Finding Balance

by Stevens, Becca

• ISBN13: 9780687345106
• ISBN10: 0687345103
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-01
• Publisher: Abingdon Pr

Summary

I come from a tradition that celebrates the possibility of finding new meaning in old stories each time that story is engaged. The scripture is a living word, and in quiet reflection God is revealed anew in our daily lives. - from the Introduction In this six-week Sisters study, Becca Stevens will help you consider the question of balance in your life--between service and worship, duty and devotion, doing and being. She does this by examining narratives of New Testament women such as Mary and Martha, Lydia, Mary the mother of Jesus, the Canaanite woman, and Mary Magdalene. Becca concludes the study by exploring the anointings of Jesus Christ, in which women played a crucial role.Throughout the study, Becca brings powerful insights from her work in Magdalene, a residential community she founded for women with a criminal history of prostitution and drug abuse. As a part of the study, you will read from this Participant's Workbook each week, reflecting on the ideas presented and recording your thoughts and responses. Then, in weekly meetings with your Sisters group, you will share your thoughts and hear the insights of others. Each meeting will include a video in which Becca Stevens discusses the week's topic with a group she leads, followed by the discussion in your own Sisters group. Finding Balance will help you weigh and resolve some of the conflicting impulses in your life, as you seek to follow Jesus Christ. ( also available separately Finding Balance Leader's Guide #0687471211 or as part of the Finding Balance Kit # 0687344905) For more information about Sisters, go to www.sisters.cokesbury.com .

Table of Contents

Introduction	9	(6)
Mary and Martha
The Doing and Being of Our Lives of Faith	15	(4)
Mary and Martha, Side by Side	19	(3)
Continuing to Walk in Mary and Martha's Footsteps	22	(3)
Service and Solitude	25	(3)
God Laughs with Us	28	(2)
God's Servant	30	(3)
Preparing for Group Discussion	33	(2)
Lydia
A Dealer in Purple Cloth	35	(4)
The Vision of Lydia	39	(3)
Six Ways Lydia Balanced Duty and Devotion	42	(4)
Priscilla, Leadership, and Women	46	(3)
No Turning Back	49	(3)
Loneliness in Another Key	52	(3)
Preparing for Group Discussion	55	(2)
Mary, The Mother of Jesus
The Embodiment of Duty and Devotion	57	(4)
The Gift of Motherhood in Our Lives of Faith	61	(4)
The Magnificat	65	(4)
Following in Her Footsteps	69	(4)
Mary at the Cross---God's Love Will Endure	73	(4)
The Image of the Sacred Heart	77	(2)
Preparing for Group Discussion	79	(2)
The Canaanite Woman
Keeping Scripture in Holy Perspective	81	(3)
A Great and Tenacious Faith	84	(4)
Feeling Like a Foreigner	88	(4)
Dog Days	92	(3)
The Need for Social Justice in Duty and Devotion	95	(3)
Piecing It All Together	98	(3)
Preparing for Group Discussion	101	(2)
Mary Magdalene
The Mysterious Disciple	103	(4)
Wounded and Powerful Healers	107	(4)
How Jesus Relates to Women in the Gospels	111	(4)
Morality Is Gratitude	115	(3)
They Were There to Anoint Him	118	(4)
Jesus Lingers for Magdalene at the Tomb	122	(4)
Preparing for Group Discussion	126	(1)
The Anointings of Jesus Christ
The Forgotten Sacrament	127	(4)
The Money Could Be Spent on the Poor	131	(3)
Preparing for Burial	134	(3)
Tears for Cleansing	137	(4)
Putting Ourselves in the Room	141	(4)
Summing It Up	145	(4)
Preparing for Group Discussion	149	(2)
Bibliography	151