well.
Love and hugs from Wyoming!
Melana
This has been one of the hardest bible studies I have ever done and everyone in my group agrees. We have searched our hearts and our minds and done some serious cleaning in our thought closets. Many times we have begun a lesson and had to stop and think for a while and then come back to it later. Our ages ranged from 41 to 60 and you would think that we had learned a few things over the years but we definitely learned some new things with this study. Thank you Jennifer for your insights and the thought provoking insights we experienced. We all agreed - WE NEEDED THIS!
I guess at the beginning i was excited to be apart of this study just to be doing a study. i really didn't think this was an area i struggled with, but God sure showed me some things! one area in particular that i really didn't think there was anything wrong with, God opened my eyes to what i was saying to myself, and showed me the truth and over the last month he has shown me how i had gotten to that point. Now i am working on doing some forgiving so i can heal and trust him more fully. I am sure that probably makes no since but lets just say i have felt like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. One that i have been carrying around for many , many years . Thank you!
Donna
Jennifer - Blessings to you my Siesta! Man, I can't wait until we're all home and we can all dance around together!
My sister and I are doing your study together, and I'm concurrently doing Beth's Living Beyond Yourself study on fruits of the spirit. We’re a bit behind on the thought closet study due to scheduling between us, and wouldn't you know how the Spirit worked out the timing just for ME?
Looonnnnngggg story, but suffice to say my husband has been without work - 1 year anniversary Sat. Aug 1. So it's been on my shoulders, and God has been SO faithful beyond my imagination (Eph 3:20! Matt 11:28-30!) Well, there have been some shakeups with my work, and possibility of losing this contract, and last night that 'ole lion was ROARING in my head, I tossed and turned out of fear and anxiety all night long, literally. I kept trying to wield Sword of Word (I'm a 1/15th Siesta) and that wasn't working…
This morning, I prayed and submitted to God's will for me/us (Gentleness Bows!) and then read your study at end of week 3 about being “deaf” to the roaring lion because we hear his growling so often and can’t distinguish from our own thoughts – and I prayed for wisdom and God’s Spirit to give me discernment about the anxiety.
And Praise Jesus, Of Course He did! Tonight I had another opportunity to fear, from another email, and I submitted and prayed before firing off a response, and I felt that precious reminder Do Not Fear. I actually began grinning at the absurdity of the accusation!
Blessings to both you Jennifer, and your family for giving you the space and encouragement to minister to us. And to Beth and the whole LPM team for facilitating and blessing our socks off!
Dear Jennifer,
Precious sister, thank you so much for your heart to serve the LORD, and for the beautiful work within this study!
Once again, God made the study of His Word the highlight of my summer. I have not finished the study yet, but I LOVE reading, praying and pondering over, and responding to each day's lesson.
Your writing reflects your sweet nature, your priceless sense of humor, and your gracious love for Him and others! Thanks for being so honest and transparent.
Jennifer, I know you must have tons on your plate, but in the midst of whatever is currently on your heart, please know God has used you in HUGE ways to point us to Him, His Word, and His desire for us to live in freedom. May He bless and love on your lavishly!
Thanks so much! Consider yourself hugged!
I love you!
Jo
Jennifer,
Our little group agrees that this is one of the most difficult, but necessary, studies we have ever done. Many of us just had to put the workbook down and walk a way for a bit. Each of us came back to it, but it was hard sometimes. We each had areas of our lives that we never realized we were believing a lie. Now we know and we're going to keep helping each other keep the thought closet tidy. We've decided to meet once a quarter to do a check-up with each other. We need to hold on to the truth we've learned and keep on applying it, persevering in our walk. Thank you for being our guide in this amazaing study. God bless.
Jennifer, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the study! I have to admit, I don't like some of the "stuff" that God has revealed to me during this study.....I have had to get really honest with myself and with God about some things.
I know this......I have bitten my tongue so many times it is sore! God is revealing to me before I speak that sometimes it is not worth speaking and much better if I don't speak!
Continuing to try to clean out that closet!
love you much!
Blessings!
Sharron in Hartselle, Al.
Jennifer - what a treat to spend time with you (and the Lord) through this study this summer! Thank you for sharing your insight into how we fill our minds with self-talk and how we can refocus it to build our character and, more importantly, our faith. One of the things we loved the most was how much time we spent in God's word - finding new passages, exploring familiar ones with new eyes, and incorporating them into how we think about ourselves. Thanks again for this terrific study!! We are SO blessed by you!
I did this solo and God grew me up some more by this wonderful study. I am deeply grateful.
Thank you Jennifer...
-for writing about a struggle that Satan would have rathered us gone on believing we were alone in.
-for helping me go another step further in understanding & believing who God says I am.
-for reminding me of the reality of the victory in my life & that I better be living it. :)
I thank & praise God for you & for the joy of getting to know you this Summer. Please don't be a stranger to Siestaville - we love you.
Blessings & joy...
Honestly, what can I say?
God's timing with this study (for me) was PERFECT. I am embarking on one of the biggest challenges of my life as of late....taking my 16 year old daughter out of public school and home schooling her. (I cannot emphasize enough that that statement was just typed with a certain amount of low-lying PANIC).
And with that decision, my own insecurities have been hammered by the Enemy. HAMMERED. I am seeing more and more how much he is trying to intimidate me through my own thoughts!
"What if...."
"WHAT IS...."
I am so grateful for that portion of the study. All of it has just been such a blessing.
My group has met intermittently due to vacations/moves/weddings...life in general. But as we continue with the study, we are all benefitting from it in so many ways. I'm kind of glad that we're taking it slower, it gives us more time to savor the truths God is teaching us.
BTW, my husband wants me to mention that this isn't just a "WOMAN" THING...He, in fact, is going to use this study as a basis for some upcoming sermons he will be preaching! As I have shared with him some of the things I am learning through the study, he is saying "I need that too!"
Thank you, Jennifer.
"apples of gold..."
Becky
Owasso OK
Thank you Jennifer! I am just starting Walking by Faith Lessons learned in the dark by you! A group of friends are doing a coffee morning now that kids are going back to school. Thanks Beth and Jennifer, you made my summer more thoughtful and fun! I actually went on a road trip with Beth!
Our group is a session behind and won't finish for two weeks. Some of these weeks are just so deep! But, I wanted to share my deep appreciation to Jennifer for allowing God to work through her. I also want to thank our Mama-Siesta, Beth for chosing this study. It has been a good one!
I've been so deep in my thought closet that I couldn't see how cluttered with lies that it was. But stepping out of that thought closet and taking a real look at it is allowing the Holy Spirit to expose so much.
I think that it is absolutely amazing how taking a good, deep look at yourself and focusing on cleaning your own 'thought closet' can actually help you to learn NOT to focus on yourself but to focus on Him & on being there for others. This time of focusing on me (through His eyes) is helping me learn to NOT focus on me (through my eyes). I'm trying to truly focus on Him & what He wants to change in me! =0)
So, again... THANK YOU!!!
Sheila
Pampa Texas
Dear Jennifer,
God bless you dearest for opening up your heart, and even your closet for us to learn and grow! They say, "An old dog can't learn new tricks!" Well, my siesta girlfriend and I proved that saying just plain wrong with God's help and your powerful teaching.
We had a truly interactive experience together with our two newly retired husbands when we decided to take this study as we headed forth North to Alaska on a 6 week caravan with the two of we couples in RV's. When I found our Siesta Summer Bible Study was exactly 6 weeks long and commenced at the same time as our trip, I felt it was a "God thing" and we needed to do this by faith! Kathy agreed and we signed up and got the materials from Lifeway. We had a multi-media trip, between the wonders of creation, the wonders of getting along with our mates in a confined RV for 24-7, and the wonders of 4 people with the help of the LORD, staying in harmony for 6 weeks.
Today, we are back home! We traveled 8500 miles to Alaska and back home to So. Cal, and stayed faithful to our Biblestudy with you, the whole way! We found out you can't depend on WiFi on the road, but we could "catch up" on "Mama Beth's" Vimeo videos, and we were able to download 3 of your powerful sessions through Lifeway. (That is another glitch - you can't download big files on WiFi!)
Through it all, we kept at it, mucking out our thought closets, and digging out things that weren't in harmony with God's thoughts. We would faithfully schedule time each Tues. night for our study discussion after encouraging each other on our personal daily study. Your insight and joyful spirit with the content of biblical teaching brought Psalms 19:14 to home: "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Oh LORD my rock and my Redeemer."
"Me, Myself and Lies" is a study that will transform the life of any believer who wants to get honest with herself and God. We laughed, we cried and we rejoiced at the power of this study. You are a blessing and a treasure to us all Jennifer. More than that, you are an example. If you can do it with the obstacles placed in your journey, then we could too! Even if we are in our 60's...it's never too late to learn.
Thank you again and again from the bottom of our hearts for what this study has meant in our lives, to ground us for the next adventures ahead with thought closets fit for the Masters use.
We love you dearly in the LORD and rejoice in the powerful ministry the LORD has birthed in you to bring to the body of Christ. What a gift! What a message! And we are changed....
Lovingly in Him,
Pam Houston and
Kathy Collier
Crescent Baptist Church
Buena Park, California
Jennifer, I too have been so tended to by this study in God's word. Many times when I think I'm just thinking or speaking what is "real" it is motivated by self-centeredness. It is never effective for someone to be the constant "rebuker" for everyone else - especially those closest to me. I can't believe I've been used by the enemy in such a way. God has given me a total insight in to His ways in this situation and it has caused me to run to Him when I feel the urge to take over a situation. I can also dwell on it incessantly if I don't act on it. Boy this has been a life-changing and a freeing journey for me. There's so much I could comment on specifically but the thing God has inscribed in my memory is one of the earlier lessons on faulty assumptions. This can be such a tool of satan in my life. It takes special effort for me to stop the faulty assumptions and wondering "what ifs". But I'm so grateful that God has brought it to my full attention. Just yesterday I was a ball of emotions that were based on something I was assuming and it just took over half my day to work through it. God Bless you and thank you Heavenly Father for loving us so much that you would send Jennifer Rothschild to this world to minister to our hearts as a sister who has walked the walk!
Thank you so much for letting us get to know you. Thank you for being so real, so vulnerable. I've learned so much from you. You are a beautiful woman and I love you.
Thank you for being vulnerable and daring to make us really look at what we have stored away. This study couldn't have come at a better time in my life this summer.
Thanks and God bless you!
Jennifer, thank you, thank you, thank you very much for writing this study!!! This has been THE most difficult study I've ever done. But it was also what I needed most. I had a whole lot of thought patterns, that I developed over the years, some even as early as my elementary school years. And the older I got the less I liked what was going on in my mind. And growing up in a Christian home and in church, somehow I never got around to clean out that thought closet. It's been very difficult some days to get through the lesson. But GOD is just so amazing. He's been so close to me these weeks, I can never thank HIM and you enough for this study. I'm learning to make the choice of using the truth, using His Word to battle those thoughts that want to come back. I've been listening more to praise music, memorizing more Scripture and I've ordered the Bible on CD, it just arrived yesterday. So I'm very excited about that.
Thank you also for appearing in that video on the blog. It was so cool to put a face & a voice to a name! May the Lord continue to bless you!
Meggie K, Winnipeg, Canada
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for such an awesome Bible Study. I have know for a while that I am my own worst enemy...but I had just never seen a Bible study that directly taught on how to combat the lies I told myself. So...thank you for just writing the study :) My eyes have been opened and I more aware of each little thing I tell myself that is destructive. I think the most practical thing for me that I learned through one of your videos was that you said when you start telling your self "I am..." that you have taught yourself to stop and say to God "You are..." Just that little practical idea has helped me in ways I can't even describe. Thank you for giving me a practical way to redirect my thoughts back to the one who matters the most :)
Thank you!!!!!
Carrie
Wow! What a study this has been. I have been made so aware of my thoughts and where they take me (emotionally, physically, and spiritually). Thank you for visiting us on the blog and for this wonderful study. Would love to do this one with a group of young women I mentor. If they could clean out the closet earlier in life and learn how to keep it clean what a blessing that would be.
Much thanks and many blessings for your faithfulness to His calling.
Julie
Carlsbad, Ca
Thank you Jennifer for sharing difficult material in a very creative way. We are what we think about. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks and whatever comes out- good bad and ugly has a much deeper meaning. I admire you and thank you.
Beth
Dear Jennifer,
I first heard you speak at a Women of Faith conference in Seattle years ago. I was so moved and impressed by you. Then I did your Walking by Faith bible study. Again, I was impressed and moved. I recommended your book to many. This spring I saw Beth in Portland and picked up MM&L, determined to do it myself if no one else was able. Then Beth picked it for her summer study. Oh, the Lord's timing is perfect.
Thank you so much for this study. I have been so blessed by it. I appreciated your word pictures, your honesty and your friendliness. I love that you tell us not only what to remove from our closets, but also what to hang in them. I am putting the list of truthful labels on index cards to carry with me. I have been asking myself "is that the truth" when some faulty assumptions pop up. This has led to better communication and not so many "fits of emotion". I want to relabel those painful memories so they can be profitable and there's one less weapon Satan can use against me. I want to have God be in the center of my closet.
Thank you, Jennifer. You are such a blessing.
Oh Jennifer.. I jus t got the workbooks... they were sold out everywhere.. so I have a small group coming and we are going to do it the rest of this summer and early fall and it will problaby over lap our fall bible study but it will be worth it...
I also bought two of your books.. You are a blessing to me already and God is using you in a Mighty way.. Thank you for allowing Him to flow through you when others with less than you deal with would be bitter.... I should know... I am grumpy over my surgery and LONG LONG recovery..... I am embarrassed when I think of you
I love you sight unseen and feel strength when I read you books....
I'm sad that I didn't get to do this study, but have loved watching the videos and reading all the comments. I am going to buy the book and do it on my own. Sounds like a great study, Jennifer.
You are a blessing!
Thank you Jennifer for the opportunity to dig into the Word, clean out my thought closet and put a wonderful, new wardrobe that Christ paid for, into my thought closet. I got a lot out of this study but a good way to tie it all together is how you ended it - I have to focus on all four legs of the table and bring in God's thoughts on all four areas. Thank you for sharing your challenges and thank you for helping me to grow in God's word.
MaryS
Houston, TX
Jennifer, I have so enjoyed your song and whenever I am doing my quiet time or when I need to just calm down I play it and enjoy.
I am working on not believing the lies I tell myself and with the wisdom in your study hopefully I will grow in trusting the God who can give me peace, joy, and unconditional love.
Thanks for letting God use you. It was a pleasure being part of your study.
Jennifer,
I have completely enjoyed every minute of your Bible Study. I am doing the study long distance with my mom and it has been great for us to share things with each other from our "thought closets". I am actually a little behind in my study b/c of vacations, etc...and I have to tell you that God knew exactly where he needed me to be in your study this summer! I had a day last week filled with alot of anxiety and an unexpected phone call that caused ALOT of anger in my heart - bringing up past hurt feelings to the surface. I had a hard time sleeping that night. I have been doing my Bible study alot of the time during my lunch break at work and would you believe that the next day the place I was in the study was all about anger!?!? Amazing still to me how God orchestrates things in our life because He knows exactly what we need to hear, when we need to hear it! I won't say that I am "completely there" in letting go of all of that anger and hurt feelings, but I am letting God deal with me in that area. I also love all of the scripture references that you give us to turn to specifically when we have a certain thougth or feeling - I am making notecards that I can carry in my purse with the circumstance on one side and the verse to claim on the other. I love how you have had us all over the Bible looking up scripture. Thank you so much for this study! I have needed it and enjoyed it so much and am plugging along and will finish just a LITTLE behind everyone else : ) I look forward to more of your studies and books!
Luain, Amarillo, TX
Thank you Jennifer,
I have enjoyed doing this study very much. I am behind, as I had to wait until I could afford the book, but I am still plugging along doing the work! W
When I start with the negative thoughts, you come to mind, and it is helping me, and it is helping my children!
You are such a joy!!! Thank you for writing this Bible Study!
love you,
Delilah
Berryville AR
This has been a life changing study, which I have vowed will not be put on the shelf....ever.
Thank you, Jennifer, for tackling such important issues by writing this powerful and timely study. What a wonderful gift to the body of Christ you have given with your honesty, vulnerability, and incredible wisdom. Our group agreed that cleaning out closets has never been so difficult, but somehow God made it sweeter through you.
One truth that was revolutionary to us is that who we are is not what we struggle with. Thank you for helping us truly recognize that distinction. I don't know how to explain the profound impact this study has had on my daily life except to say that I love Jesus even more than before I started it.
Thank you for shedding light on some places in my mind that desperately needed it. May God bless you richly, Jennifer!
Love,
Christy and Siestas in Greeley, CO
This has been one of the best studies I have ever done on myself. It was tough but it needed to be done so that I could de=iscover God's truth instead of the lies that Satan has been filling me with for numerous years. You are a precious gal and I adore you and your teachings. May God continue to bless you.
In Him, Becca
Dear Jenifer
Like so many other on here I hadn't quite realised how much I struggled with the issue of my thought closet, but this study has revolutionised my thinking. I am working hard to fill my mind with truth and am realising that that I can make a concious descision to 'turn negative thoughts off'. One amusing outcome of this book was that my husband picked up my book the other day and I think he really understood (for the first time) much of the negative stuff I had going on in my mind. Although I'd told him (and screamed it at him!) many times, it appears that the Lord moved his heart through seeing it written down. This is amusing as I feel that so much of what I had written is 'in my past' now and so he was really just reading the pain I had already let God deal with. It has certainly brought us closer though
Thank you thank you thank you :-)
Ems
Jennifer--
What a blessing you and your MM&L study has been to me this summer. Several of the ladies from our church met and did the study together. As Beth would say, "God really got into my business" several times during the lessons and I still am a work in progress. It was so nice to "get to meet you" on the video segment you took the time to make available for us. I hope to be able to attend your conference in Springfield in the fall.
Thank you for being obedient to God and allowing Him to use you and your life.
K; Poplar Bluff, MO
Thank you Jennifer!
Through this study you confirmed something that I learned in the first Bible Study I did.
I am a child of God. I am not stupid or incompetant.
I loved it and will recommed it highly.
Thank again
Ernie
Thank you just doesn't seem enough. I have been changed.
God has placed me in some situations in the last two weeks where I have had to walk out what He's taught me in this study. He even gave me a living example of what happens when we do not fill our thought closets with HIS garments.
I sat with my 92 year old grandmother the night after her surgery. She wasn't saved until she was 90. SO, there is 90 years worth of ill fitting and ungodly thoughts in her thought closet. I saw first hand how important it is to stock pile GOD's thoughts toward us! We can't pour out what hasn't been poured in.
Thank you for challenging me to ask hard questions. As hard as this journey was, it was so worth it. I am forever changed.
Blessings on you and your family.
Stephanie
Oh, Jennifer! What a wild ride this study has been! For someone that thought their thought-closet was in pretty decent shape, you can imagine my surprise at what God revealed to me as I examined it more closely! It has been extraordinarily effective for this particular season of my life, as well as (no doubt) seasons to come.
It was also great to see and visit with you at She Speaks - what God spoke into my heart during your message is something I'll never forget.
Blessings on you and on all to which you put your hand,
Melinda
Thank you so much for allowing God to work through you by writing this study. I knew the moment I saw the title that I had to do it! I have done it solo, but have really enjoyed the time that I have spent with the Father. I have invited Him to come and be with me each morning and He has been truly faithful. I can't begin to tell you the extent of my need for a closet makeover. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Hi Jennifer, I have enjoyed this study yet it has caused me to look a little deeper into my thought closet more than I even knew was there. I catch myself hearing the thoughts become words outloud and I wasn't pleased at all. So I can imagine with dread what God Himself thought about them. This study has made me more aware and I'm glad that you took the time to listen to God and put this together. You are a beaming light for us women and i pray you are blessed beyond measure for your life you live for Him! Love ya Carla Lee
Dear Jennifer,
When we began, I thought on a scale of 1 to 10 I needed this study a 10. Boy, was I wrong. Maybe more like a...20 or so?
Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. There are bunches of places in my study guide that have circles or red underlines or multiple stars...and the thing in my prescription for keeping my thought closet health and balanced is "Review This Book!!!"
I'm so thankful for women who choose to share their journey to and with God with the rest of us...just like a parent. Thank you for being a good and obedient steward.
Carol
Jennifer,
Thank you so much for this study. It was one of those studies that I didn't think I needed. Wrong! I quickly realized I had some major stuff in my thought closet that didn't belong there.
I'm sure it is going to take me some time to sort through it all and train my brain to be on alert of those negative thoughts but, I'm confident that it will happen.
One of the main things I realized about my thoughts was all the lies I had believed or at least let them stay there even if I didn't agree with them totally - lies that were placed there to keep me from being the servant of Christ that I know I was meant to be. Just so you know - I promptly threw those out.
Thanks so much for your guidance and your willingness to serve Christ. My life will not be the same.
Abundant blessings,
Jennifer
Charleston, SC
Jennifer
Thank you so much. I must admit I wasn't sure how much I needed this study this summer.. boy, has God ever shed some light on major areas of bondage in my thinking! I am a bit overwhelmed as the study ends with how I will ever be different.. but I am working on making a set of "REVERSAL" notecards to reverse lies with scripture. i hope to have those with me pretty much at all times and to wield the sword of God's Word when the old lies and habitual thinking creep back in. I don't think i would have actually taken the lies that seriously if not for your study, but now i can see that if i don't take captive EVERY thought to obedience to Christ, it will be to my ruin and destruction. it is already making a huge difference just identifying the lies and barring them out of my mind. Refusing them for once instead of just sitting under them. God has used you and will continue to use this study in my life, Jennifer. It has been an unexpected change of course in the direction of my very life because God is changing the direction of my thoughts. I so praise the goodness of our God! His Word is working in me and I rejoice over it. May God strengthen you to persevere, just as we siestas also persevere toward hope, holiness, and clean minds.
Love to you!
Martha
Thank you Jennifer for such an amazing Bible study that God used to in my life in some unexpected ways. I have a lie that I have believed for so long. Even though I know it is ridiculous, I still believed it and I didn't realize how much it affected me until this study. I am so very blessed(I have a wonderful husband, two sweet boys...) and satan has been telling me for so long that I am far too blessed and don't deserve any of it(that part is true), but he would also tell me that God is just waiting to take it all away as a fresh reminder of just how much I don't deserve it. Nice, huh? So defeated. The great thing about this study to me was that I not only gained victory over that lie which was so huge in my life, but so many that were hinding out as little ones and therefore weren't getting much attention. I want nothing more than to please God with my mind. I am prone to fear and totally obsessing about things in my mind, so this was so perfect to me. Thank you for your obedience to our Heavenly Father in writing this. Thank you for your beautiful life that has touched so many. God has given you so many gifts(a great Bible study teacher, for one), but also the gift to use His grace every day to shine a beautiful light for Him.
Jennifer, I just wanted to thank you. I've struggled with an ugly thought closet for years now - seeing how destructive that has been was so freeing for me. I have a long way to go, but for the first time in a long time I am filled with hope that my closet will one day finally be purged of the negative and full of the beautiful, positive, and redeeming words of God. Thank you again.
Dear Jennifer ---- want to thank you for joining us in your Bible study - have to say that in the course of the study there have been a lot of "ouch - hallelujahs" ---- what a dirty closet I have/had . . . there is so much work still needed as I had to tear out the entire structure it seemed (OK, at least to me!) - you hit the nail right on the head on every page - I do believe that God ordained your writing this! Ha! That is an understatement . . .
Thank you for sharing your heart with us via the study and your video to us.
God's peace to you and yours!
Thank you for investing your life in so incredible Kingdom work. I know it's not easy to live out your Christian walk before so many and I know it's not easy to travel and speak. I thank you for the work and the heart you put into this Bible study and all the others you've done.
This one was so amazing for me. I really didn't think I had THAT much junk in my thought closet, oh but girl did I ever! It was just a mess up in there. I'm still sweeping out the cob webs and I'm so excited to lead this study again with my church girls. We'll start in September and I'm so thrilled for the chance to do this again.
Thank you so very much for putting yourself out there for us. God is using you in a mighty way!
Jennifer, Thank you for writing an enlightening study. We have had to take a hard look in our Thought Closets,and cleaning out the back corners. It was good to join everyone in the Word this summer.
Judy and Susan
Norfolk, VA
Jennifer,
I loved doing this study, even though it was difficult at times. I didn't realize how many lies I had been telling myself until this study urged me to face reality.
One of the most profound things I learned is that telling lies to myself is sin! And believing lies I tell myself is also sin! I just never thought of it that way before.
Thanks for your investment in me.
Blessings to you,
Tami
Denham Springs, LA
We loved the study! He revealed so many assumptions, so many lies, so many thoughts of grumbling, so many truths about who we are in HIM! Oh How we have grown closer to HIM! I cannot thank you enough for facilitating this wonderful, enlightening study!! May God bless you and keep you and may his face shine upon you and give you much peace. Much love, SOUL SISTERS
Jennifer,
Thank you is not sufficient but will have to do. I joined this bible study, late, as I usually do, but it was such a blessing and very easy to catch up! What did GOD show me through YOUR bible study??? That I *am* worth it.
Delaney
Allen, TX
delmajesty at gmail dot com
Hi Jennifer,
We did not take the 'conventional' route to this Bible Study. We did indeed discuss meaningful parts and how we related to themes...however we also took and INTERACTIVE pathway. One night we wrote lies we've believed with sidewalk chalk on the driveway and then took a hose and washed them away with water. Another night we hit a big pinata blindfolded... to represent batting at lies we cannot see, knowing there are treasures hiding if we stay in the battle. One night we took magazine clippings with words that represent truth about ourselves and modge podged them on glass bowls. We then put river rocks inside the bowls. Written on the rocks were things God had done for us. I called them our 'Forget not all of His benefits bowls'. I have mine on my bedroom dresser:)
It was a great time! Wished you could have been with us! Hitting the pinata, we wouldn't of had to blindfold you!:)
Blessings,
Laura in 'Feel the Zeel' Zeeland, MI
Hi Jennifer!
Just want to say thank you and that I really enjoyed going on this journey through our thought closets with you, Beth and all the siestas. I learned so much and boy was God ever in my business as Beth puts it. Thanks again!
Lucy from PA
Jennifer this is an amazing study! I teach an interpersonal course at a small college for women and we spend a lot of time working on our negative self-talk. Unfortunately we have to keep the discussions on a secular level. I have said for years somebody needs to apply Biblical concepts to this material. Well, my sister, or should I say siesta, you have done an incredible job doing just that! Thank you so much for a life changing experience! May the Lord richly bless you as you serve Him in such a mighty way!
Much love!
Dear Siesta Jennifer, Before this summer, I was not familiar with your ministry. But, thanks to our mutual Siesta Mamma, Beth, I am now totally enthralled with you and your ministry. "Me, Myself, and Lies" has been a rough study for me but it has opened my eyes to so many things that need to go in my 'thought closet.' Thank you for being dedicated to God's Word and sharing with the world. I will continue to be a follower of your ministry and be praying that God will bless you and your work. I will be looking forward to hearing more from you. Love you, Jennifer.
Hi Jennifer!
Thank you for writing this study and getting "God in our business," as Beth would say. Our group did some great digging into our thought closets. We got a bit overwhelmed with all that we found sometimes, so it's a good thing that our congregation will be offering the study in two different time slots this fall.
The most useful insight for me was the section on our unchangeable facts -- finding faith labels to attach instead of fate labels. Using God's perspective is far healthier!
I got to hear you speak at the Devoted Hearts Fresh-Grounded Faith conference in Rochester, MN this spring. You have blessed me and many others! Thank you for following God's call on your life.
Jennifer, I just this hour finished this Bible study - a week late due to a vacation where I truly VACATED!. This study has done such a number on me, because I am a queen of negative self-talk. Thank you so much for re-training my Greek chorus, and for helping my clean out my thought closet!
Jennifer, Thank you for your very practical and relevant study on cleaning out my thought closet. For someone who loves to take care of my home, this made a lot of sense to me. I am praying I can keep my thought closet filled to the brim and overflowing with God's precious truth so there is no room for the untruths of Satan or the world and more importantly to stay deeply connected to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Thank you! It was a blessing to do this study with my two daughters, aged 25 and 21. They both have been through some difficult relationships and this has been a very healing time for them both. Very timely and I praise God for using you to bless them.
May the Lord richly bless you and your right handling of the Word of God.
Becky
Choctaw, OK
Jennifer,
I wanted to share how much this Bible study meant to us. It was so cool to see my friend and her daughter doing this study together. This was one of the hardest studies I have ever done—it forced me to look inside and open myself up to let God do some real work on my heart and mind. But that’s a good thing—we need to take stock every so often to make sure we are growing spiritually. The best way I can describe it is – I feel like I have been “making up my bed” for a long time, but you had me get down on my knees and look under the bed with a flashlight, searching for any dust bunnies and yucky stuff that had collected in the dark places of my heart and mind. Not pleasant, but everyone needs to move their furniture every so often to clean out what’s underneath!!
All in our group benefitted immensely. We had breakthroughs of release from anxious thoughts during the study. There were so many of the lessons that were just what we needed to hear at this season of our life. I didn’t realize I still had so much in my past I needed to turn over to God for Him to redeem. Also, the lesson on what do our thoughts turn to in idle moments was insightful. I tend to think of hurtful situations over and over so focusing my thoughts on God and His benefits has been good for me. I could go on and on about how we make faulty assumptions and the huge revelation of what we struggle with is not who we are, but I will close by saying, Thank you for helping all us siestas move down the path towards renewing our minds and the freedom, peace and joy in Christ that results! May God continue to bless your ministry!
Johnnie, Christy, and Victoria
Wake Forest, NC
Jennifer,
I'm sorry that I am late posting this. God has used your study to speak volumes to me about things hidden in my heart. I want to tell you that you have an amazing way of connecting the Word to real life, and I adored that while doing the study! Your insight is incredible. This study has been unbelievably hard and piercing. In plainer terms, this thing has kicked my tail! It's been a couple of weeks since I finished it, but I'm still not over it. I'm waiting on God to clean me out completely and give me a new heart!
Thank you so much Jennifer for being obedient to God in writing this study. Please keep praying for us who go through this study to really let Him "get at us" and to not run and hide from what He shows us through it.
I love you sister!
Katie Taylor,
Russellville, AL
Jennifer-
I can't thank you enough for this study. I did it with my mom, sis, and a friend of hers who became a friend of mine too. We had a blast and learned so much. I can truly tell a difference in my thought closet from the study. ONe of the biggest lies I struggle with is that I am not good enough for my amazing hubbbie, he should have married someone else.Your study really showed the root of that lie is insecurity and not trusting God. I want to change my fate label of hubbie to an amazing spiritual man that I don't always measure up too to a FAITH label that God put us together and can use me too!I could go on and on. Thanks so much!
Michelle
Thank you so much Jennifer. I have just finished the study, a little behind everyone else. As usual, God puts what I need in my hands without me knowing how much I need it. I have officially began a diet since starting this study. My self talk had many times been "Fat" talk and one week you asked, "What are you doing about it?" Well, truth, nothing. I felt so overwhelmed by 50 lb that I never even lost 1 lb, if anything I was adding to it. I am currently realizing 1 lb at a time with a goal to be healthier in steps of 10 lb at a time.
There are many labels that are fading and being replaced by truth. I thank you so much for allowing God to speak through you and sharing it with me.
Tanya,
Killen, Alabama
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