This week is a get-acquainted study, which I will tweak for our online women. Next week we begin chapter and lesson 1, so you still have time to get your book if you have not. I got mine used from Walmart in less than a week for under $5! (I’d run out!) You won’t need your book this week, but you will next week!
If you are new, just make a comment and give your first name and and middle name or first letter of last. It will also ask for your e-mail, but that won’t show up. I will need to approve you the first time and it may take a day. Then please come back — use the exact same name and e-mail you used when you signed up, and it will recognize you so I won’t need to approve you. Sometimes I will comment on your comment, sometimes other will. It takes a little time to feel comfortable, but please give us a few weeks! If you prefer to do this alone or with a few others, that’s absolutely fine too. You can find this on my blog later if you choose to do it at another time — but I hope to see you NOW, keeping our eyes on Him through the holidays.
I know Jesus will surprise you during this study, for He loves to do that. To show up when you least expect Him, as He did for the two on the road to Emmaus, and for us when we were filming this curriculum. (You’ll see that amazing story next week.) You will be strengthened in your faith to spy Him in your life and throughout the Old Testament. Here are such a few of the many ways you might spy Him in your life.
Sunday:
- God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here.
Monday: Getting Acquainted
2. We want to know if you are willing:
A. Your first name and where you are from
B. A way you absolutely love to serve the Lord
C. Something you do well and something you don’t do well
D. Why you have come to this study and what you hope to have happen
3. Take just one of the ways you might spy God in your life from the above pictures and share one story of your own.
Tuesday: All Through The Old Testament and In Our Lives
Go to this link: https://deebrestin.com/the-jesus-who-surprises/
and scroll down until you see this picture in the first small box and watch it (under two minutes)
4. The opening video of the kayakers on the Chattahoochee River will happen every time, with my saying “Only a proud fool will try to navigate the river without Jesus. It’s a good reminder on why we need to abide in Jesus all through the day. What do you learn about the fool in the following verses?
A. Proverbs 12:15
B. Proverbs 18:2
5. I was so grateful to Karen and David Mains for teaching us how to teach our children how to go on the God Hunt. We had a bulletin board over our dining table and we recorded many God hunts from them. It helped them so spiritually. If you have had a ministry with children, your own or others, how have you learned to help them grow in the Lord? What has worked well for you?
6. What are the three places Jesus specifically mentioned in Luke 24:44?
Wednesday: Six Minutes from Mike Reeves
Because there are some very advanced Bible students here, I am going to add more meat to this study. If you are new to Bible study, just get what you can today!
I absolutely know you are going to learn something new from this — you can listen and read the transcript at the same time if that helps you. I’m very eager to share what I learned, but first I want to hear what was new for you!
https://learn.ligonier.org/podcasts/ask-ligonier/did-the-old-testament-saints-know-god-as-trinity
The transcript: # 1 When Jesus Came Reeves Did OT Saints Know God as Trinity.
7.What did you learn that was new, if anything? Maybe you can make a list!
Thursday: The Surprising 1st Sermon and Surprising Zacchaeus
8. Read Luke 4:16-21
A. Look at the context of this incident. What has just happened and how early in Jesus’ ministry is He proclaiming this?
B. What 5 things does He say He has come to do? Meditate on each one and see if God shows you something fresh.
C. This is a quote from Isaiah 61, but Jesus stops before quoting this: “and the day of vengeance of our God.” Before you look at John Piper’s explanation, why do you think He does not say this?
John Piper says it is because Isaiah saw salvation and judgment together, while Jesus revealed that they would unfold in two stages.
9. Read Luke 19:1-10
A. What observations or comments do you have?
B. Why do you think Zaccheus is so surprised by what Jesus says? Have you ever felt that way? Explain.
C. What immediate changes do you see in Zacchaeus that suggest he is having a genuine conversion?
D. Share one dramatic change you have had in your life due to Jesus.
Friday: Jesus Surprises The Disciples
10. Read Mark 4:35-41.
A. What observations or comments do you have?
B. What do they accuse him of in verse 19? Do you ever feel that way? Why is that foolish in light of the cross?
C. What question do they ask in verse 41?
D. What similarities do you see in Jonah 4-6?
E. How did the pagan sailors have more faith than God’s prophet?
Saturday: God Shot
In the beginning of the week we’ll ask how you spied God. At the end, what you learned about God — His nature, His ways, His presence.
11. What is your God Shot?
33 comments
Sunday:
God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here. – Hello everyone, so good to be back here. I’ve missed the wisdom and knowledge you all have. Two things that come to mind from last week are, I’m the head of the Benevolence team at our church and it’s hard to review a request/need and not be able to fill it at all or only partially. But I pray and listen to how God is leading my heart, and I sometimes have to say no. I see God working when I get confirmation from another member that agrees with what I’ve said. I know as the lead I need to be discerning as well as the whole team, and there are times that God will just say no. It’s hard to relay that back to someone who is in need, but he always gives the right words I need to say to them. The other one is the excitement of joining a group of people, digging into God’s Word and hearing from others what God has done for them. Coming back to this group, where strangers become friends and doing a Fall Fast into Gratitude in another group from the campground we go to where more strangers are becoming friends and ‘family’ make my heart happy. God has put so many amazing people in my path and from that, I know he loves me.
Monday: Getting Acquainted
2. We want to know if you are willing:
A. Your first name and where you are from – Julie from Church Hill TN in the NE corner
B. A way you absolutely love to serve the Lord – I’m more the behind-the-scenes type person. I love to help where the need is. Praying for people is becoming easier for me to do.
C. Something you do well and something you don’t do well – I can sense when someone is hurting, but I don’t always step out in faith to ask them about it.
D. Why you have come to this study and what you hope to have happen – I love the ladies here and have grown by the wisdom and knowledge they all have.
3. Take just one of the ways you might spy God in your life from the above pictures and share one story of your own. – The Word becoming radioactive in my life. I’ve been through some tough patches along the way once I became a Christian, but what helped me was growing in God’s Word. The more I dug in and studied, the more I knew I was going to be ok, because God’s Word said he would always be with me. I was able to stand on scripture, even though I was struggling and others wondered how I could be so at peace during those times. I was able to tell them and show them just how good God was to me and how he would be for them too. My struggles are not as hard now, but I still fall back on His Word to get me through each time.
I love that you chose “When God’s Word becomes Radioactive,” Julie. Welcome back!
Good to see you again Julie.
Nila
November 8, 2026
1. God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here.
Good morning from Montana,
I have participated in Dee’s weekly study since 2013, but in the past couple years have only been following along silently at times. I look forward to meeting new people here this week and hearing some of your stories.
May this Sara Groves song serve as a welcome to this beautiful place of encouragement with our fearless leader Dee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcYFtihSg_8&list=RDgcYFtihSg_8&start_radio=1
Hey Nila,
So good to see you here. Sara Groves is a favorite of mine, as is Blest Be The Tie. Sooo good to have you back!
Thank you for sharing Sara’s song, Nila. I had not heard her before. I found this video clip of Sara telling the story behind this lovely song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoK-zBGX_Z8
Thank you for posting this back story Cheryl.
One way that I recognized God’s work in my life over the past week was from a message I listened to by Dane Ortlund based on John 14:1-7 where Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled.” I have ruminated over these words in recent years, for I find my heart more often troubled than not troubled. Dane summarized that passage into three gifts from our God. So I have been speaking these words outloud to myself throughout this past week.
His first gift is Calm Now – verse 1
His second gift is Home Soon – verse 2, 3
His third gift is Me Always – versee 4-7
Beautiful, Nila!
I love this! So good to see you here again! This is the scripture from the funeral I attended on Friday! I love that you are saying this out-loud to yourself. I learned from Set Free Ministry and Hope Outloud that our brain needs to hear truth repeatedly in order to start believing it-there is science backed data about this. Such a good discipline I am also trying to implement.
1. God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here.
I was very grumpy going into 19 parent teacher conferences last Tuesday. They were 10 minutes each and I just didn’t want to do them. In 30 years of teaching I have never experienced such a thing. Conferences, yes, speed dating conferences, no! So, when my first “client” had on a “Godsmack” ball cap, I knew I needed to get myself together 🤣. Godsmack is a local rock band that has been around for years. Apparently one band member was making fun of another for having a cold sore and the next day he had one! Someone said that’s a “God smack” (kind of like our kiss from the King!), and it stuck.
That is awful! I didn’t know that was what it meant.
I never heard of that! How awful. I just love your stories from school, Laura. The Lord is truly using you there! Praying for you to stand strong in your faith again this year amidst the battle.
Sunday:
God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here.
This past week has been a very “peaceful” time for me, experiencing the presence of God daily. I talked to Him about my day, saw Him rearranging things, and realized He was doing that for my sake. Though my circumstances are imperfect, His peace has been staying with me. I do forget Him in the hustle and bustle. Then He comes as quietly as He only can, and I realize He never left me! He is a forever friend, picking up where we left off, being full of grace and mercy.
Picking up where we left off, being full of grace and mercy. Your words are radioactive to me, Bing. The Lord isn’t waiting to reprikmand me for not meeting with Him, but is patient, longsuffering, full of grace, mercy, and love (even when I get “too busy”).
2. We want to know if you are willing:
A. Your first name and where you are from
Hi, I’m Laura and I live in NH.
B. A way you absolutely love to serve the Lord
I love to dance to scripture and to sing praise music for him.
C. Something you do well and something you don’t do well
I am forgiving. I can be selfish.
D. Why you have come to this study and what you hope to have happen
I love Dee’s Bible study and have been here a very long time (2012?). I want to continue to learn by C studying the Bible. I struggle with the parables, but want to understand Jesus more.
3. Take just one of the ways you might spy God in your life from the above pictures and share one story of your own.
He is here all the time! Our son recently lost his wallet/passport in the downtown of a smaller city. I prayed for God to allow an honest person to find it and to turn it in, intact. I prayed that our son would be reminded of God and believe in Him again. A few days later, my husband encouraged him to call the police of that city and see if someone turned it in. Someone did! It was intact. I told my son of my prayer. Thank You Lord.
That’s great. And thanks for being specific! Like Hope in her testimony said.
Oh, Laura, What a loving answer to prayer! I’m sure it also made an impression on your son. God is good.
Sunday:
God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here.
The radioactive scripture that calmed my heart Sunday night: Isaiah 46:4 “I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” There is a personal prayer the Lord has chosen to not answer for many years. Last night was one of the times I was falling into despair about it and this scripture came up in my evening devotions, reminding me of his unfailing love for me.
So good.
This is such a great group — impressed how many chose Scripture as their God Hunt!
Dear Lord, How we praise and thank you for Who You Are and Your great love for us. I pray that You would wrap Your arms around Chris, and that You would touch her in a mighty way. You WILL sustain her, You WILL carry her, You WILL rescue her. Great is Your faithfulness, O God, In the mighty and precious name of Jesus, I pray. amen
Monday: Getting Acquainted
2. We want to know if you are willing:
A. Your first name and where you are from: Chris from Michigan.
B. A way you absolutely love to serve the Lord: I love working with children and telling them stories from the bible, but also love our current community group at church. We began hosting 2 years ago and our group is so close a diving into the word.
C. Something you do well and something you don’t do well: I love to serve others. I struggle to reach out in a crowd to make others feel welcome, but I’m getting better.
D. Why you have come to this study and what you hope to have happen: I love the community and growth here. I’m both stretched in my spiritual growth and encouraged.
3. Take just one of the ways you might spy God in your life from the above pictures and share one story of your own. I went to the funeral for my friend’s mom on Friday. I know the Lord allowed me to be there, arranging the circumstances. I know my friend’s mom was a true believer and that her family has prayed for her many years. She was close with her mom and lost her husband just a year and a half ago. I’m hoping we can meet during her visit here around the holidays. She was open to that. She’s hurting and I hope open to following Christ now. She was my best friend in high school and maid of honor at my wedding but we haven’t had much contact since going off to college a lifetime ago. She chose a very different path than I and we lost contact. She lives in North Carolina so we can only see each other a couple of times a year if she chooses to visit family here. She said in the past that she always felt like a fish out of water here with a church on every corner. She travels the world for work. I’m excited to see what the Lord does with this renewed friendship.
Hello my name is Debbie, first time here I recently finished idol lies. I had heard Dee on moody radio’s Midday connection show when I lived in Wheaton, IL and that study impacted me so when I “found” that book among our collection after a move to Nashville in 2024 I saw God’s leading.
Debbie — it’s so good to have you here. I like your story of “finding” Idol Lies. 🙂
Sunday
I received several birthday cards this week, and I’m always a bit skeptical at the expressions of praise and gratitude for myself. Then it dawned o me that the Lord was using those people and words to show me HIS love, and to tell me that I am pleasing Him. Echoes of Paige’s teaching, I AM for real, and the Lord was telling me so.
Also in the Sunday message, Pastor referred to the final chapter of the book of Job, which my study group had looked at an discussed earlier that week.
Monday: Getting Acquainted
2. We want to know if you are willing:
A. Your first name and where you are from
Cheryl, and I live in NY between Albany and Binghamton in a rural community.
B. A way you absolutely love to serve the Lord
I enjoy leading a women’s Bible study and see the growth in grace and knowledge.
C. Something you do well and something you don’t do well
Something I do well is praising/worshipping the Lord with american sign language.
Something I don’t do well is accepting help from others when I am supposed to be in charge of something.
D. Why you have come to this study and what you hope to have happen
I have heard Dee speak in person, and I “happened to find” the online study blog some years ago. My study group at church “just happens” to be doing this same study right now. We are on lesson eight this week. I am hoping to see more and gain more from the sisters on this blog, and I look forward to NOT being the leader of the study.
3. Take just one of the ways you might spy God in your life from the above pictures and share one story of your own.
Help to do His Work: For several years I felt called to lead a women’s bible study group, but like Moses at the burning bush, I had lots of logical reasons why I could not. The main reason was my speech disability. I basically whisper most of the time. How in the world could I lead a study? I finally stepped out in faith, committing myself to lead, whether anyone came or not, I would be there. At first it was just one or two. 4 years later it has grown to 8-10 women. It’s a community group with women from different churches. It is a highlight of my week. The Lord has given me th strength, courage, and resources to do this.
I love that story — and I am sure you do a wonderful job. You live just a few hours from my daughter, Sally — she’s in Clifton Park. It is so beautiful where you live!
I have been to Clifton Park, near Albany. Small world isn’t it. I’m reminded of Bing’s comment (last year, maybe?) about us all being tiny lights across the U.S. I think I’m going to get a map and put star stickers in each area/state that we live.
Sunday:
1. God is always at work in our lives, but we often fail to see Him. As you think back over last week, can you see a way He was? It can be as simple as His peace during a hard time, His wisdom, or help in finding your keys. Share here.
God has met me through meditating and praying Lamentations 3:21-23. Through times of discouragement and afflictions (and I’m learning all the time), “I call to mind, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness! And therefore I have hope.” God is bigger than my circumstances and I can testify that time and time again He has been faithful…what a mighty God we serve and oh, how He loves us!
What a great testimony, Sharon, and great encouragement, too.
Signing up for the newsletter only.
Monday: Getting Acquainted
2. We want to know if you are willing:
A. Your first name and where you are from
Sharon, from the coast of North Carolina they call “The Crystal Coast ,” because the sand sparkles. I call it paradise!
B. A way you absolutely love to serve the Lord
Teaching teens
C. Something you do well and something you don’t do well
Praying for others as I promise and then following up with them.
Don’t do well…hospitality.
D. Why you have come to this study and what you hope to have happen
To grow in the Lord and be challenged by others.
3. Take just one of the ways you might spy God in your life from the above pictures and share one story of your own.
I spy God through His word and all the amazing promises in it. In studying Genesis and how we’re made in His image I was constantly reminded of Psalm 139:14, “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works.”