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Recent Studies

When Immorality Comes to Church
On any given Sunday, there are some people that are dealing with moral issues in their lives. Statistics will tell you that many people (men and women) are impacted by pornography. And then, it will begin to occur to you that this is an issue that is evident in the lives of some church members. There are probably many reasons to explain this, such as the changes in technology that have made access much easier and more secretive. This had made this a bigger and bigger issue in our age. Through many different means, our society attempts to brainwash us into believing that there is no problem with 'casual; sex. They say it's not immoral; there is nothing wrong - it's only sex. And, sadly, many believers buy into that. There are certainly other types of immorality, but the point is that it surely exists in the lives of some church members and others that walk through the church doors. While we can acknowledge that this may be true of others, the biggest thing that you have to worry about is if this is a part of your life.

When Members Won't Get Along
This next series of lessons is entitled 'Church Gone Wrong". The scriptural basis comes from the book of 1 Corinthians, where there were numerous problems within the church. Since none of our churches have problems within, this series of lessons won't apply to us, right? Of course we can all relate to this set of lessons, as there is no such thing as a perfect church and every church will experience many different issues. We will be looking at several issues, including this lesson about members not getting along. Other lessons speak to immorality within the church, members insisting on their way, worship that dishonors God and when Easter becomes just another holiday.

How Can You Keep from Losing Your Mind?
'You've lost your mind!' You've probably heard that phrase or perhaps you've said it to someone else. It usually comes up when somebody says or does something that is very uncharacteristic of them. It would seem that they have a normal pattern of living, but when they do something that does not align, it would seem that they had lost their mind. I believe that there are times in every Christian's life where they find themselves thinking something that they know they shouldn't be thinking or during an activity that they know they should be avoiding. They often know better, but they still find themselves acting in a manner that is not consistent with what they believe to be true.

What Is On Your Mind?
What's on your mind? Has anybody asked you that question? It can either be a polite question that shows respect for your opinion, or it can be somewhat of a condescending remark. Or, it can be anywhere in between. In my career, I've worked with some incredibly gifted people. They have been an invaluable resource in helping to identify solutions to difficult problems. Often, when the problem is stated, one of the first things that people do it go and find out what this resource's first impression is. Their minds seem to lock into the problem space and they consider many possible solutions that others may not think about. When these people are thinking, others do want to know what is on their mind.

What Will It Take To Change Your Mind?
Sometimes in life, we make decisions on choices that really don't make a lot of difference. You may stand in front of a soda machines trying to decide between water, soda or something else. You might decide on a whim where you will eat lunch. In many of these choices, you don't have people pressuring you to make a decision, unless someone else has to go along with your decision. These decisions usually make very little difference, unless your eating habits become a problem in your life, which is the case for many people, I suppose.

Are You in the Right Mind?
"You're out of your mind!" Have you ever heard anybody say that to another person? Maybe you've said it to someone else or have heard it said to you. Generally, it is said in jest when a person hears something that catches them off guard, as it was unexpected. We can often recognize when we have been out of our mind. Have you ever said the words "It seemed the right thing to do". When did you say it? I know in my own life it often has occurred once I've made a colossal mistake, and I realized that I was out of my mind at the time!

Wrestling with Work
As the last several lessons have taught us, there are many aspects to life that can be good when handled in the right way, but can become very problematic when they are out of kilter. All of the things that God has made serve a purpose and when used in their intended way, they are a blessing to each of us and to God as well. We can certainly think of how this is true with so many areas of life. It is good to have things, but when things have you, they have lost their intended purpose. And, you've probably thought about how good a fire in the fireplace can be on a cold winter night, but an out of control fire in your house is an altogether different story (no matter how cold it is outside)..

Wrestling with Stuff
In the past few lessons, we've talked about things that we all wrestle with. We've talked about views on life, time and injustice. These are things that we all deal with. This series of lessons continues with wrestling with stuff. Stuff can be defined as many things, but I think it is aptly named stuff, because your stuff and my stuff may not be the same, but they are both stuff. For some of you that read this, the continued use of the word 'stuff' will cause you too cringe (others will cringe more at the use of too rather than to!). Hopefully, you can get over that and realize that stuff is an appropriate word to use to encompass a lot of different things that we may think we need in life.

Wrestling with Injustice
Is there injustice in this world? Of course there is. Some of it is fairly minimal and in other cases, it is amazingly out of hand. In the sports arena, you will often hear fans of a team saying that they got robbed by the officials. This is rarely the case, as with few exceptions, most officials are doing the best that they can do so that they are impartial to one team or another. Sometimes, a blown call can cost a lot, but in most cases, it is simply an inconvenience. You can ask just about any sports team if they believe the officiating is even, and you will hear that the officials favor the other team. But, even if so, this type of injustice does not compare to what happens elsewhere in our world.

Wrestling with Time
This lesson focuses on time in our lives. As we grow older in this life, we experience a multitude of events. Some of them are ones that we have anxiously awaited; some we have tried to avoid; some bring joy and others bring sorrow to our lives. There are some people today that want to make Christianity into a religion that promises 'good times' throughout life. They imply that our lives should be full of earthly blessings - a better job, a better house, a stronger marriage, better health and so forth. Truly, who doesn't want those things? But, ask yourself if God really created us for those earthly blessings. In this type of theology, me and my happiness have replaced God at the center. Time becomes all about how things impact me, with little room for what God may be doing.

Wrestling with the Meaning of Life
A few years ago, Rick Warren wrote a book entitled "Purpose Driven Life" and it became an instant hit, both within churches and throughout society. It was on the New York Times Best Seller List for over 150 weeks. It was translated into over 50 languages and was one of the bestselling books in the world from 2003-2005. Why did so many people buy that book? What were they looking for?

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
This series of lessons has been on Christmas songs, which by this time you have probably heard for weeks (at least as of the original writing of this lesson). There are wide varieties of these songs, sung by carolers, in Christmas programs, heard in stores as you shop, and on TV and the radio. We hear them so often that we tend to forget the meaning. When you get so close to something, sometimes you take it for granted. I work with people all over the country. There are those who live off the beach in California - they drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway every morning and afternoon and seem to forget that the Pacific Ocean is right beside them. There are those who live in Seattle and can see Mt Rainier from their back porch. There are those who are in Denver and can just look to the west and see the Rockies. These are all places that people may go for a long awaited vacation and be in total awe of what they see. But, when you live there, it can become commonplace.

Go, Tell it on the Mountain
It would seem that we are inundated with news these days. Unless you live under a rock, it is difficult to not hear news of what is going on. I do know that there have been times that I have traveled to other countries and have seemed to be out of the loop, but that was more because I didn't understand the language than anything else. When I was in Belarus with a basketball team in October, 2002, I remember eating breakfast in a Minsk hotel restaurant on our last day in country. I remember watching and listening to the Russian language coming from the TV. Several Belarusian people anxiously gathered while I just continued to casually eat my breakfast. It turned out to be the Moscow Theatre Hostage Crisis. News was happening while I ate my breakfast, but I didn't really 'get it'.

Joy to the World
What news would bring joy to the world? For many today, a change in the economy would bring joy. Many are without jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. For others today, a relationship might bring joy. For some people, if their favorite sports team were to win a game; that would be joyful. In the past couple of weeks, my oldest son was part of a state championship football team from a small town. There were many joyful people in that town on that day. For many kids, there are a wide variety of toys that seem to bring joy. There are different things that would seem to bring joy to different people, depending on what their specific situation or need is. The same thing for all wouldn't seem to spread joy across the board. Sure, the football championship brought joy to many, but there were still even in that same area others that did not experience joy due to that victory.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
The next few lessons take a look at what is behind some of the Christmas music that we hear and so often take for granted. Music truly stirs the soul. It doesn't matter if it is at a concert, in your car as you drive, in your house as you go about your day or in your ears as you listen to an iPod or some other music device. Without music, movies would seem very long and tedious - the background music adds to the story. We've come to expect music as we shop. It always seems to lift the moods of people. Music can also be a motivator. Many athletes will listen to music as they prepare for a game. Music can be very uplifting when we are down. Just like a certain smell make trigger a memory from your past, music can remind us of a time past, whether good or bad. Music can be used to lift your soul or to help you endure in the middle of life's difficulties.

Work on Your Humility
What do you think of when you hear of humility? Humility can be thought of as having a modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance. It is recognized in most major religions as a positive character trait. Helen Nielsen has said that humility is like underwear; essential, but indecent if it shows. In essence, it is not going about life in such a dramatic way that others think you are always seeking glory or that you are going out of the way to show your humility. There are some people who always want their name listed first, or shown as the primary contributor to a project. I've worked with people that always want to take the headline status. Several years ago I had to work second shift with a co-worker. They had to take off for the evening and didn't come back until the next day. I had to fill out a status report and I used the word 'I' in several places, without even thinking much about it. When they found that out the next day, they were very mad at me and when I asked why, they said it should have said 'we'. It would have been if it had been we. Many people want the credit even when they didn't lend a hand.

Watch Your Language
Have words ever been a problem in your life? I think the only one who could say no would have to be mute - and even then, they probably have 'signed' some bad things. For the rest of us, assuming you've ever spoke one word, you probably will have to say that you have said at least one thing that you wish you could take back. One of my favorite comedians is Brian Regan. In one of his skits, he talks about how he is always putting his foot in his mouth. He says that he doesn't stop and think. For example, he said "I met this woman recently and I could have sworn she was pregnant. (pause) I know now. I think the rule is don't guess at that ever, ever, ever, ever - you could never have too many ever's memorized. I said "When's that baby due?" WHAT baby? I said "At the zoo, the pandas". I knew they were trying to have one, I just thought we'd talk about them.

Treat Everyone Equally
When we think of treating others equally, we often think of the word 'discrimination'. Discrimination can actually be thought of in positive and negative terms. You may have heard of someone who makes distinctions between things and has discriminating judgment. The ability to discriminate between options can be a very positive thing and something that we need as we go forward in life. When people talk about stopping discrimination, they aren't saying that we don't need to quit making wise decisions based on the information that we have.

Celebrate Your Trials
What are trials? Dictionary.com brings up a few possibilities. There is the law context, in which a person's guilt or innocence is determined; the act or trying, testing or putting to the test; an attempt or effort to do something; an experiment; subjection to suffering or grievous experiences; an affliction or trouble and a trying, distressing or annoying thing or person. I also think of speed trials, in which track athletes compete in stages to advance to further levels.

Live Your Faith
In this lesson, we will talk about some ways that we can live our faith in the manner that God intended. Last week, I went to an International Students event at a local college. There are several international students there, as well as others who are there to help. They do several activities and try to discuss some topics. The main topic of discussion was about masks that people wear and why they do so. There are times in our lives where we will need to hide our true selves, based on the situation - perhaps in an emergency. But, if we find ourselves doing that in all areas of our lives, we will not be living our faith legitimately. This lesson will by no means be totally inclusive of what it means to live our faith, but it will help us to begin to understand what is actually intended.

The Hero Victorious
How do you feel after a crushing defeat? Likely, we all have felt the blow of defeat. Sometimes, I wonder if those people that don't follow sports have it easier than those who really enjoy following a sports team. If you are a sports fanatic, you may find that your mood can vary greatly based on the success or failure of your team. It really doesn't make any difference if your team wins or loses in the grand scheme of things. It may matter more if you are on the team, but I've seen people get a huge sense of pride because their team wins and others that are devastated at a loss. I've been around long enough to be happy about my team winning and somewhat depressed at a loss.

The Hero Betrayed
What do you know about betrayal? You may think in terms of treachery or disloyalty to a country. What do most people remember about Benedict Arnold? He is still primarily considered a traitor to most people, even if you don't remember why. You may think about a relationship in which a trust has been betrayed. You may also think of a friendship that has been betrayed, as disappointment sets in. You may be the victim of (or perpetrator of) gossip spreading, which can be considered as betrayal of a trust. We may know of betrayal from the side of being the one who was betrayed, or being the one who has betrayed another in a relationship. Unfortunately, we can all think of times where betrayal has happened. We may know it by different names, but we all know of betrayal.

The Hero Doing Battle
Have you ever felt like you were in a battle? When I was a kid, I remember that I used to play with other kids in the neighborhood. We could make a game out of just about anything. It may have been sport or some other game that we played, but with some of the neighbor kids, it often seemed like a battle. Some of us always wanted to win, there were some others who were not so competitive. Even today, as an adult, I know some people that can make anything into a competitive game. Other people avoid competition at just about any cost. Regardless of whether you consider yourself competitive or not, we all face battles at some point in life.

The Warrior Hero
Many believers hear that they are called to live a life of adventure and passion; yet when they look at their own life, they see anything but that. They may be very involved in their church and they may not have big moral flaws in their lives; yet they certainly would not consider their life adventuresome. They have more or less settled back into a passive life, only doing what they are 'supposed to do'. Life becomes a series of checklists - do this and don't do that. It is very easy to get into a rut in life, even with good things. I've heard that a rut is simply a grave with both ends blown out. When you're in a rut, it begins to feel that way, even if you feel like you're doing the right things.

The Results of Knowing Jesus
What a person does with Jesus is the one decision that has the biggest impact in life. We tend to forget that, as we get engrossed in school, or our jobs, or our sports teams, or our relationships, or anything else. Some people are solely focused on achieving all that they can achieve in this life - being the greatest at what they do (or at least great). There are big decisions that may impact your life for several years, but it is the decision about Jesus that matters most. Some people want to put any decision about Jesus off until 'later'. For some people, that 'later' never comes. They may choose many different reasons to not accept now, but whatever the reason; it still remains the one choice that can impact a person's life more than any other decision, both for today and for the remainder of your life.

The Challenges of Knowing Jesus
How are you challenged in life? One of the ways that I have seen is to think of things in a different light than you always had before. When you learn things growing up, it can be difficult to change when you find that they weren't quite right. This is certainly true in the spiritual area of our lives. It is easy to think that everyone believes just as you do, as you grow up, and that you have it all understood. However, as we mature in Christ, we are often challenged in what we have always believed. Are you willing to accept what Christ wants to do in your life, even if it was different than what you used to think?

The People Jesus Knows
There are people that are outside the church that think that Christ only knows and cares about people in the church. (Admittedly, there are people in the church that seem to think the same thing!) Non church people are either indifferent to what goes on inside of church or merely think that it is only for the "privileged" few. If they could only see that Jesus knew the needs of people and cared about them, their perspective may actually change. Too often we believers portray that Christ only cares about what happens inside the walls of the church when we should be sharing the love of Christ to those outside the church.

The Jesus People Should Know
What are things that people should know? There is a minimum set of information that people should know around the world. For example, it is very beneficial if you know how to speak and read the language of the country in which you live. If you can't do this, you will have a difficult time in school, getting a job, driving a vehicle, buying merchandise at a store or just knowing what is going on in general. You should have at least a grasp of mathematics. To be able to quickly deal with numbers helps in making purchases - considering how much multiples items may cost and the tax that must be paid. It helps to know how to tell time, so you can know when you need to be somewhere or do something. I'm sure that you can think of other things as well.

Will you Remain Faithful?
Over the course of our lifetimes, there are things that we assume to be consistent. However, it doesn't take long to see how things change. It doesn't take long to see how fans of a professional sports team are in one season extremely crazy about their team and in just a few short years of continued losses, the fans seem to care less. It's that 'What have you done for me lately?' mentality. We also have seen major companies come and go. Some were very powerful in the past century, yet they are barely existent today, if at all. We see new state of the art buildings that are designed and built, but after several years, they may very well be torn down. There are very few things that are consistent around us throughout the course of our lives.

Are You Running From God's Will?
What are some things that we run from? I was in Vancouver in the past week and there was a Cougar Sighting sign that was on the corner a few houses away from where I stayed. Some of the guidance makes sense - Never approach a cougar. But, others would surely go against our instincts - Do not run, back away slowly. Do not turn your back, face the cougar. Do no try to hide from the cougar. The instinct may be to run away as fast as you could - which could be a problem. When we are running from danger, our adrenaline kicks in and we generally run faster (but probably not as fast as a cougar!). Generally, running away involves some danger, or something that we see as being bad for us.

Do You Require Signs?
Signs are a part of our everyday lives. We are accustomed to seeing traffic signs as we drive. If you are in an unfamiliar place, the signs are even more important. I was recently in my brother's hometown of Campbellsville, and the streets off the 'main road' were given numbers. Probably great to say make a left on 4, but if someone was looking for Columbia street, the signs are less than helpful. When you are driving around your own town, street signs may be less important. Over the past several years, I have traveled to several places for my job and I generally have a rental car. Although I may have a clear map, I am still very dependent on road signs to determine where to turn.

Have You Found Your Place?
This lesson continues the theme of finding and following God's will. In the previous lesson, we learned the importance of seeing the big picture. Most people won't start a puzzle without at least some recognition of the picture on the box, but many believers will just set forth trying to live in a way that 'seems' right, rather than what God has called them to. We learned that God has called us to be set apart from the world in the way we live. If you work with unbelievers, it should follow that there is a difference between you and them. Can they see that difference?

Do You See the Big Picture?
How hard is it to work a 1000 piece puzzle without the box? I enjoy working puzzles, but I really think I need the picture on the front of the box. I can start with the exterior pieces and generally figure out the top and the bottom assuming there is a sky and ground, but even that can be problematic. And, if I just had the picture on the box, without the pieces of the puzzle, what good is that? As we live the Christian life, we need to realize that God has a bigger picture in which we fit. We have all been given the pieces to God's puzzle, and we need to find out how we can align to God's will. Your pieces may be in the corner, or in the sky or elsewhere, but without your pieces, there are holes in the bigger picture.

Key Questions About the Triune God
In the past few lessons, we've learned a few things about the different persons of the Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a uniquely Christian concept and can be difficult for many to comprehend. Some people object to the teaching of the Trinity, because the word isn't explicitly used in Scripture. True, the word is not spelled out, but the truth is that an unbiased look at Scripture yields many allusions to the Trinity.

Living in the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is perhaps the most misunderstood person of the Trinity, yet he is the one that is most closely associated to us, as believers. There are roles that he performs in our lives that we seem to take for granted. It is helpful to understand some of the roles, so that we can know how much God has provided for us. We tend to take more of life on our own, without realizing that God has given us tremendous resources. This lesson should help us all think of some of the roles of the Holy Spirit. It is by no means exhaustive, but it will probably help you become more cognizant of when the Holy Spirit is active in your life.

Exalting the Son
In this lesson, we look at the 2nd member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. At least in America, most every person has heard of Jesus Christ. For some, his name may just be words used in vain. For some, they believe in the historical Jesus, but they are unmoved. Some people are fascinated at his teachings and put him on the same level as other religious leaders. Some believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they don't allow that to change anything else in their life. To not recognize the role of Jesus Christ as intended is to miss the purpose of God altogether.

Getting to Know The Father
This lesson is about getting to know the Father. Many people have different views of who God is, and it is largely based upon their own earthly father, unfortunately. All earthly fathers make mistakes. Some fathers are very authoritative, leading to a household that is very rigid and legal. Some fathers are very permissive, leading to a household that allows almost anything. Most fathers are inconsistent in dealing with situations. Some fathers are close, while others are distant. Just from your own experience and the experience of those you know, you can see a problem if one's view of God is based solely on their own earthly father.

Confidently Victorious
Some people find their confidence in their own abilities. An athlete may possess the skill to do well in a sport, so they usually have confidence. However, even the best athletes falter. I have played basketball for most of my life, and I am usually a pretty good free throw shooter. Thousands upon thousands of shots have paid off. But, when I am in a close game, free throws are harder. Even in the professional ranks, the best basketball players in the world have been known to miss key shots. Similarly, if we are looking for confidence in our own selves, we'll find that it only takes us so far. On a daily basis, we may seem confident, but something will come along that will show us we are fallible.

Ground in Truth
Ground rules and ground truth are similar but different. Ground truth to Christians is not the rules by which we play the game, but is the very foundation which sets us apart from any other religion. It isn't as much about how a worship service is to be held or the rules governing any other service in the church. It is truly about the truth upon which we are based - both as all Christians and individually. The truth is the message of Jesus Christ. In our world, there are so many people that choose to look at different aspects of our faith and make it the main thing. They seem to de-emphasize the role of Jesus Christ. This passage, as well as many others, puts out a stern warning to those who do not confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

Purposefully Connected and Knowing that You Know God
We find ourselves associating with many different things today. If you happen to have a facebook account, you have seen many groups that you can become a fan of, or you can affiliate with. There are groups of like minded people, fans of teams, musicians and other semi-famous people. People tend to want to associate with people who have similar goals and values, and people tend to want to be a part of something beyond themselves.

Philip: The Man Who Loved to Tell Others about Jesus
There are some things that people just love to talk about. Many older people that are grandparents are more than willing to spend as much time as you will give them, showing you pictures of their grandchildren or talking about what they do, etc. Many parents are the same way with their own kids. There are other people who have made large purchases are they want to tell everyone about it. Some people never make that purchase, but everyone they talk to knows that they are looking into it, doing some research - getting some facts and data. Some people talk a lot about their pets. Sports fans may talk at length about a ballgame that they went to or saw on TV.

Barnabas: The Man Who Encouraged Others
Everybody seems to be known for something. Some people seem to be known for a lot of things. This week's lesson is about Barnabas, who is known by many as an encourager. How important is an encourager in your life? If you've read many of these lessons in the past, you know how much I enjoy athletics. When my kids were much younger, I was very involved with coaching basketball, soccer and working with other sports. In kid's sports, it is amazing to see how different coaches and parents can be. I saw some that were often seen yelling at their kids when they messed up. Typically, that didn't help the situation. I also saw others who were an encouragement. Those kids seemed to do much better.

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