Recent Studies

Places:
   -Home
   -Links
   -FBCH

Resources:
   -Current Study
   -Recent Studies
   -Apologetics
   -Misc Studies

Other:
   -About Us
   -Contact Us

Bible Studies

[Search]

Recent Studies

What's Up with Christ Coming Down?
When people start talking about the end of the world, many people start rolling their eyes. I can recall seeing many signs along the sides of roads saying that Christ is returning soon. The signs have been there for many, many years and show signs of age. Many people have predicted the end of the world, and so far, they've all been wrong. When people start throwing dates out there, their credibility will be lessened. I recall teaching youth in the late 80s and two young men had decided to forego college, because they read a book and the world was going to end shortly after they were out of school. I also remember hearing of groups of people who sold all they had to go stand on a mountain, waiting for the end of the world. It would make a fascinating 'Where are they now' show, wouldn't it?

What About the Antichrist?
What do we know about the antichrist? This term has become fairly familiar in movies and in many books. Some people think it originated from the book of Revelation, but the actual word 'antichrist' only shows up in 1 John 2 (verse 18). However, the book of Revelation makes several references to the antichrist (as the beast). Throughout history, many people have guessed the identity of the antichrist. Some of the guesses have included U.S. Presidents or world political leaders, the Pope, Hitler, Bill Gates, the Beatles and many others. To this point, all have been wrong.

Who's Really in Charge?
You've seen the old movies or cartoons, with an alien or a group of aliens who come to earth and say "Take me to your leader". I guess even the aliens know that there is a certain person that they need to talk to. Truly, there needs to be someone who is in charge, ultimately. This isn't the figurehead leader, but the one who is truly responsible and carries the authority to make things happen. In multiple headed organizations, I often wonder how decisions are made. Some things can be done by committee, I suppose, but in the end, there needs to be someone in charge.

Extraordinary Wisdom for Everyday Living - If Your Money Could Talk
Where do we spend our money? How responsible are we with our money? There is the danger of getting too reliant upon our money and investments and savings - thinking that we can handle whatever comes our way - all the while relying upon ourselves and not on God. Even believers can fall into this trap. We say we believe that God provides for our needs and can meet our needs, but in reality, we only say that as long as we have the wherewithal to meet our needs on our own - who do we trust, really? And, then on the other extreme, there are those who pay no mind to money - they act as if God will take care of all of their needs, so they do not need to worry about financial responsibility.

Extraordinary Wisdom for Everyday Living - Word Power Made Wise
This lesson is about the words we use. We all know the expression "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Chances are you heard that several times on the playground at school. You probably hear the phrase less as and adult, unless you work around the kind of people that still operate on the 6th grade humor level (where phrases like "I am rubber, you are glue, what you say bounces off me and sticks to you" abound - yeah, take that!). There are probably a couple of extremes regarding the sticks and stones statement. Some people often have sharp knee jerk reactions to words - taken too harshly and creating a big deal when there may or may not have been any wrong intention. Some people seem to be able to take any kind of verbal abuse, with little apparent impact. On the other side, there are those who use their words as weapons to harm another person. It may not even be intentional, but they forget the power of words.

Extraordinary Wisdom for Everyday Living - How to Storm-Proof Your Home
How devastating are storms? We may not have understood the power of a severe thunderstorm or a flood or a tornado or a hurricane. We don't seem to have an appreciation for storms until we've been through one. Some have no idea of what a tornado can do - and think it will never happen to them, but when it comes close, they see that they need to do something. In schools they do drills - I've heard of one school that was doing a tornado drill and part of the school thought it was a fire drill, so they went outside, while the others went to interior halls to protect themselves. At least they knew they were supposed to do something, I guess.

Extraordinary Wisdom for Everyday Living - Three Rules for Working Smart
You've probably heard the phrase about working smarter rather than working harder. At least that thought is prevalent in my job. Usually when my management starts talking about working smarter, it means that there will be more work and fewer people to do it and our schedule won't shift accordingly - oh, and the quality of the work still needs to be as high as before. So, um, work smarter (whatever that means). There are a lot of people who put many hours into their jobs, but seem to accomplish very little. It's not as if they loaf and look for something else to do, but their efforts, however well intended, are often misguided or aimless. They may work for weeks on a product that nobody requested or wanted. It seems like working a little smarter would have been a very good idea, if they only knew what that meant.

Extraordinary Wisdom for Everyday Living - Your Ticket to Real Success
What is wisdom? Some people would say that wisdom is scholarly knowledge and learning. Certainly, there is something to be said about the 'wisdom of the schools'. However, there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. For example, it is more that the knowledge of what is true or right, but wisdom involves acting on that knowledge. In several areas of learning, I think you can find people who have studied in schools and have become very knowledgeable about a variety of things. They may be in all types of professions, knowing the things that need to be done. However, their application of that knowledge is often lacking.

Unlocking Your Best Relationships: Be Ready to Forgive
This lesson at least partially speaks of an issue that many people have a very difficult time dealing with - forgiveness. Chances are, somebody has done something to wrong you in the past. It may have been recent, or many years ago. In some cases, this wrong may have severed a relationship. Forgiveness or the lack thereof, is one of the biggest issues that many deal with. Many times, I've seen people who have left their lives be governed by a lack of forgiveness towards other people. It seems that they think of what happened to them every day, and it impacts the quality of their lives. Often, the 'perpetrator' gets past it and moves on with life. So, the lack of forgiveness may actually have a larger impact on those holding on to it, rather than those who are guilty.

Unlocking Your Best Relationships: Be Trustworthy
Just as we are looking for trustworthiness in a salesman, we are also looking for trustworthiness in our relationships. Who really wants to establish any type of relationship with someone they cannot trust? In our deep relationships, we may often share things that we are dealing with - does anybody want those things aired to the community? Even in failed relationships, it is important to protect the integrity of the other party, as much as possible. Are we as sincere and trustworthy in our relationships as we are called to be?

Unlocking Your Best Relationships: Communicate
This lesson will speak to communication. How important is communication in your relationships? Obviously, if there is no communication, relationships, however strong, just begin to crumble. And, it is very difficult to begin relationship if communication does not take place. Sometimes, it involves us having to do something that may be very uncomfortable. Some people just are not very communicative. They may have a lot of thoughts inside their head, but they are very reluctant to share with others - and this often results in very weak relationships. It can sap the life out of a marriage relationship, or any other close relationship. As Christians, if we don't spend the time communicating with God, it will impact that relationship.

Unlocking Your Best Relationships: Appreciate
In the area of relationships, I think most people could use help. At least I know I could. Personally, I do a pretty good job of establishing relationships with most people and maintaining friendships, but there are times where the relationships seem to fall to the side. It may be that a person changes jobs or moves to another neighborhood, city, state or even country. Absence and distance make relationships more difficult to maintain, unless everyone really works at it. We sometimes end up taking the relationship for granted, thinking that we can step away and it will just continue on its own. There are also other people whom I've had a great difficulty in establishing a relationship, for a variety of reasons.

Exploring Perseverance
What is perseverance? When life is going good, you don't hear much about perseverance, but when things start going bad - you hear it a lot. Perseverance can be thought of as being patient and able to endure. There are some people who much prefer one season of the year to another. For example, for those who love spring, they have to endure winter to get to spring. They know it is coming, so that helps things a lot. How much does that play into your ability to persevere? I think that a lot of people go through hardships and would continue to be faithful, if they thought that the hardship would end (and they knew when). When we lose hope, many people tend to look for the way out, rather than the way through.

Alive With Power
What do you think of when you think of power? Some definitions include the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something. Power also implies more than just the ability to do something, but the authority to do it. One of the terms that is thrown around my workplace is RAA - Responsibility, Accountability and Authority. Too often, folks are given the responsibility and accountability, but not the authority. I work with a very sharp group of folks who are assigned to provide direction for a very large program. We often come up with a workable solution, but then find we are unable to make it happen. This is not what power is.

It's All About Love
Familiarity often leads us to take things for granted. If you live on a beach and see the ocean each morning, you may begin to lose perspective of what a beautiful site that is. You almost forget that it is there. Living in St Louis, I've seen the Arch several hundred times - driven past it - saw it in the skyline - I don't often notice it anymore. People who have never been to St Louis are amazed by the Arch. When I really think about it and go down to see it - I am more amazed as well.

Where God is at Home
What do you think of when you hear the phrase "make yourself at home"? If you are having a visitor, do you expect them to feel comfortable and act as if they are part of your family, or would you expect them to act however they acted at their house? Obviously, if someone who stays in their pajamas all day long comes to your house and makes themselves at home, you wouldn't expect them to dress down to pajamas, would you? You'd probably expect them to hopefully feel more comfortable and at ease, while still fitting into what happens in your house. I suppose this may range from feeling free to get something out of the refrigerator or sit wherever they want to looking in all of your medicine cabinets, etc.

The Model
Everyone has heard of models. Models can mean many different things, depending on their context of use. We all know of models that model clothing styles. You'll see them in department store catalogs and in other advertisements on television and in the newspaper.

The Messengers
You may have heard of messenger pigeons. They were often used as military messengers, based largely on their homing ability, speed and altitude. In World War I, messenger pigeons were used by the French and US Armies. It is said that in October 1918, a pigeon delivered a crucial message, despite having been shot through the wing. This message, found in the capsule hanging from his shattered leg, saved around 200 US soldiers in the "Lost Battalion".

The Message
When you were a child, did you ever play that game where everyone was in a circle and one person started by whispering to the person next to them and then it continued around the circle until it came back to the originator? Very rarely did the message at the end stay as intended at the beginning. There always seemed to be a kid that would start it as a tongue twister, so it was probably lost by the time it got to the third person. Sometimes there was the kid who purposely mumbled (either at the start or along the way), just to see how it came back. The message got propagated, but it changed along the way.

The Motive
How many times have you done the right thing for the wrong reason? My guess is it probably much more than you or I realize. I think we all can think of times when we've done something good and we looked forward to the accolades we received. There is nothing wrong about being recognized for doing a good job, but if the only reason we do something is to be recognized - that becomes wrong.

Breakthrough in Confidence
The 23rd Psalm is perhaps the most well known passage in the Bible, at least for many people. It is quoted often in churches and at other times. Growing up in the church as I did, hearing hymns being sung week after week and scripture passages read week after week, I probably grew very accustomed to them. I know I didn't know all the words, but I suppose I got close with words that sounded the same, but probably had a much different meaning, if any meaning at all.

Breakthrough in Judgment
Why do they prosper? We look at the newspapers and TV news each day, and we seemingly see time after time where the wicked and evil people prosper. Their businesses seem to thrive and they seem to almost be blessed by God, rather than judged. You have to admit that sometimes, it is disheartening. You see people that seem to be seeking God that are unsuccessful. Jobs are lost. Illnesses hit families. They experience other types of problems in life. Has God forgotten them?

Breakthrough in Forgiveness
How important is forgiveness in life? Lack of forgiveness takes the toll on one whether they are the one who needs to forgive or the one who needs to be forgiven. If you are the one who has been wronged, you will find yourself as a prisoner to lack of forgiveness if you refuse to forgive, regardless of whether the offender asks or deserves forgiveness. If you are the offender, you know the power of guilt and remorse due to the offense you committed. All of us know what it is like to fail somebody and what it is like for someone to fail us.

Breakthrough in Focus
When we do we need focus in life? If you've ever worn glasses or contacts, you've likely been to an eye doctor that goes through several different lenses for you - in order to find the eyeglass prescription that best fits you. That prescription is different for most people, but the result should be the same - that when fitting properly, you can see things in focus.

Bowing Before the Savior
As Christians, we are able to worship one who has stood the test of time. From such a lowly birth to non descript parents, the Christ child has impacted all of humanity more than any other person. At his birth, shepherds came from the fields to worship him. In the following weeks and months, kings feared him and other kings worshipped him. It is appropriate that all levels of society can bow their knees before the Savior.

Celebrating the Birth of the Savior
This lesson speaks of the celebration that comes with the birth of Christ. There is no other birth that has occurred in the history of mankind that is more cause for celebration than the birth of Christ. When a family has a baby, there is cause for celebration among the friends and family. However, the birth of the Savior impacts all of mankind. As we near Christmas of this year, are you celebrating?

Being Changed by the Savior
Have you ever been placed in a difficult situation? I'm sure this has happened to all of us, at many times during our lives. I don't think you can live without facing something along this line from time to time. Sometimes we have to do things that we'd rather not do, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, we're asked to do things that just seem strange. Life always involves making decisions that impact us on a daily basis - and some of our decisions may alter the course of our lives.

Getting Ready for the Savior
Each of us spends time getting ready for many things in life. We go to school and learn how to learn, so that we are prepared for a career, or at least a job. When we have company at home, we may spend time preparing the house so that it is presentable for those outside of our families. We often put a lot of time in preparation for events - such as a Christmas party or a Super Bowl party or some other event that draws people together. A sports team will spent many practices preparing for their next game. We all know of preparation - even if we don't do it enough.

Recognizing the Savior
There are plenty of reasons to believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. He is an historical figure - so many will call him a great teacher. However, he is much more than that. One of the most convincing proofs that Jesus is the promised Savior is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. For any person who is willing to take a honest look at the Bible, there are plenty of reasons to believe.

Make Up Your Minds
It's nearing the Christmas holiday season once again. Some people have done all of their shopping and are prepared to handle other things in the coming weeks. Others will be doing most of their shopping as the date approaches. However, it is interesting to watch people shop, whenever they shop. Some people have a very specific goal in mind. They go to a store or a mall and head straight for a shelf and pull exactly what they are looking for and then they leave. Others have an idea of what they want, but they spend an inordinate amount of time in making a decision. Others have no idea of what they plan on getting and they go from store to store, seemingly wandering aimlessly.

20/20 Vision
How important is 20/20 vision? Have you ever been to the eye doctor, only to find out that your vision has gotten so bad that you require the equivalent to coke bottle glasses? Generally, we let our vision go for a while and we become accustomed to squinting and not seeing clearly. After a while, we may visit the eye doctor to find that we need a drastically different or new prescription. Once you see, have you ever wondered why it took you so long? As one comedian said, upon getting new glasses - 'I coulda been seeing things!'

Seeking Your Father's Approval
Do you seek the approval of others? I believe that in our lives, we all have sought the approval of someone else. It may have been a parent that had high expectations - academics, sports, music or in some other area. It probably was at least one teacher that you had in school that you did what you had to do to get them to approve of you. It isn't just part of childhood - it continues into adulthood. Some are always seeking the approval of bosses, co-workers, spouses, friends or others.

RESPECT-Find Out What It Means
Have you ever heard somebody say something that you just couldn't believe? I remember a time at work several years ago when I was working for a subcontractor to another company. I had to travel to the 'home office' and I walked into the supervisor's office while he was on the phone. I heard him say "We can do that, yes, we can do that, yes, will do that". He said his goodbyes, hung up and then looked at me and said "We're not going to do that!". Why speak?

High-Impact Believers
A number of surveys have been taken in the past to identify religious beliefs of people. Many people claim to be Christian - many more than what would normally darken a door to a church on any given Sunday. The views of what a Christian really is must vary from person to person. However, it matters less what a person actually thinks and more what actually is. We could all add two numbers. If we came up with different results, would it mean that we were all right? Obviously, two plus two is always four, even if you really wanted it to be five.

Quality is Job One
How important is quality in life? We hear about quality of life. We've all heard of people who have lost their quality of life. It may due to disease or something else. However, I know of others who have appeared to be very successful, yet their quality of life seems at a loss. How does quality relate to human life? Our world tells us that we need to get more, more, more and have the perfect job or the perfect relationship or the perfect house or whatever. However, you and I have both known people who seemed to have everything, yet their quality of life was very much lacking. God's view of quality does not align with man's view.

Reading the Handwriting on the Wall
Chances are that you've heard the phrase 'handwriting on the wall'. Have you ever thought about where that came from? The website wikipedia.com refers to it as the following: The writing on the wall (or sometimes 'handwriting on the wall') is an expression that suggests a portent of doom or misfortune. It originates in the Biblical book of Daniel - where supernatural writing fortells the demise of the Babylonian Empire, but it has come to have a wide usage in language and literature.

Handling Success Successfully
There are plenty of seminars and books that you can find that can tell you how to find success. Self help books regarding success in careers, finances, relationships, or just about anything else exist in every bookstore and library around the world. People are desperately trying to find out how to become successful. They will invest time and money, making sacrifices, chasing success.

Facing the Fiery Furnace
What goes through your mind when you have to face something that many people fear? I know of several people, including myself, that have white-coat syndrome. Whenever I go to the doctor, my blood pressure seems to rise and I am on edge. I'm not really sure - I've never really had any bad experiences at the doctor. Sure, I don't like getting poked and prodded - but who does? When I was a child, I often had bouts of asthma. I had to go to the doctor often for shots - sometimes multiple shots. It was never fun, but I survived.

Feeling Anxious About the Future
When have you had trouble sleeping? For many people, when they have something big coming up, they think about the things that are unknown and it sticks in their mind. It impacts their thoughts, both day and night. From the time they wake up, it is one of the first things they think about - and when they go to bed, it's one of the last things they think about. It can be like a cloud that is constantly over a person.

Meeting Cultural Challenges
What impositions are put on you by the culture in which you live? As Christians, it can be very difficult to live in a culture without becoming part of the culture. I know people who live in different parts of the country and in different parts of the world, where the culture is admittedly different. Lifestyles and hobbies and median income and jobs and so on can be different. Even if you just stay in the United States, you can find a world of difference between New York City, Miami, Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle and Los Angeles.

When Society Abandons Godly Ways
What has changed in our society in your lifetime? The most noticeable thing to many folks would have to be the advances in technology. Some can remember black and white television sets, which cannot be found anymore, except in those old flea markets in really small towns. As few as 15 years ago, most of us would not have thought we could access information around the world online. Now, people routinely are seeing live pictures from all over the world on their computers - night or day. It used to be that only the 'geeks' had email addresses, but now nearly every family owns a computer and most people have email. Advances in cell phone technology have made it such that people can be connected 24/7 - at home, on the road, on vacation or virtually anywhere. There have been advances in medicine so that many diseases are no longer life threatening, as they were 20 or 30 years ago (we still have a long way to go, tho). A lot of the things that have happened have had very positive impacts on our society.

When Sickness Strikes
There are some folks who believe that a true believer should never get sick. Some of them are Christian Scientists, who do not believe in taking medicine. Their founder, Mary Baker Eddy, wore glasses. Hmmmm. When I was in college, I played tennis at a small school in Indiana. One of our competitors was Principia, a Christian Science college in Illinois. I remember one conference tournament, when a player on my team went to the student union, looking for some Tylenol. Needless to say, he got a few looks.

When You're Discouraged
Have you ever been discouraged? We've all been there. Discouragement comes from unfulfilled expectations - and if our expectations are out of line with God's expectations, then we may find ourselves discouraged often. Sometimes, people are expecting more from an endeavor - in the workplace, or in a relationship, or at church, or at school or elsewhere. They put forth an effort, and they don't see the results they hoped for - hence, some level of discouragement.

When Overwhelmed by Responsibilities
Life is full of responsibilities. It starts small - as children. We learn responsibility in chores around the house or caring for a pet or in a variety of other means. For some children, responsibility comes in much larger packages - as they have to care for their younger siblings or perhaps for ill parents. When we went to school, we became responsible for completing assignments and studying for tests - or paying the consequences. At the time, we may have thought life was difficult. As we got older, we dealt with part-time jobs and other responsibilities, having to split our time between classes and work and time with friends and family. Then, for many, college came and some threw away responsibility, while others because more and more responsible.

Agreeing on the Basics
How important is a common foundation? What happens when two people try and communicate without a common language? I have traveled extensively in the past several years - all over the United States, as well as many foreign countries. Generally, if you know English (which I'm sorta good at), you can make it around most major cities - the airports generally have a fair amount of English - and a lot of the signs are very similar. However, when you go to the smaller towns in another country, you may find it much more difficult to get around. English is the most common foundational language - used by people on every continent. However, speaking the same language isn't enough. The basics of anything need to be agreed upon, if you want to have success in dealing with others. If you deal with others without having a common foundation to tie back to, you will find life much more difficult.

Sharing Christ in All Places
Have you ever considered what God might do in your life if you really opened up? Does it terrify you? I know some people that are Christians that are unwilling to allow God to really use them, because they don't want to lose what they think they have. It is as if they think that God might call them into mission work and their lives would be ruined. I'm sure it has happened before, but I have never met a missionary that regretted going into mission work.

Sharing Christ with All People
You and I both deal with a lot of different people each day. It doesn't matter if you have a job that has you traveling often, or if you go to work each day in a corporation, school, restaurant or any other business. It doesn't matter if you are a student or if you are a stay at home mom. We all encounter different types of people.

Finding Your Place of Service
How important is it that we find a place of service in the church? Sometimes, people think that they just attend a church on the convenient Sundays and that the 'paid' staff is responsible for making it run. However, God has gifted each of us with abilities to be used to reach others for Christ. You may not be a teacher or able to be creative in working with youth or children, but there are many opportunities to help.

United We Stand
Perhaps you've heard the state motto of Kentucky - United We Stand, Divided We Fall. It was adopted in 1942. Do you remember what was happening in 1942? In December, 1941, the United States entered World War II, because of a vicious attack on Pearl Harbor. How important is being united in a war? Without that, a country stands less of a chance of victory. In 1941, the country rallied together against a common enemy. What has been called "The Greatest Generation" pulled together to eventually win the war, at a very great cost.

Renew Your Devotion Today
What things in life need to be renewed? If you have an automobile license, you know that you have to renew every few years. Automobile plates are similar � in most states, every one or two years. In the past year or so, travel to nearby countries (Canada, Mexico, etc) was to require a passport. There was a mad rush to get new passports, and some, including my daughter, found that that their passports had expired. It needed to be renewed.

Remember the Lord is God
What will we remember? There are things we have learned as children that we will likely never forget. We all know the Alphabet song, and hopefully retain that. Once we learn the multiplication tables, we have those tucked away for a long time. Some people remember the most inane things. Sports fanatics can tell you who won the MLB batting title in 1941, or who was the NBA rookie of the year in 1955. Movie fanatics can recall quotes from movies over the past half century. Historians may recall the battles of every major war, etc.

Practice Obedience Diligently
Diligence - constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind. Where are you the most diligent? Some people have hobbies that require a lot of diligence - doing things with their hands - things that take a long time to finish. Maybe you're one of those people that build the boats that go in the bottles or you build things out of toothpicks - that would require diligence. For some, it is when they work around the house - fixing a leaky sink, or other small jobs. Diligence requires a focus of our attention. We will all focus at some point on some thing. Some sports fans are very diligent when it comes to following their teams. Other folks become diligent when they read the paper. They don't want interruptions while they are doing whatever they do.

Admit Your Struggle with Sin
Sin - It's what the other guy does. When preached or taught, it's about the person sitting in the next pew or beside you or in front of you. Wrong. We know it. How many times have you been convicted by God and tried to deny it? We may show little signs on the outside, but we all are convicted by sin at some point.

Humble Service
What do you think of when you think of humility in service? There are people whose lives are spent in serving others. They have learned how to serve and many people derive enjoyment from serving others.

Jesus Lives for Us
Why do we meet as believers? You can go to just about any where in the world and find believers that will meet on every Sunday - and throughout the week. And, on Easter, the "Creasters" often show up - Christmas and Easter attendees. What is the difference between the group that meets as a church and other groups that meet as civic organizations? Sure, we believe in a lot of the same stories and we study the same Scripture, but other organizations may be as ritualistic about what they do. What is the key? Jesus lives in believers.

Jesus Died for Us
Who may have been present at the Crucifixion? There were the thieves who were also being crucified. There were soldiers who carried out the sentence. There were the Jewish leaders, who led the charge to condemn Jesus for a variety of reasons. There were the many visitors to Jerusalem for Passover. There was Jesus' family - his mother Mary and others who loved Jesus. There were the disciples who had to feel the world drop from underneath them. There were confused followers who couldn't imagine this series of events happening. There were mockers. All different types of people may have been present. And, regardless of how others looked at Jesus on the cross - Jesus died for them all.

Jesus Restores Our Lives
The average lifespan is increasing in many places around the world. People can become much healthier through diet, exercise, watching their cholesterol and through many other means. Many people know that they need to exercise their minds to stay sharp in life, and they read books or work puzzles or do many other things. The key point, however, is that although we may do many things to prolong life, the mortality rate still remains 1. Everyone will die, unless Jesus returns in our lifetime.

Jesus Takes Care of Us
We've all probably seen a picture of Jesus that stands out in our minds. The one that I remember from earliest in my life is one in which He is carrying a lamb. This lesson talks about how Jesus takes care of us as a shepherd cares for his sheep.

Jesus Forgives Our Sins
How important is forgiveness? If, indeed, you are a human, you have wronged somebody else at some point in your life and have needed forgiveness. And, you have been wronged by somebody else and you have had to forgive. What happens when you wrong somebody and you are not forgiven? Some people live their lives, having wronged somebody or maybe even many people - without ever getting forgiveness. To not be forgiven leads many people to withdraw from others, or to become bitter. Sometimes, it is the person who has done the wrong that has the problem with forgiveness. After it has happened, they find themselves unwilling or unable to get on with life - stuck in a wrong that they made. As parents or children or friends, we all need to be forgiven from time to time - and we need to learn how to forgive.

Show Me the Proof
Do we think it is an intellectual experience to become a Christian? Can we just learn the right thing and bang, it hits? If there was proof beyond any shadow of a doubt, would people believe? What if God actually did provide miracles in the lives of people, would people believe?

Like Father Like Son
How are you like your parents? Generally we all have some characteristics that are similar. We may look like our mom or dad. We may have many of the same tendencies. There are positive things that we inherit and there are negative things that we inherit. As parents ourselves, we see ourselves in our kids. Why is it that they pick up our negative tendencies much easier than what we consider to be positives?

Something You Must Do
As people search spiritually - to fill that void in their lives - does it really make a difference what religion they choose? Obviously, Heaven's Gate wasn't the correct choice. But, many religions have many of the same basic teachings. They speak to moral behavior and responsible citizenship. Why does it matter what you believe? Can you just take any thing that is spiritual in nature and fill the vacuum?

The Word from God
You can turn on the TV and find any of a number of preachers or evangelists that are trying to reach folks. You can go to any book store and find all types of spiritual seeker oriented books. This could be tragic, depending on where you live. On a trip to the Northwest one time, I went into the bookstore in a small town. They had all types of 'spiritual looking' books - any of the various Gospels of "Judas or Mary Magdalene" - or Da Vinci code based books or anything that seemed to touch on spiritual issues - BUT - they had no Bibles. Tragic. You can find easy access to the major religions in the world through a bookstore or online or through local organizations. And, there are other cultures that have their own 'spiritual' markpoints - some that may seem related to mainline Christianity - they say an occasional prayer to god in their rituals, so that's gotta be Christian, right? Unfortunately, many people (some Christians included) can't tell the difference.

What Is Human Life Worth?
You may have had different views on the value of life throughout your life, but that matters little now. The question is how you value life today and what impact that value has upon your life? Will you help protect life or will you stand and watch life become more and more devalued? Our thoughts are important, but they will change over time, as we learn more or as our lives change. However, God's thoughts on life are all that matter; and His thoughts never change over time. We need to live our lives and place our minds firmly on a standard - what is yours?

What's the Big Problem?
Everybody makes mistakes in life. There are many types of mistakes. A football player that handles the snap on a potential game winning field goal can drop the ball - this is a mistake. A person that invests money in a company that goes bankrupt has made a mistake. When you accidentally make a wrong turn on a road, you've made a mistake. A student who misses several questions on a test has made a mistake. We've all made these types of blunders.

Why Am I Here?
Why are we here? Many people try and find the answer to this question in a variety of ways. They will try many different things - going from career to career, relationship to relationship, house to house - seeking some sort of fulfillment. Some flood their lives with entertainment - always going out to movies and dinners and sporting events and the such. Others seek recreation - being involved in leagues of different types or dreaming about skiing or kayaking or deep sea fishing. Others seek career fulfillment - hopping from one job to the next, never quite being satisfied.

Salvation for All
In this holiday time of year, people are bombarded with Christmas - sales, decorations, holiday time off, as examples - but many miss the Christ connection. Some people could care less about the historicity of Christ. Others see Christ as a religious alternative, and others only see Christ as a life crutch for weak people. We live in a dark world, as if in a long tunnel, with no light at the end, it seems at times. Throughout history, there have been 'gods' by the thousands, but not one of those gods offers hope for a broken heart. Not one can offer forgiveness for the sins, which all cultures acknowledge with no hope for forgiveness. Let us not forget how incredibly blessed we are to have the hope of Jesus Christ. Not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year. .

Jesus, God's Greatest Gift
What's the best gift you've ever been given? For some people, they may recall a present they received as a child. Kids often have a very specific idea of what they want. Some parents have their kids create a list which they use in shopping. As a child, I remember looking through Christmas catalogs and selecting things that I would like to have.

Hope That Lives
Where do people try to find security? We hear the word security and we think of many things. If we are talking financial security, it is the idea that you have enough money saved to handle whatever comes up. You may put all of your money in the stock market, but that's not the most secure place to invest. You can make a lot or you can lose a lot overnight. It really matters little how much you have or where you keep it - there are many things that can happen in life that deplete what you have saved.

Live Now � and Forever
Have you ever been truly in need? Most of us live fairly affluent lives - able to purchase what we need when we need it. We may not get everything we want when we want it, but seldom have we been in real need, physically. Sometimes, I think this works against our spiritual condition. We tend to think that we are pretty well in control of things, if we seem to be able to afford what we need. However, if we never knew where our next meal was going to come from, we may tend to spend more time seeking God.

Live in Reality, Not Delusion
Who lives in a dream world? Many of us like to get taken away - immersed in some story. If you are a '24' or 'Lost' fan, you know what it is like. If you've never heard of them or watched them, you may not realize how addicting they can become. I heard of one radio personality that watched 18 straight '24' episodes on a 15 hour flight to the other side of the world. I've never watched that many in a row, but it does get addicting - each episode ending with you on the edge of your seat.

Live in Light, Not Darkness
Have you ever spent much time in darkness? Even the most comfortable places in daytime can appear to be dangerous at night. You see things that don't exist. Shadows begin to look threatening and the sounds that you hear seem to take on their own life. Just like my story as kid in Mammoth Cave - when we are in darkness, we want to be able to reach out and find some comfort. However, if you reach to the wrong place for comfort, you can find yourself deeper in the darkness rather than finding the true comfort that you so intensely desire.

Live in Relationship, Not Rebellion
Some people think of the Bible as containing stories that are not applicable to people of today. Even many Christians like to pick and choose pieces of the New Testament, but they consider the Old Testament as irrelevant. Sure, the nations and people that are mentioned in the Old Testament may seem very distant, but the it is the same God, and throughout history - people are people. When we look beyond the historical aspects and finding the application, we see that all of Scripture is very applicable.

Take Hold of Endurance
What makes us give up? Hardly anybody begins a task, thinking that they will give up. Most have high dreams of what will transpire - whether it is a new project at work, a friendship or a deeper relationship. The defeatist attitude comes in over time, when things just don't go as we thought they might.

Take Hold of Usefulness
Do you want to be useful to God? We all have issues in our lives that we tend to think disqualify us. I've known people who made mistakes in life that caused them to sit on the sidelines throughout the rest of their lives. I've made mistakes and I can admit it seems easy to fall back and just watch. However, there is something inside each of us that makes us desire to follow God.

Paying a Price to Serve God
Some people live under some delusions that becoming a Christian means that life suddenly becomes easy. However, if you are a Christian, you know this is not the case. It is hard to live as God intended, doing what God has asked, and not disappointing others. It is also hard to live as God intended when others disappoint us, which happens often. In a lampoon of President Bush, Saturday Night Live had a skit which unfortunately set the public perception by many of the President as a bumpkin of sorts, with an expression "Presidenting is hard". No slam intended at the President, but many a Christian has said "Christianing is hard". It is indeed hard to be a Christian at times.

Starting Now
Who doesn't want to make an impact? It may be in your job, or in your family, or on a team, or in any situation in life. Each of us would want to be the kind of person that others can look to, but we often fall so short. Or, we may find ourselves in that position at one point in our life, and then find ourselves wanting to hide in other parts. As believers, God has called us to faithful service, and it is something that eludes many of us. What holds us back and is there anything that we could learn that would help us?

Work Matters
Sometimes we look at our work as only the means to get what we need in life. It may not be much, really - just to pay our bills or to afford something a little nicer. Perhaps it is to provide for those we love. Certainly, there are times where we tend to get more satisfaction out of jobs - and it brings a sense of self worth. This, too, is a trap, potentially causing us to place a huge priority on our careers, while losing sight of other things in life that are more important.

Why Jesus?
Growing up, I remember Christmas pageants at school - singing Christmas carols - attending other Christmas programs and so forth. I guess there has been a general downward trend in the past few years, but for me, it became much more noticeable this year. People seem to want to get rid of anything to do with 'Christ' in Christmas - or Christmas in general. We are hearing phrases like "Happy Holidays" or "Have a Splendid Season". It is amazing that in the U.S., there are statistics that say 82% of people believe that Jesus is the Son of God (I strongly doubt those numbers, but at any rate, most Americans clearly align more closely with at least the thinking of Christianity, even if they don't believe it all, or buy into it). Businesses want to rake in the profits, but very many have intentionally removed the word 'Christmas' from signs, and many have forbid their employees to even say the words Merry Christmas. Nativities in town squares are not allowed. Isn't it interesting that there seems to be no problem with special emphasis on celebrating other cultures in our schools and across our country, yet we are being prohibited from celebrating what is near and dear to so many who live here?

Why Try?
As we watch parts of our society crumble around us, we sometimes feel helpless. We know that there is hope that we can offer, but it seems that our little doesn't do much. Have you ever been in a worship service with candles? Each year, usually on the Christmas Eve service, our church will hand out candles to all in attendance. One lit here or there makes little difference, but when more are lit, the entire room lights up. If we think of our impact on our own, we'll be less likely to make an impact, but if we realize that there are many more who are working with us, the momentum starts to kick in. But, we've got much more than a team of dedicated individuals - we have the power of the Eternal God that works for us - giving us the boldness that we need to make a stand.

Why Me?
If I don't do it, somebody else will. This is how many people pursue life - doing what they want to do at times. However, if we are intrigued or personally involved, we usually want to take part in an activity. When disconnected, many will often let somebody else take charge. We see this in many areas of life. For example, if you work outside of your home, you can probably see some people that are more apt to tackle a task than others. Some find out what they need to do and only do the minimum amount required. Others will see a bigger picture and involve themselves. Part of this is based on personality type - some are leaders, and some are followers, and many are in between.

Why Care?
We all care about someone or something. Even those who live out in the middle of nowhere, and are seemingly independent of others - they care about specific things. They may have shown that they really care little for being around people, but they have other things that take their place. Most of us are not like the hermits who live alone, or those who have secluded themselves away from others. Most of us have people we genuinely care about. It likely is family and close friends. It may be co-workers or others we come in contact with, but we find ourselves a bit disconnected from others. Life boils down to this often - us and them. It may not be that you hate others, but you may find yourself subconsciously rejecting them because they are different.

Who is in Control?
It is often said that joy can be found despite one's external circumstances. This all sounds good, when you don't have the situation bearing down upon you, but when it happens, that really starts to test your mettle. As Christians, we should strive to honor God, even when life hands us a bad hand, or even when we have to deal with the consequences of our sins. Certainly not every negative situation in life is not based upon our goodness or 'badness', but there are certainly times when we have brought the consequences of our sins to bear down upon us. Can you honor God even then?

Where Can I Turn?
People have long been in search of wisdom. Those who are wise are held in high regard. Wisdom is more than knowledge. Knowledge is usually considered a collection of facts, while wisdom is the ability to apply the facts. You can always find the people who will offer you advice. They may be church friends, family members, work associates, radio talk shows, psychics or any of a number of other people. Just because a person is looked to for advice does make them wise.

Why Did This Happen?
When you go through troubles, who do you turn to? We turn to God, surely - at least those of us who are Christians. But, who else do you turn to? It is good to have people of faith that you can share with, and give you a good perspective, but realize that you mainly deal with God. Also, people can lead you astray and give bad advice. We all need somebody - and preferably there would be more than one. And, it is always best if these are people of the same sex. As we share deep thoughts and convictions, we need to be doing it in a place that does not open other doors that can lead to worse problems.

Respond with Faith
Not fair! Would any of us expect that if we did a good job in our workplace, we would lose our jobs? As a child, would you expect to work for many months on a sport only to be cut before others who didn't put forth an effort? We all tend to have a thought of unfairness when things don't work out in our favor. How do you respond?

Follow Who?
It has been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Kids imitate their heroes - whether it is in athletics or anywhere else. They copy the moves of athletes on the court or field, desire to wear the same clothes and just try and be like the ones that they follow. Many athletes and entertainers are very reluctant role models, wanting to do their thing on the court, or on the screen, without being mimicked. However, they are imitated, like it or not.

What's My Role in the Church?
Have you ever wondered why church is such a large part of some people's lives, while others could care less? There are many people who will likely never darken the doors of a church for a variety of reasons - they consider it a complete waste of time. Others have tried it, but it just didn't seem to fit their lifestyles - they got nothing out of it. Others don't appreciate the style of worship, or the programs offered. Some are just too busy - other things in life keep them away.

Home | Current Study | Search | About Us | Contact Us