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Digging Deep Podcast

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

May 16th: Digging Deep Podcast from the Sea of Galilee!

Posted on May 8, 2019

The live podcast from Israel will occur on Thursday, May 16th, from the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. I hope you can plan to join us, as Kate Hudgens and I discuss Authority from this beautiful seashore where eminent authority was so often demonstrated during the ministry of our Lord. He calmed this sea (Mark 4). He directed a huge draught of fish into the nets of doubting disciples in this place (Luke 5).  He placed a coin in the mouth of a fish, so he could pay his tribute (Matthew 17). He put unclean spirits in a herd of pigs and that herd of swine ran violently into this sea (Matthew 8). This paragraph could be a book! I’m extremely excited about discussing His authority from this place and about our blessing of technology that allows our sisterhood to do this from several corners of the earth—together! 

So, Lord willing, the podcast will be May 16th, at 10:30 am CST. (Our time in Israel will be 6:30 pm). I know that some of you will be working and unable to watch at that time, so it will be quickly uploaded and available on the Digging Deep in God’s Word page for viewing at any time. The live podcast will be here: https://livestream.com/whcoc/for-women.

I’m thankful to Jennifer Benavides, Louis Benavides, Glenn Colley, John Moore, and Kate Hudgens for making this possible. The family of God is wonderful. 

And about that family, please keep the prayer vigil fervently before the throne for the Don Blackwells. A good and faithful family has been hurt. We have all benefitted immensely from the materials, broadcasts and lectures that Don has delivered around this country. He is very dear to my husband and I consider Sheri to be a close friend to me. She has encouraged me countless times. This sister has lost her parents in recent days, now her mobility for a time, and her  husband now faces long and arduous challenges. She’s a faithful digger and encourager. Let’s lift them up! You may send cards ℅ Southaven church of Christ, 1483 Brookhaven Dr, Southaven, MS 38671. 

And, finally, please pray for calm along the Gaza strip as our Digging Deep group travels to Israel. Our guides tell us that we are not at any safety risk. However, it would be comforting to know that the unrest along that border is at a low point rather than an escalated one as we enter the country. 

May he bless all of his pilgrims through this land of uncertainty till we cross over Jordan and assemble at the throne. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Digging Deep Israel Notes…

Posted on April 30, 2019

At last I’m finding a moment here and there to try and ingest the amazing preparatory material given our group by John and Carla Moore of Bible Land Passages. I think the trip is going to be incredibly faith-building and I’m over-the-top excited to be sharing it with lots of diggers, as well as lots of other family in Him–some that I’ve not yet met. Glenn and I believe that this will not only be informative, but very refreshing for those of us who spend our days rushing from one activity to another–all of them good and most of them very much kingdom-related, but still physically and emotionally draining. We are thinking that a time to sing His praises on the shores of the Sea of Galilee or to read His Word from the old steps of the Jerusalem temple might be renewing for our minds and may ready us for a more peaceful and purposeful pursuit of His Will even when we return home.

Sometimes, even with great amounts of prayer and concern over the souls around us, we find ourselves struggling to see the results that we want in the lives of people around us. Sometimes we all get discouraged and find ourselves wondering if our best-laid plans and efforts for souls are really making any difference. Sometimes, it even seems that, when we are going out on limbs to try and influence for good, our efforts are even interpreted negatively.  We are prayerful that for all of the few dozen people in our group, the trip will be a reminder of those in our great faith’s history who, though tempted and tested and discouraged and disillusioned at times, made a difference in the annals of His glory on this earth and are still speaking to us from those Judaean plains, valleys and mountain-tops through the pages of Holy Writ.

Would you please remember our group in your prayers? All have made significant investments to try and make this pilgrimage together. We are praying for good health for all who are traveling for the entirety of the trip. We are praying for weather that will make our time together the most effective. We are praying for wisdom in all of the teaching that will occur as we travel together and for love and goodness in all of our fellowship together. We are praying for safety during each phase of travel. We are so thankful to get to be doing this with family in the Lord. All of us are making a greater pilgrimage to a far superior land together, but may this short trip to the ancient Promised Land be a foretaste of our timeless era to come in the better Promised Land!

A few notes for the women: First, I know you will notice that there are several times set aside for Digging Deep ladies sessions. I, for one, am coveting these times with you. But I also want you to know that these meetings are optional. If you are just extremely tired at the end of a day of hiking and learning, there will be no problem at all with your retiring and skipping these night sessions. On the other hand, if you are tired and just want to sit on that beautiful shore and listen and not participate in any verbal way…there will be nothing required of you…not even taking notes. You can hear the singing and join in our prayers and hear a short snippet from the Word related to what we are seeing, with no strings attached.  So use your best judgment and know that no one will think you are a slacker if you need to rest up!

Next, know that if you are not participating currently in the DD study, but would like to take advantage of these women’s sessions, you are perfectly welcome to do that. You will not feel “lost”or unprepared in any way. Each session will be just as pertinent to the newcomer as to those who’ve been digging all nine years!

And about that Digging Deep podcast….We still are unsure of the time and mode of transmission. But we are working on it. If you are a digger or just an interested Christian woman, check the facebook page “Digging Deep in God’s Word” for updates on the time you can catch that. We are still hoping for a live transmission, but we will soon know and post about that.

So there you go. Pack light. Eat healthy. Check off that “What to Bring” list you got in your email. Get ready to have your spiritual mind blown…certainly not by us, but by the visual aids that the Master Teacher has prepared for these sessions!

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Digging Deep: Podcast and Pendants

Posted on January 29, 2018

It’s podcast week again and some of us will be working hard to finish the January study by the middle of this week. I’m finished with all the Joseph listing and the part about the Judges, but I’ve still got to get busy on the “David list.” The study has been all about the providence of God and several things have become very obvious as we’ve gone through it. Here are five stand-outs for me. They are simple (like me). 

  1. Providence is, in some ways, every bit as unbelievably amazing as the miraculous. A God Who can orchestrate all the events, good and bad, of my life (and all of those surrounding events that affect my life) to my ultimate spiritual benefit (Romans 8:28), has to be the One Who could speak the universe into existence. 
  2. Providence is much better identified in the past than in the present. It’s much easier to look back, after at least some of the providential orchestration has occurred, and see that God was working His Will, through the events that unfolded, than it is to know what He’s doing right now in my life. 
  3. Sometimes, in the present, providence hurts. We can see this over and over in the chronicles of the life of Joseph. 
  4. Providence is surely an exhibition of Isaiah 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
  5. Sometimes sin can be a part of the tapestry of providence. Joseph needed to get down to Egypt to accomplish the eventual rise to power that favored Jacob’s family and allowed its prosperity and growth. Thus, the sale of Joseph into slavery and their deception of Jacob was providential. Joseph said as much in Genesis 50:20: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

I hope you can join Dene’ Canter and me, live, on Tuesday night, January 30th, at 7 CST here:http://livestream.com/whcoc/for-women for this first discussion on the providence of our mighty God. I hope you can contribute via the chatroom. I pray that it will encourage us and bless us as we trust that He is overseeing the paths we travel. 

FInally, don’t forget the little sterling silver pendants are here. We finally have the small boxes we need to ship them out to you. Those were back-ordered. We’re caught up on the orders received thus far. You can order here: https://thecolleyhouse.org/store#!/Sterling-Silver-Digging-Deep-Pendant/p/99264175/category=20688312.  If you order within the next week or so, you should receive them in time for Valentine’s Day gifts. 

It’s always good to hear from you. We love feedback. Here’s the word we’ve gotten so far about the pendants:

“I received my Digging Deep pendant today and I love it. I immediately put in on a silver chain and put it around my neck. My daughter-in-law put hers on her charm bracelet. Very good quality.” …Rachel Kelly  

I’m excited to put mine on a little silver chain tomorrow…right beside a tiny little antique diamond pendant that my husband gave to me for our anniversary;  reminders of a couple of life’s priorities right now, side by side.                                               

 

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

For the Diggers: Loving the Young Hearts in this Dig

Posted on November 24, 2017

                                        Melanie Pinedo (center) is one of our younger 2017 diggers!

 

We have several young women, even several pre-teens, who are diligently studying the Great Escapes this year with our international Digging Deep group. They are learning how to rescue souls. Kaitlyn Epling, age 12, of Elizabethton, TN was disappointed earlier this week when we failed to get to question number 10 in our podcast discussion.  Here’s her list (verbatim) of several rescues from Acts 9-17. Kaitlyn’s styles of listing and study may evolve as she grows in Christ, but grow in Christ she will if she stays in the book!

 Digging Deep- Great Escapes- Month Three- Question 10

• The disciples of the Lord were saved of Saul by Jesus 9:1-6.

• Saul was saved of his blindness by Ananias 9:18.

• Saul was saved of the Jews by the disciples 9:25.

• Saul was saved of the Hellenists by the brethren 9:29-30.

• Aeneas was saved of being paralyzed by Peter 9:33-34.

• Dorcas/Tabitha was saved of death by Peter 9:40.

• All those being oppressed were saved of the Devil by Jesus of Nazareth 10:38.

• Jesus was saved of death by God 10:40.

• Sinners were saved of sins by Jesus 10:43.

• Gentiles were saved of sins by Jesus 11:18

• Peter was saved of contending by his dream 11:2-10.

• The people were saved of famine by disciples 11:28-29.

• Peter was saved of prison by an angel 12:7.

• Peter was saved of Herod by God 12:11.

• Peter was saved of Herod by the brethren 12:19.

• Israel was saved of the nations of Canaan by God 13:19.

• Jesus was saved of death by God 13:30.

• Paul & Barnabas were saved of abuse & stoning by themselves 14:5-6.

• A man in Lystra was saved of lameness by Paul 14:8-10.

• Paul was saved of death by himself 14:19-20.

• Timothy was saved of the Jews’ wrath by Paul 16:3.

• Girl of fortune-telling was saved of a demon by Paul 16:16-18.

• The Philippian Jailor was saved of suicide by Paul 16:27-28.

• Paul & Silas were saved of prison by the Philippian Jailor 16:33.

• Paul & Silas were saved of the Jews by the brethren 17:10.

• Paul was saved of the crowd by the brethren 17:14.

                                                                           Kaitlyn Epling 

 

I was kind of sad we didn’t get to that question, too. I had hoped to share my list from one single chapter, noting how God can use the faithful and the rogue to rescue His own and further the gospel. Let’s look at this list of ten rescues from chapter nine:

9: 7-8 Look at how the enemies of the cross are being used to lead around the most influential 1st century missionary.

9;13 Notice Ananias arguing with God, but then going straightaway to rescue the preeminent New Testament writer. God always accomplishes His purposes.

9:15, 16 Can you think of a more unlikely candidate to be the rescuer of Gentiles?

9:25 Those disciples could not go and powerfully write and preach, but they had a rescue basket for  the one who could!

9:27 Barnabas would be greatly overshadowed in Scripture by Paul, but Paul might not have had the chance to do what he did without the jumpstart given by Barnabas.

9:30 Jerusalem was not the right place and time for Paul. But there were rescuers who knew how to get him to the right place and time.

9:33-35 Aeneas was a rescue tool for the people of Lydda and Saron.

9:39 Dorcas was a rescuer using needle and thread.

9:42 Peter rescued the recipients of Dorcas’ goodwill when he raised her.

9:42 In turn, Dorcas became a tool to rescue the people of Joppa.

Another young digger, Grace Yocum, of Louisville, Kentucky.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Sister to Sister: Directions for “Great Escapes”

Posted on August 23, 2017

Several first-timers are asking for details about exactly how to do the 2017-2018 Digging Deep study. Some have invited others (yay!) and these very significant “others”are needing the format for the study so they can begin with confidence. (Please do invite friends, especially your friends who are not Christians!) It’s so easy that it’s hardly worth a post, but, just in case you are overwhelmed with back-to-school, home-schooling, PTP exhaustion, or, better yet, congregational involvement overload, here it is: the study in a nutshell.

1 Every first day of every month beginning now, a new portion of the study will appear on the Digging Deep in God’s Word facebook page. That’s the place to find a concise copy of the current month’s study and the place to discuss the dig with others all over the world. Go there and see the discussion already happening! This year’s study has also been made available in a free download at https://thecolleyhouse.org and in a workbook also available online at the store. 

2 Be sure and join the Digging Deep for Encouragement facebook group as well. That’s the place for any prayer requests that are unrelated to the study.

3 Try your best to pace yourself throughout the month so that you can finish each month’s study by month’s end.

4 Keep your notes digitally or get a Digging Deep notebook. Either works fine. You just need someplace for notes!

5 Near the end of each month, there will be a live podcast discussing the month’s study. You will be able to type in your comments and questions in this chatroom and we will discuss them together: http://new.livestream.com/whcoc/for-women   All podcasts will be archived on this site, as well, so if you can’t listen live, you can listen later. It generally will occur on the last Tuesday of each month, but we will let you know the exact schedule well in advance on the podcast and on both of  the facebook pages. (If you want to go and listen to podcasts from other years, you may do that, too.)

6 You may optionally subscribe to this blog which will often, but not always, be an addendum to the study. It generally posts twice a week, usually on Mondays and Thursdays: https://thecolleyhouse.org/

7 The last podcast of the year will come to you live from ‘Polishing the Pulpit”during that annual conference that occurs each August. Those present who have completed the entire study will be recognized there.

8 Anyone who wants a Digging Deep t-shirt, be sure and order by next Monday at noon at: https://thecolleyhouse.org/store#!/~/product/category=7007069&id=39322979

We are always indebted to the elders at the West Huntsville church for their support and oversight. We are thankful for Jennifer Benavides for tech support and for every woman who co-hosts on our monthly podcast. But we are especially thankful for those of you who are committing to, persevering in and inviting to this year’s study. It’s not too late to invite friends. Most of all, we thank the Father through the Son for this great study from the Holy Spirit!

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it  (I Corinthians 10:13).

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

For the Diggers: Two Important Men

Posted on July 27, 2017

A study that’s made me richer is about to come to a close. One more month and we will kick off Digging Deep 2017-18. If you didn’t hear the podcast yet, please know that, if you are ever going to invite a non Christian to do a study with you, this new one is the one! You just might have a big reason to rejoice for eternity if you do invite someone. Topic  will be announced at PTP on the live podcast from The Wilderness in Sevierville. Study books will once again be available, because you liked this, but study basics will always be free online, as well. We’ll recognize those in the room there, who have completed (all phases and parts of) this year’s study. If you are one of those women, you are glad you did because the Word is so good for all of us. God has simply showered His best on our fellowship and study. I know we can better serve Him after the deep study we’ve done this year. 

The podcast bulged this month and time ran out. Some have requested the list about Paul and Naaman. As I was writing this study, it just occurred to me that there are lots of similarities between Naaman in II Kings five and Paul. While I’m not stretching to say that Naaman typifies Paul, I am saying that, when two important men, even in different dispensations, submit to the command of God to escape certain peril, there are some important lessons that should not be lost on us. 

Here’s the list:

Both were great (important) men. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:14,15; Acts 22:3; Acts 22:25-28)

Both were honored by men even prior to obedience. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:29)

Both were brave fighters. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:29)

Both were unclean. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 22:16)

Both needed the healing. (II Kings 5:3; Acts 9:8,9)

Both carried letters. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:2; Acts 22:5)

Both encountered a great prophet. (II Kings 5:9; Acts 9:4; Acts 22: 7,8)

Both were commanded to wash. (II Kings 5:10; Acts 22:16)

Both were cleansed by dipping, plunging or immersion. (II Kings 5:10; Acts 22:16)

Both had to follow the details of the instructions. (II Kings 5:14; Acts 22:10 [all])

Both were converted. (II Kings 5:15; Acts 9: 18-20)

Both realized they were debtors. (II Kings 5:15; Romans 1:14-16)

Both had to get way out of comfort zone. (II Kings 5:12; Acts 22:14)