A Voice in the Wilderness

This morning we had 15 students who were glad to reconnect after a relaxing spring break. We reviewed a bit of our journey so far and then dove into the book of Isaiah. It was a great study in which we saw the foretelling of the coming Son of God in the dark days of the Assyrian and Babylonian domination of God's people. The practical lesson of the need to repent when we mess up was echoed throughout the lesson. The study notes can be seen here.

Questions for the dinner table:

What is the difference between an apology before your misdeed has been discovered and after?
If we know the right thing to do why do we so often do the wrong thing?

 

A Time for Everything

Today we had a lively group of 16 students this morning as we dove into a difficult passage from Ecclesiastes...the book as a whole raises some amazing questions, but Chapter 3 in particular is a favorite of mine. We talked through the first 8 verses and then discussed some of the troubling aspects of the verses that follow. The central message in the study is that God's truth is absolute, but because of our sin our lives are messy and as we pass through our lives we sometimes tread on shaky moral ground. Because of the fall we are confronted with situations in which there is not always an easy answer. Being able to talk to students about this in the context of a Bible Study will hopefully give them a basis from which to draw as they encounter difficult situations.

The text of the lesson can be seen here. I did not get through the whole study, but that was because of the great discussions that took us on very valuable tangents.

Dinner questions:

Is it ever okay to be angry?
Is it ever okay to be angry at God?
Is it ever okay to doubt God?
Why are books like Ecclesiastes in the Bible?
What is their value?
How can we come to grips with the apparent contradictions in this book with the rest of the Bible?

As Far as the East is From the West

This morning 17 students and I braved the chill to meet to talk about the next book of the Bible, The Psalms. After talking about some basic facts about the Psalms like the fact that David only wrote 73 of the 150 we looked at allusions to Jesus included in the Psalms and how that could have happened. After that we did a study of one of my favorite Psalms, which is Psalm 103. The study notes I used may be seen here.

Questions for the dinner table:

How far is the east from the west?
Are there really allusions to Jesus in the Psalms?
How are we like a piece of grass or a flower (Psalm 103:15)?
Is being compared to something so temporary a troubling thought to you?
How can this comparison spur you into action?
 

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?