For twelve weeks this fall a group of ladies from my church in Friendswood TX and from online community will be enjoying a “Fall Feast” of Bible study, literature, music, art, and joy through a schedule of S-L-O-W reading and looking and listening. We will be reading and and singing and discussing the following elements of a feast to feed the minds and hearts of those who participate:

1. Bible: the book of Acts. We will be using a Bible study tool from Love God Greatly called Empowered, but if you just want to read the assigned passages of scripture each week and study them on your own without the Empowered study helps, you can do that.

2. Memorization: Psalm 1 (the first six weeks) and Psalm 150 (the second six weeks)

3. Reading: Heidi by Johanna Spyri ( a couple of chapters a week)
The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer (one chapter per week)

4. Poetry: Christina Rossetti. 

5. Art: John James Audubon’s Birds of America. 

6. Hymns: Fairest Lord Jesus (first six weeks) and To God Be the Glory (second six weeks)

7. Music: Handel’s Messiah (the first two sections)

8. Homework: Each week would have an optional assignment, probably in conjunction with the reading in Hidden Art of Homemaking, such as “draw something even if you think you can’t draw” or “try writing a poem” or “plant something and watch it grow”.

If that list looks overwhelming, don’t be intimidated! You can choose to do some of the things or all of the things. Also, we’ll be taking in all this goodness slowly, a couple of chapters of Acts each week, one Audubon painting to look at each week, a few songs from Messiah each week, etc. You can do it, and if you have children at home you can share all the beauty with them. Read Heidi aloud together. Listen to Handel in the morning when you wake up together as a family. Post the painting for the week as your screensaver. Read aloud a short poem. Don’t let fear of not keeping up rob you of an enriching time of fellowship and learning together.

So, there are four options for how you can participate in our Fall Feast:

Option 1: In person meeting on Sunday mornings 9:45 – 10:45 at Trinity Fellowship in Friendswood. Enjoy the feast each week, and come together with other ladies on Sunday mornings to talk about what we’ve gleaned, emphasis on the book of Acts with review of other elements and sharing of “homework”. Child care (children’s Sunday School) is available on Sunday mornings during this time.

Option 2: In person meeting on Friday mornings 9:30 – 11:00 at my home/library. We’ll talk about the books, the poetry, the art and the music, share homework assignments, and perhaps have some special guests to talk about specific works and ideas. You may bring children with you, and we will provide some activities for them and also a study area in the library where responsible children can work on schoolwork or read independently.

Option 3: You are welcome to come to both in person meetings, Sunday mornings and Friday mornings. 

Option 4: We will set up a Facebook group for all participants, and if you can’t make either the Sunday morning or the Friday morning meeting, you can still participate online as we discuss the artistic feast and the Bible readings in the Facebook group. Everyone who has a Facebook account and wants to participate will be added to the Facebook group, and that will be an outlet and a blessing for all of us, but especially for those who can’t come to in person meeting times for whatever reason.

If any of my blog readers would like to participate via the Facebook group, please let me know, and I’ll try to get you an invitation to the group—if I can figure out how the Facebook invitation system works!