Let's Get Started!

This is one of those posts that you will want to print.

Welcome to the Coffee Tea and Thee Book Club! Now that we have book in hand we’re ready to begin. I usually don’t pray before I start reading a book, but in this case, let’s do. As we make our way through Respectable Sins let’s ask the Lord to: 1) give us the commitment to finish the book, 2) read with hearts wide open, 3) actually do whatever the Lord instructs. I personally pray that every post on the blog will be God-guided, encouraging, useful and interactive. I pray we will have a sweet connection to one another as we dig deeply in our hearts to be rid of sins we tolerate.

We will be closely, but not exclusively, following the Respectable Sins Discussion Guide. You do not need to purchase it, but you may find it helpful as we will not cover every question in the Guide. Each Thursday on the blog we will explore a variety of topics: individual questions, group questions, prayer opportunities, personal growth reflections and action items. We all need to be equipped with pencils, sticky notes and highlighters for note-making as we read. Oh, and since this is the Coffee Tea and Thee Book Club a good stash of coffee and tea is highly suggested and even better, a Starbucks card! Maybe Starbucks should be the location of our last meeting!

As you read, make notes of what interests you, what speaks to your heart and questions you have. Put a star by things that lead you closer to God and things that lead you to prayer. Be prepared to share on the blog! We all want to hear from each other and learn from each other. I can already tell you two chapters I'm dreading - Chapters 17 and 19. I haven't read them yet - I'm not going to read too far ahead of the reading schedule - but I saw the topics in the Table of Contents - ugh!

Reading Guide:
June 17
Just Getting Started
June 24
Read Chapters 1, 2, 3
July 1
Read Chapters 4, 5, 6
July 8
Read Chapters 7, 10
July 15
Read Chapters 8, 9
July 22
Read Chapters 11, 12
July 29
Read Chapters 14, 15, 16
August 5
Read Chapters 17, 19
August 12
Read Chapters 13, 18, 20, 21*

* I’m still tossing around the idea of having a face-to-face book club wrap-up meeting. We’ll see.

One last thing… I thought this was most helpful:
Jerry Bridges (born December 4, 1929, Tyler, Texas, United States) is an evangelical Christian author, speaker and staff member of The Navigators. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Pursuit of Holiness, which has sold more than one million copies. His devotional Holiness Day By Day garnered the 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award for the inspiration and gift category, and The Discipline Of Grace received a similar award in 1995 for the Christian living category.
Bridges earned his undergraduate degree in engineering at the University of Oklahoma before serving as an officer in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He joined Christian discipleship organization The Navigators in 1955, where he served as administrative assistant to the Europe Director, office manager for the headquarters office, Secretary-Treasurer of the organization, and as Vice President for Corporate Affairs before moving to a staff development position with the Collegiate Mission.

Happy Reading!
or I should say, read at your own risk!