Description
We are women who stand on the threshold of unimaginable change. What must we be in such a time as this?
Choices examines eight crossroads facing women in our generation. Will we live for a cause greater than ourselves? Will we reposition emotions behind truth? Will we anchor our value in God’s love? Will we be women of substance and not just of form? Will be be fiercely faithful?
Choices is unusual in that it speaks to women in all points of their spiritual walk. Many have committed their lives to Jesus as they journeyed through Choices and yet seasoned saints say they felt God speak to them afresh through the messages.
And Choices is ideal for groups that have a lot of transition. Anyone can come for any week and still experience a full, enriching message for their lives.
The DVDs plus the Participant Workbook & Devotional (PWD) are all you need to study choices as an individual or small group! (Please note that the participant workbook was not designed to stand alone.)
The Participant Workbook & Devotional correlates with each DVD session and includes the following sections:
- Opening Up (warm ups for small groups)
- Notepad (take notes while you watch the DVD)
- Group Discovery (interactive application)
- Memory Verse (brief and relevant)
- And Now (guided journaling)
- In the Garden (4 personal devotions that reflect on the last lesson)
In a group, begin in the PWD with “opening up” to warm up to the theme and each other! Watch or listen to the 15-30 minute DVD segment while you take notes in the participant workbook “notepad.” (Answers are in the Facilitator’s Guide.) Study this week’s theme together in the “group discovery” section of your participant workbooks. Close with the participant workbook prayer, memory verse, and reflection section. Then, send each participant home with the four devotions in the participant workbook to help take this week’s theme to a deeper level. Each devotional is designed to fill a 10-15 minute space. They all reflect on the last—-not the next-—theme. So if missed, a participant can still continue with next week’s teaching.
DVD Set
Participant Workbook
This guide is designed to be user-friendly for leaders with full lives. With a little preparation, your group meetings will be rich with interaction, discovery, and application. Though easily adapted for retreats, personal devotions, and seminars, this study was written with small groups in mind.
This Facilitator’s Guide provides an answer key for the Notepad, response options (in italics) for Group Discovery, ideas for enhancing the teaching, and notes to assist you as a leader.
Including the video component, each of the 10 sessions should fill a one-hour meeting with an enjoyable mixture of challenge, instruction, group discussion, and personal reflection. Each Focus contains six sections:
Opening Up. The purpose of this section is to stimulate group interaction around the Focus theme. Generally, this interaction will take from 3-10 minutes. These warm-ups are well worth their time for the fruit they produce in group openness and involvement.
Notepad. This section serves as a notepad to accompany the video teaching. Your facilitator’s guide will fill in the blanks for you in case the video moves too quickly.
Group Discovery. This section helps the group transition from listening to evaluating to applying. As group members share ideas, perspectives, opinions, and problems, they will sharpen and challenge one another. Your guide will provide some possible (as opposed to the only) responses for the reflection questions. These response options will be italicized.
Memory Verse. These brief verses can be an optional or essential element in the study. You can leave it to group members to memorize on their own….or create/scrapbook memory verse binders and distribute a new verse each meeting. The choice is yours.
And Now… If these teachings never leave the room in which they are taught, Choices has failed its mission. In And Now… each member answers the question, “What am I going to do about this?” This section asks them to identify major themes and then to thoughtfully put their personal application in words. It provides clear closure to the lesson, an opportunity to personally apply teaching themes, and a summarized point of reference for review. When possible, allow a few minutes at the end of each meeting to provide time for the group to prayerfully fill out this section.
In the garden. This section offers four days of personal devotions that relate (directly or indirectly) to the session theme. The devotions are designed to be accompanied by personal journaling, which may be a new venture for some. If so, encourage group members to purchase a journal and just start writing! No one will be grading or even viewing their writings. This is a participant’s private journal of God’s work in them.
Sondra W. –
I was praying and asked the Lord to please lead me to something really meaningful. Not just pleasant, but also unpleasant (as discipline feels for a moment), so we could truly grow. I know God led me to Choices and I am so thankful.
Raini M., TX –
We completed the Choices study a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful. We were all challenged and reminded once again of our responsibilities as women of God. The questions really opened our eyes to some of the challenges many of our women are facing that we had no idea about. It helped me as a leader to know how to encourage some of our ladies. May I encourage you to keep doing what you do, as we are always in need of more good bible studies.
Sonja, Macedonia –
My name is Sonja, and I am from Macedonia. I had an opportunity to listen to Choices and I was so blessed! I have been struggling with the subjects of low self-esteem, rejection, and my values. But, God is good, and He healed me.
Judy R., CA –
Finally, interactive Bible studies for women produced with excellence! I’ve been waiting for a tool like this!
Melanie, OR –
We just completed our retreat with the Choices videos. All ages of women were taken deeper and higher in Jesus and His Word—it was wonderful!
Emily R. , CA –
For four weeks our cell group gathered together to watch Choices. It was an incredible time! Anyone, male or female, can benefit from the truths presented in this message. The teaching has comforted me in hard times and challenged me to a new level of commitment with God, God’s ministry and those whom He has placed in my life. I freely give my highest recommendation of this series!
Carolyn H., AL –
I couldn’t be more pleased. In the diversity of my group (single, married, single again, young adults and retirees, working and stay at home moms, all in the same group, as well as mature believers and babies), this is meeting needs at all different levels.
Susan M, MO –
I recently led a group of young women through the Choices Bible study and absolutely loved every lesson! Alicia’s approach is so practical and applicable to everyday life. The lessons are powerful, yet concise enough to allow plenty of time for discussion and interaction. I believe any group of women who want to grow in the Lord can genuinely benefit from this awesome series!
Lori W., Ukraine –
I am leading a small International women’s Bible. We have women who attended from all over; Italy , Romania , England , Ukraine , USA , Austria , South America, and Finland This study works so well cross culturally, and strikes a huge cord of inner need. I wish you were here to see the response of these women – and their eyes just opening up (so many are relatively new Christians – but some are very seasoned and are equally challenged and changed). So thank you for this, and being lead of the Spirit. This format is perfect for us.