In Spite of Myself: How Intentional Praise Can Transform Your Heart and Home
with Katie Hornor
You don't have to have a book to follow along with our 20-day Bible study, but the book & kindle are available at www.InSpiteOfMyselfBook.com if you'd like to have a copy.
Join others in the study on social media when you share your photos and/or thoughts about the study with the hastags #IChoosePraise and #InSpiteOfMyselfBook
Week 1: Intentional Praise When Serving God is Hard
Week 1, Day 1: Slander
Each of us has faced rejection, verbal hurts and isolations in some way or another. These types of wounds go very deep and affect our very abilities to think and to function. Focusing on who God is in the midst of my hurt allows him to begin the healing process. Our very first day is setting the stage for God to work in those deepest hurts.
Week 1, Day 2: Broken Promises
Man's broken promises can break our hearts. And yet, our God NEVER breaks his promises and ALWAYS has a plan to redeem even the most hurtful of experiences in our lives. Join us for Day 2 and learn to praise God in spite of yourself and your present circumstance.
Week 1, Day 3: Insufficient Funds
More month left at the end of the money? Sudden unemployment? Unexpected career shift? Emergencies? Debt… We've all been in a place of financial need, and in that place we have a choice. Day 3 is all about seeing our lack of funds from God's perspective and praising him in the midst of financial trials. Join us!
Week 1 Day 4: Hard Work, No Results
Another day, another time of doing something you KNOW you're supposed to be doing – with no results. Why isn't this working? Why am I still doing this when nothing seems to be happening? Shouldn't we have been further, earned more, achieved more, grown more, seen more results…? Have you been there friend? Have you asked yourself these questions or similar ones? Join us in day four, as we learn how to see the truths of God and allow praising him to change our hearts in the midst of our test of faithfulness.
Week 1, Day 5: Loneliness
Loneliness comes in different ways, through sin, death, physical or mental separations, isolation…. You've felt lonely. I'm sure of it. You may feel lonely right now, today. God promises his presence even in the most lonely hours of our lives. Join us in day number five as we see him and learn to praise him in spite of our loneliness.
Week 2: Intentional Praise in Circumstances I Can't Control
Week 2, Day 1: Trip Cancelled
How do you deal with disappointments when they come your way? Can you see God's hand at work? Can you trust his heart even when you can't “see” what he's doing? This week's study is all about training my heart to praise him in the midst of circumstances I can't control.
Week 2, Day 2: Lack of Amenities
How do you deal with inconveniences that disrupt your plans or your day? When I stop being selfish, and start focusing on truth, I can praise him for the blessings in spite of the upset to “my plan.” It starts with training my heart to make a willful choice to praise.
Week 2, Day 3: Utility Problems
How do you deal with unexpected needs? Do you immediately think of the worse case scenario and dwell in the poverty mentality? Or can you see the blessing that surrounds you? Even in a moment of need, you can choose to praise God for the truth that he is working to meet your need before you even knew you had it.
Week 2, Day 4: Accidents
How do you respond when accidents happen? We are humanly drawn to the negative in every situation, but with practice we can train our hearts to stop, think on the truth of the situation, not the what if's, and choose to praise our Lord for his blessings even in the midst of an seeming tragedy or setback.
Week 2, Day 5: When it Rains
An emergency, possessions in danger of damage, a natural disaster, and our first response is panic, then maybe anger or impatience or injustice. We want to complain and then the Lord reminds us of his mercy. You can choose to praise the Lord for his mercy in spite of yourself, your feelings and your situation.
Week 3: Intentional Praise While Parenting Children
Week 3, Day 1: Not for Bandaids
Accidents, disobedience, teachable moments… In each of these I have a choice to seek the praiseworthy. My response can set the tone of my home to angst or peace. When I choose praise, I can teach my children to praise and to trust our good, merciful God as well. This week is all about intentional praise while parenting children.
Week 3, Day 2: Broken Glass & Spilled Milk
You can praise the effort when mistakes happen (either in your life or your children's lives), and learn to praise the Lord for his forgiveness, clean slate, second chances and for his help.
Week 3, Day 3: Quarrels
On those days when it all seems to start our wrong, we can choose to praise the Lord in spite of our feelings and circumstances, and create praiseworthy memories with our family. Today, Katie shares how.
Week 3, Day 4: Clowns
How do you respond to silliness? Do you intentionally foster an atmosphere of fun and wholesome entertainment in your home? Here is how to choose praise even in the midst of annoyances and hilarity.
Week 3, Day 5: A Flour Shower
Interruptions to our day can totally mess with us. Especially when it creates more work or inconveniences… How you respond sets a tone in your home and can impact generations for good or evil. You can choose praise in spite of the interruptions when you remember that God is sovereignly ordaining or allowing every circumstance in your life for a reason.(Focus clears at 00:44)
Week 4: Intentional Praise In Financial Famine
Week 4, Day 1: A Baptized Laptop
Praising the Lord in the midst of unexpected financial crisis is difficult. Join Katie as she shares how the Lord taught her, and can teach you to praise him in spite of yourself.
Week 4, Day 2: The Chair
How often has the Lord asked you to give up a physical thing that meant a lot to you to follow him? Or perhaps you've had to leave houses, or lands or family to do his calling? You can praise him in spite of yourself and trust that he understands the importance of symbolism and delights to restore the lost things in your life.
Week 4, Day 3: Stolen Gifts
Praising the Lord in times of injustice is difficult and yet he promises to give us what we need to do what he's called us to do: do all things without murmuring or complaining. What's more, he knows ahead of time what we need and is already orchestrating events in our lives and the world around us to meet those needs right on time. We can choose to praise him and expectantly watch him work!
Week 4, Day 4: 7-Fold Returns
God's provision is amazing! And even when it's not immediately apparent to me, I can choose to praise him knowing that he's always provided in the past, for others and for me. He is faithful. He is our provider, and he will not abandon his own.
Week 4, Day 5: Conclusion
Learning to praise the Lord, in spite of yourself, is as much for you as it is for others. God is working in you to heal your heart and teach you to praise instead of complain, so that your song in the storm may be a light to those he's placed around you. So that they can see, and be encouraged to trust in the Lord in their storms too, and this too brings him glory. May your heart's cry be, as mine is, “my story for his glory.”
Thank you for joining us for the #IChoosPraise Bible study.
#InSpiteOfMyselfBook Information:
They say there are three things of utmost importance to human beings: health, love and money. And that the lack of one of those things is enough to throw your life into a storm.
They also say that most marriages face only one major crisis, but if it comes early in your marriage, you may have another.
The videos above go along with Katie Hornor's new Amazon best selling book In Spite of Myself: How Intentional Praise Can Transform Your Heart and Home.
The book takes you on a journey with Katie through some of the hardest days of her life as she learns to praise the Lord for his goodness both in and out of life's storms.
It helps us began to see a pattern:
- I choose praise.
- Praise brings healing where there might have been anger and bitterness.
- Healing allows me to share my story with others, giving them hope for God s healing in their lives as well.
Praise, Healing and Hope. Regardless of your story, there is only One who can heal your heart, teach you to praise, and transform your heart and home. You will find him, and the power of his Truth presented in every lesson of this riveting 4-week Bible study.
It’s a book/workbook style study, meaning you'll read the lesson, write our Scripture verses, journal your thoughts and prayers and we've even included some coloring pages.
Don't be scared. You will love it, we promise. It may be a bit painful, digging deep into some areas of your life, or hurt places still tender, but it will be worth it.
If you haven't ordered your copy of the book yet, you can do so in our shop or directly from Amazon.
