Aunt Gladys braggin’ on God
Born in 1923, Aunt Gladys loves God, and encourages others to commit to helping others, promoting the emphasis that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount to "Do unto others, what you would have them do unto you.” Aunt Gladys wore her heels all day, and was an inspiration to all of us!
It is good to be kind.
For some reason, it sometimes is the hardest to be kind to those closest to us – our neighbors, our spouses, our siblings. And yet Paul taught that KINDNESS is one of the results, one of the fruits of a Spirit-filled life. Let's talk about it.
God’s Mercy in Denver
What was a wonderful niece's wedding in Denver, turned out to be surrounded by personal drama, from lack of cooks at a family restaurant, to bank fraud in Florida, and even TSA not accepting a Florida driver's license....ACK! Let's take a look at how God’s mercy is alive and available in the midst of trials and tribulations, and how this fulfills promises He already made.
Mis-Information / Truth
Truth seems to be under attack in our current society, even across the world. What's going on? The commandment not to lie is one of the TOP TEN. What is going on? What does the Bible say about truth? Where does it come from? Why does it seem to be so important to God?
Actually RISEN!
Despite what we see around us, and the deterioration of our culture in current headlines, the historical fact of the life, death, AND resurrection of Jesus is a powerful foundation for any thinking or behavioral decisions we make. Let's examine the value of this extraordinary Gift from God.
What is “salvation”?
If before Creation even happened, God made plans to rescue us, to SAVE us, why do so many people resist? When the helicopter lowers the ladder, why do so many refuse to grab on? Let's examine 12 characteristics of SALVATION, which in Hebrew is the word 'Yeshua!"
Confusion
As we continue to hear and see the reports of the brutal and barbaric killing of so many Jews and Americans in Israel, we ask....why? Are there answers? God, will You hear us when we ask? What things have you promised for those of us who love You? Let's check it out.
GREEK-ized
Foundational thinking means that we need to get back to the basics, and realize that our current culture has LOST its understanding of Biblical principles – about an ALL-POWERFUL God who MADE all things, including people, and is passionately in love with His Creation. So in what ways has the world as we know it been influenced by Greek Hellenism, and have even our churches been affected? And what are good strategies for fighting against this? Let's talk about it.
Infinitude & Sovereignty
What was it about the LIGHT that God created on Day 1 of Creation? The disciple John said that God Himself is LIGHT. Moses' face shown after spending time with God. In Deuteronomy 29 it says: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever." There are certain things God ALLOWS us to know and these things can be useful and crucial for our lives. Let’s explore.
So close!
A recently published article says that researchers have discovered from a dig in North Dakota that great plumes of dust may have killed the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Well, DUH! Since the Great Flood happened about 4,500 years ago, wouldn’t we EXPECT, as Ken Ham says, to find billions of dead plants and animals buried and fossilized in sand, mud, and lime, that were deposited rapidly by water in rock layers all over the earth? And wouldn't you expect there to be multiple volcanoes spewing clouds and ash for hundreds of years after that, and yes, affecting the air quality of humans and animals trying to breathe, blocking the sun, and cooling the earth's temperature during that time frame?!? Yes, Noah was a HISTORICAL figure....let's examine.
Can there be peace?
War in Ukraine, war in Israel, skirmishes in so many other places around the world – can there be peace in our modern world? What is the difference between world peace (peace in relationships), peace within ourselves, and peace with God? Let’s see what the Bible says.
Specific Grace
The godly businessman Job had a specific error in his thinking – understanding the sovereignty, the GODLINESS of God. And God allowed some suffering to teach him. The Laodiceans kinda thought there were "all that", but Jesus, thru the Apostle John, showed them SPECIFIC ways in which they needed repentance, and growth. Let’s examine.
Specific Grace
opSThe godly businessman Job had a specific error in his thinking – understanding the sovereignty, the GODLINESS of God. And God allowed some suffering to teach him. The Laodiceans kinda thought there were "all that", but Jesus, thru the Apostle John, showed them SPECIFIC ways in which they needed repentance, and growth. Let’s examine.
WORDS – Examining the Coarsing of Our Language
Sports enthusiasts can be very "passionate" about their teams, and sometimes the language can be a little "spicy." Have the football playoffs resulted in words coming out of YOUR mouth that you didn't think you knew? Are we responsible for our language? What shapes our language? What does GOD say about the things that YOU say? Let's talk about it.
Last week we talking about the coarsing of our language, but this week let's look at singing, singing that human beings have the unique ability to do. And then there are the angels....they SANG, announcing the birth of Jesus. And does God sing? There ARE verses that say that He does...so, what does He sing about? WHY does He sing? Why do WE sing? What should we sing about? Let's explore the songs that we SHOULD be singing.
Jesus famously used stories to make points, and to illustrate heavenly principles. But there were many, especially religious leaders, who could not understand what He was trying to say....why did Jesus do that? What can WE learn about the use of stories to teach Biblical values....let's explore.
M16, or the Eagle Nebula, has clouds of towering dust and gas that have sometimes been called the Pillars of Creation, or Heaven's Gate. Several people in the Bible talk about Heaven as a real place, including Peter, Paul, King Solomon, and Jesus Himself. Let's explore what they describe that Heaven will be like, and how WE can have hope of spending time there, a LONG time!