Posted January 28, 2013 Book: Wrapped Up: Companion Journal: God's Ten Gifts for Women Authors: Teresa Tomeo & Cheryl Dickow Servant Books. Cincinnati, OH. 2012. pp. 102 An Excerpt from the Introduction: With this Companion Journal we hope you will follow the Lord's same instruction to Simon Peter and put out into the deep. Here is your chance to dive even deeper into the warm waters of God's love. Maybe you have been in a relationship with God for a while. Maybe you are doing everything you think you're supposed to be doing in order to have a better spiritual life in general, but something isn't clicking quite yet. Or maybe you're just looking for more. This journal is designed to lead you into further study and reflection about the gifts God has for you. We have designed the summaries, questions, and reflection resources with discussions in mind --- discussions you may want to have within a study group, with a circle of friends, between you and the Lord, or all of the above. So come on in. the water's fine. Let this journal be your net. Throw it out into the deep end and just see what Jesus has in store! An Excerpt from the Book: At a certain point in my life, I knew I had to leave secular media and see what God might have in mind. About a year later the radio station was getting ready to make some on-air adjustments. The station manager was gracious enough to buy out the remainder of my contract and allow me to exit gracefully. That's when I finally let go and said, "Whatever Lord." I could almost hear the Lord saying in return, "Okay, now you're ready." I walked away from secular media in February 2000 feeling very peaceful about my decision. In prayer, I told God that I would go wherever he wanted to send me and do whatever he wanted me to do, but he needed to show me the way. Within a few short months, I was hired by the local evangelical station and given my own daily talk show. The on-air exposure allowed me to build contacts within the local faith community. Speaking requests started to come in, and two years later I was hired by a Catholic radio network. So what is the plan, the idea, the goal to which you're clinging so tightly? It may be the very thing blocking the truly abundant life that could be yours. When are you going to trust the Lord enough to let go and release it all to God, recognizing this as a true gift that can help you move forward? Discussion Questions: Do you set specific goals regularly for yourself? If so, what are they? If not, why not? How does your faith impact your attitude toward your goals and dreams? Describe the balance between taking initiative in pursuing your plans and being able to let go and let God. How does this practically play out in your life? What have you struggled to let go of? Why has this been so difficult? What has been your experience with letting go? Describe a time when you chose to let go of something. What was the result? Do you really trust that God has better plans for you than you could dream up for yourself? Or is there a part of you that holds back, afraid that you will be unhappy if you allow him to have his way in your life? Can you think of a real-life example of someone who demonstrates "letting go and letting God"? What does that person's life look like? Is there something in your life that you can release right now? Do it now – and then note any immediate results here. Table of Contents: The gift of God's love The gift of forgiveness The gift of allowing God to be God The gift of a joyful attitude The gift of suffering The gift of letting go The gift of a sacramental life The gift of your sisters in faith The gift of settling priorities The gift of you