A Ministry Opportunity

The Wood family has a new "normal" at home, due to Andrew's leukemia. As a class, we have an opportunity to serve by bringing in some of the items they will now be needing a lot of. If you plan on contributing, please bring items tomorrow, June 30th. Here is a list of needed items:

-Lysol wipes
-Paper towels
-Bleach
-Face Masks (like you use when you have a cold)
-Sterile Gloves (the kind the doctor uses)

Thank you and please give as God leads you!

Hopeless to Hopeful

“There is hope in your future, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:17, NKJV

 In Christ there is hope; outside of Christ there is no hope. Those focused on heaven find hope; those focused on earth find hope illusive. A life lived by faith is hopeful, but a life lived in fear is hopeless. Hope is not just the outcome of an optimist, it is the fruit of those whose security is in their Savior Jesus Christ. Moreover, money messes with the mind as it demands full allegiance to the almighty dollar in exchange for a false hope.

However, we discover authentic hope and freedom in our submission to Christ as Lord and Master of our fate. Deep abiding hope is not a strategy, but a reality when we bow in reverent obedience to God. He does not tease His children with pseudo promises. On the contrary, our heavenly Father gave what was most precious to Him, His Son, so we could become sons and daughters of the most High. Indeed, hope is a gift from God.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

Where is the root of your hope grounded? In your job or Jesus? With friends or faith? In your home or heaven? In earthly riches or the riches of God’s grace? Satan cannot steal the seed of hope when you plant it in the soil of Scripture. Your hope in Christ is not conditional to circumstances; rather it thrives on trust when assaulted by ambiguity. You move from hopelessness to hopefulness when what matters most, matters the most.

Therefore, be hopeful as a child of God. Your hope in Christ is an advertisement for the Almighty. Those with no hope are attracted to the genuine hope in your heart. Indeed, you are hopeful, because of the origin of your optimism, and the greater purpose of your hope is to bring hope to the hopeless. Suicide shrivels with the prospect of hope. Faith comes alive in Christ and His loving acceptance. Praise the Lord that your hope is alive!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

                                                                                                       -Excerpt from Boyd Bailey

Strength to the Weak

God is our strength. We go to Him in prayer and are renewed. We read His Word and we are reminded that we are never alone.

Update on Faith

Faith is staying at Wolfson's overnight because she was a little sick. Please pray that she will be able to come home soon and her recovery will be quick. She would love visitors and her family will let us know what we, as a class, can do to minister to them.

Fish Fry

If you're planning on going to the Fish Fry on the 23rd, please remember to bring lawn chairs, beach towels, and a two-liter. See you then!

An Update On Faith

            God is great! As you know, Randy and Corina's daughter, Faith, had brain surgery yesterday. The surgery went well. She is in the PICU area and can have visitors. Faith will be in the hospital for the rest of the week. It has been a tough ride for them and they will need continued prayer and support, but let's all also thank God for giving them the strength and love they needed, for giving the doctors the ability to perform the surgery, and for giving all of us an amazing display of His awesome power. Isn't it comforting  to know that, in the midst of life, no matter what's going on, God's got it?

Disciple, A List

A Disciple:

-A disciple doubts.
-A disciple deceives.
-A disciple denies.
-A disciple forgets.
-A disciple fears.
-A disciple changes lives.
-A disciple is arrogant.
-A disciple denies himself.
-A disciple believes Jesus is Savior.
-A disciple heals.
-A disciple leads.
-A disciple hides.
-A disciple is human.
-A disciple loves.
-A disciple protects.
-A disciple is radical.
-A disciple is lost.
-A disciple is healed.
-A disciple leaves his life.
-A disciple cuts off his ears.
-A disciple follows Christ.
-A disciple gives his life for others.
-A disciple dies for faith.
-A disciple sins.
-A disciple is called to be a disciple.
-A disciple falls away from Christ.
-A disciple gets in the grill of others.
-A disciple has little faith.
-A disciple has no attachment to men.
-A disciple has no attachment to religion.
-A disciple will write.
-A disciple will teach.
-A disciple will lie.
-A disciple will tell the truth.
-A disciple forgives.
-A disciple asks for forgiveness.
-A disciple rants.
-A disciple travels.
-A disciple fasts.
-A disciple questions.
-A disciple hopes.
-A disciple gets angry.
-A disciple does not worry.
-A disciple worries.
-A disciple likes money.
-A disciple doesn't worry about money.
-A disciple has friends.
-A disciple has a church.
-A disciple gives up.

                                  -J.R. Mahon "Starving Jesus" (This list is developed mainly based on Matt., Mark, Luke, and John)

The Making of a Great Faith

Some of the lessons in the making of a great faith:

1. Lesson One: Pray- "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles." - Psalm 34:17

2. Lesson Two: Trust- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding".      -Proverbs 3:5

3. Lesson Three: Believe- "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." -Hebrews 11:1

4. Lesson Four (this the one I have a tough time with): Wait-I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry." - Psalm 40:1

                                                                -Elizabeth George

             
                 
    My thoughts on this:
I was struck by how incredibly simple it is when it's written out like this. So why can this be so hard? I have a hard time waiting on God, but lately I've been seeing how wonderfully amazing his timing is. It's like a big puzzle, without a picture on the  box. Now, when I get frustrated while putting together puzzles, I tend to get out the scissors and try to cut off the edges to make the pieces fit (Jeff doesn't like this, for some reason). I think life can be like that too. You can try to go quickly and make everything fit, or you can wait on God and be totally blown away by the beauty of His picture when it's finally revealed. I know there will still be days when this will be harder for me than on other days, but I am so excited to see His plan- His picture- revealed.

Hate and Divorce

Whenever we see a great discrepancy among Bible translations of certain verses, it is usually because the original Greek or Hebrew is particularly difficult in that verse. Such is the case in Malachi 2:16. Here are some translations:

"If he hates and divorces his wife', says the Lord God of Israel, 'he covers his garment with injustice.'"
                                                                                          -Malachi 2:16 (HCSB)

"I hate divorce, " says the God of Israel..."I hate the violent dismembering of the 'one flesh' of marriage."
                                                                                          -Malachi 2:16 (MSG)

"For I hate divorce! says the Lord, the God of Israel."To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty."
                                                                                         - Malachi 2:16 (NLT)

"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment."                                                            -Malachi 2:16 (NIV 1984)

"The man who hates and divorces his wife," says the Lord, the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect."                                                             -Malachi 2:16 (NIV 2011)



Regardless of the translation, God does hate divorce because of what it does to people and society. Even though God's words are harsh, keep these facts in mind: First, God rebuked the rejecting, not the rejected, marriage partner. Second, God does not hate those who have been divorced but rather the heartache and disruption that divorced persons and their families endure.

The Mosaic law does not condone divorce, but it does give instruction for divorce in order to protect women, the vulnerable partners (Deut. 24:1-4). Jesus said God allowed those provisions to regulate the inevitable because of humanity's hard hearts. He declared God's intention for marriage never included divorce; from the very beginning God intended two to become one and never separate (Matt. 19:1-8)

God's perfect will for marriage is one man and one woman together "as long as you both shall live". However, God's perfect grace forgives and restores all people who have not achieved His perfect standards yet have returned to Him. Bottom line- if  you're married, work hard and draw on God's power to uphold His standard of marriage as a lifelong covenant commitment. If you've been divorced, accept His grace and forgiveness and move forward with a commitment to uphold God's standards from this day on.

                                                                                  -Life Truths "For Further Study" (June 10)

How many couples wrote their own vows for their wedding ceremony??

The light of the world

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
                                                                                -Matthew 5:14-16

Love

    What a wonderful difference love makes in our world! And it all started with God. He is the root from which all love springs. John says:

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sings." - 1 John 4:10

    Of course, we all realize that God's love is far beyond any love we know of here on earth. Notice, though, what comparison Jesus uses to convey Hi love for us. I am always amazed: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you"... I can hardly conceive of the idea that Jesus loves me as God the Father loves Him! Yet it is true, for Jesus said it.
    But He goes one step further, asking me to apply this same yardstick to my love. Jesus said:

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." - John 15:12

Now that's difficult! Ask Elizabeth Charles. Sh was born back in the early 1800's, yet I find that what she wrote is as true in the twenty-first century as it was during her lifetime.

"It requires far more of the constraining love of Christ to love our cousins and neighbors as members of the heavenly family, than to feel the heart warm to our suffering brethren in Tuscany or Madeira. To love the whole Church is one thing. To love-that is, to delight in the graces and veil the defects- of the person who misunderstood me and opposed my plans yesterday, whose peculiar infirmities grate on my most sensitive feelings, or whose natural faults are precisely those from which my natural character most revolts, that is quite another."

    Yes, it's hard to love the one who rubes me the wrong way. Yet, that is loving with the grace of God.

"For Christ's love compels us," says Paul (2 Corinthians 5:14). What does His love compel you to do today? How about showing God you love Him by doing something out of the ordinary for somebody who needs encouraging-maybe even someone you don't like? That's loving as Jesus love you.

                                                                                      -Darlene Sala (excerpt)

Relationable Adults

 There is a relational accountability that comes with becoming a follower of Christ; indeed no lone soldiers are in the Lord’s army. Without regular feedback from others, individual Christians are fair game for the enemy’s fiery darts of doubt. Bad habits incubate in a life disengaged from intimate input from a caring community. A life without accountability drifts into irrelevance, but someone fresh from correction grows in emotional intelligence.

Most of us do not enjoy the uncomfortable feeling that accompanies the most loving confrontation. However, we know in our hearts that we need the unfiltered observation of those who care deeply about us. Even if unintended harshness hits our heart we can let go of   it by grace and hang on to healthy instruction by faith. Messengers sent by the Lord are His mouthpiece of protection and wisdom. We get better by digesting doses of truth.

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1

We all need brothers and/or sisters who are our keepers of character growth in Christ. Many times the Spirit of God uses human vessels to channel His truth for our change. Often a spouse is our most effective heavenly sand paper, because they know us so well. We are wise to embrace their suggestions and their direct concerns, as that is what’s best for us and for our marriage. At work ask supervisors, superiors and peers: “What’s it like to work with me?” Wisdom asks for affirmation, correction and instruction.

Lastly, are you vulnerable with confidants who hold you accountable? Do you have loving friends to ask you how you are really doing, and how you really feel? We grow wiser when others are objectively auditing our actions. Life isolated on a relational island implodes for lack of intimacy. God made you to engage in community; to give and to receive correction and support. Confront others in love and invite trusted advisors to do the same.

“I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” Romans 15:14
                                                         
                                                                                                        -Boyd Baily (excerpts)