Sheila Walsh - The Storm Inside Bible Study Guide: Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are

2014 Sheila Walsh

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English StandardVersion, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4016-7763-3

ISBN: 978-1-4016-7764-0 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

14 15 16 17 18 19 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

IF YOUVE EVER LIVED THROUGH A TORNADO, hurricane, blizzard, or wildfire, you know that a storm can devastate a life in minutes. Treasured possessions are soaked, burnt, or torn apart beyond recognition. Sometimes the power goes out for days and youre left sitting in darkness.

Life can be like that. Our own choices or the things other people do to us can be equally shattering. The event may pass, but the storm inside goes on. Heartbreak. Fear. Regret. Insecurity. Shame. Despair. When these emotions churn inside us, its hard to receive Gods love or to love our neighbors as we want to.

God offers us a way through the storm. In The Storm Inside, well look at the stories of eight biblical women who traveled the path from shame to love, from disappointment to hope, from insecurity to confidence, from despair to faith, and more. Well get to know them as real people and see how God came through for each of them. Well see the crucial choices they made, and well lay hold of the grace that forgives what is past, gives strength for the present moment, and offers hope for the future.

These were women who would often be overlooked or despised a prostitute, a destitute widow, an orphan but God stepped into their lives, changed them, and gave them roles in accomplishing His purposes. He wants to do the same for you. Will you join me in discovering their stories?

Id love to stay connected with you throughout your journey. Be sure to visit www.sheilawalsh.com where youll find additional resources and encouragement. We can also connect on Twitter @sheilawalsh and Instagram @sheilawalsh1.

Sheila Walsh

GROUP SIZE

TheStorm Inside video curriculum is designed to be experienced in a group setting such as a Bible study, Sunday school class, or any small group gathering. To ensure that everyone has enough time to participate in discussions, we recommend that large groups break up into smaller groups of four to six people each.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Each participant should have her own study guide, which includes notes for video segments and group discussion questions, as well as personal studies to deepen learning between sessions. Although the course can be fully experienced with just the video and study guide, participants are also encouraged to have a copy of the book The Storm Inside. Reading the book along with the video sessions provides even deeper insights to make the journey richer and more meaningful.

WHATS INCLUDED

The Storm Inside includes:

Eight group sessions.

Five days of personal Bible study for use between each session. These studies track along with the video teaching and group discussion sessions.

FORMAT OPTIONS

The Storm Inside can be used by groups that meet for one hour or two hours. Each group session can be completed in one hour but includes optional activities and group discussions that expand the material to meet the needs of groups that meet for two hours.

TIMING

The time notations for example, (17 minutes) indicate the actual time of video segments and the suggested time for each activity or discussion. Adhering to the suggested times will enable you to complete each session in one hour. If you have additional time, you may wish to allow more time for discussion and activities.

Alternate time notations and optional activities for two-hour groups are set off with a gray background. For example:

PROMISE (10 minutes)

If your group meets for two hours,allow 20 minutes for this discussion.

In this example, one-hour groups allow 10 minutes for the discussion and two-hour groups allow 20 minutes for the discussion.

FACILITATION

Each group should appoint a facilitator who is responsible for starting the video and for keeping track of time during discussions and activities. Facilitators may also read questions aloud, monitor discussions, prompt participants to respond, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate.

PERSONAL STUDIES

Maximize the impact of the course between sessions with five days of personal Bible study. Setting aside 20 to 30 minutes a day for personal study will enable you to more thoroughly explore the lives of the eight women youre studying and deepen your own journey from storm into love, hope, and faith.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, northings present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth,nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from thelove of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38 39

SHAME IS ONE OF THE MOST HUMILIATING, weighty burdens that a woman can carry. Just thinking about the things that have shamed us can send us into a corner to hide. Dont worry Im not asking you to share your deepest secrets here. Instead, in this first session youll hear about the shame I carried for years, and youll see how an encounter with Jesus transformed a woman whose shameful past made her an outcast in her hometown. We dont even know her name, but the woman from Samaria became a compelling witness after she experienced the life-changing power of Jesus love.

WELCOME (5 minutes)

Welcome to of The Storm Inside. If this is your first time together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to each other before watching the video. As you give your name, also share the following:

What is one word, emotion, or picture that comes to mind when you hear the word shame? (Examples: heavy, rejection, someone covering their face, hiding in the dark, crashing my parents car when I was a teen.)