Way More Questions Than Answers

This morning, fifteen or so of us gathered at the Evergreen on a brisk 2 degree day to discuss the Book of Job. What a great book, but so many questions. I wrote the study with only a few guiding questions knowing that the discussion would take off from there. The study notes such as they are can be seen here.

We had a great discussion though not nearly long enough.

Dinner table questions
1. Why does an all loving all powerful God allow good people to suffer?
2. Is it okay to question God?
3. Do you fear God?
4. Where can we find peace amongst these issues?

And thou, O Wall, O sweet, O lovely Wall

Wow..what a tumultuous time. Between Christmas break and the way the weather has been picking on Tuesdays we have not met a lot lately. That will change when we get to spring...the best season of the year. We had thirteen students today and we had a great time catching up on our lives and going through this study. Because of our great discussion we did not quite finish the study which happens from time to time. We did have great discussion which is also a great and valuable thing.

To see the study click here.

BOWLING NIGHT...calling all FOCUS students and their friends. On Friday, February 20th we will be at Stoneleigh Lanes from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. The cost is $10.00 which will include the shoes, the bowling, and the amazing amount of fun we are going to have. RSVP...I would say "Please RSVP" but that would be redundant:)

Questions for the dinner table

Who was Nehemiah?
What did he do that was impressive?
What will people say about you hundreds of years from now?

Christmas Chronicles

This week the eighteen students (3rd week in a row at that number...a great size for our group) in attendance discussed the parallels between the Chronicles books and Christmas. It worked out well that at our last meeting of this calendar year we were studying the last book in the Hebrew Bible (Tanahk) that summarizes all of the books that have come before it. There was also a great tie in between the genealogies in Chronicles and the one found at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel. To see the study notes from today click here.

Due to exams we will not be meeting next week...our next meeting will be on Tuesday January 6th.

Questions for further reflection:

What is the best gift you have ever received?
Why do we get gifts on Jesus' birthday?
What gifts did Jesus get from the Wise Men?
What was the meaning behind each gift?

By No Other Namaan

We had a great study today ( my second favorite this year after David and Goliath) in spite of the tenuous road conditions. Eighteen students studied 2 Kings, which can be a depressing book. The good news is that the story of Namaan has a message for us all. To see the study notes click here.

Questions for further discussion:
Who is Namaan?
Why would God fight on Namaan's side against His chosen people?
Who was Elisha?
Why did Elisha refuse Namaan's offer of payment?
How does this story mirror the Christian life today?

Elijah vs. the 450 Prophets of Baal

The story of Elijah told in 1Kings 18 is one of my favorite Bible passages. I would have loved to have been there to see the prophets of Baal trying in vain to get a wisp of smoke near their altar, and then to see the soaking wet wood set ablaze in an instant after Elijah prayed to God asking Him to send fire. It must have been quite a scene.

I was so happy to see that even though it is a two day school week with Thanksgiving at hand, that we had seventeen in attendance this morning. We had a very good discussion with lots of people participating. If you would like to see the notes I was presenting the story from they may be seen here.

Questions for further discussion:

1. In what ways is it hard to be a Christian today?
2. Do we ever feel outnumbered by those who oppose God?
3. What is our response when we feel overwhelmed?
4. What are the positive things we can point to about how our nation and world are responding to God's message.
5. What is our hope for the future?

Have a great Thanksgiving!!!

2 Samuel

We had a great discussion this morning centered around the character of David. What an amazing man!! Like all of us he had his ups and downs, but he knew at the end where his salvation came from.
The study notes can be seen here.

It was a great to see a new face or two among the eighteen students present, and it was also a treat to be joined this morning by the FOCUS area director, Tim Foster.

Dinner table questions:

What is the most valuable thing in your life?
Are everyone's values the same?
How do we get our values?
Do our values ever change?

Have a great week...a few people have already asked this question so I will answer it here...we will be meeting next Tuesday November 25th. See you on Tuesday!!

A Fresh Look at David and Goliath

What a great day!!! This morning saw a few new faces which is always a wonderful thing. I hope they come back next Tuesday. We had a total of nineteen students which is a new all time high. The study focused on the story of David and Goliath which is told in the book under study this week, 1 Samuel. To see the notes that I wrote for the study click here. If you want to have a follow up conversation at dinner there are lots of questions to choose from:

In what ways was David the underdog in his fight with Goliath?

In what ways was David the favorite in the fight?

Do we ever discount our own chances for success?

Why?

What are the Goliaths in our life?

How can we hope to prevail against them?