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Recent Studies

Center of Everything
When we think of making something the center, we often think of a focal point. When you set a table, there is often some sort of centerpiece. When you think of a basketball court, there is the center circle. If you were describing where a location was, you might relate it somehow to the center of a city. In the town in Kentucky where I grew up, we had the courthouse in the middle of downtown - with the road routed around it. In each of these cases, the center is some designated spot. Is that what it means to have Christ as the center of our lives? Is it enough to put Christ in a prominent position? Unfortunately, that is what many people do - and believe that is enough. Sunday mornings are reserved for church (and Christ), but the rest of the week is focused elsewhere. Is this putting Christ in the center of our lives? (I guess some people would say Wednesdays would be more appropriate - at least that is the center of a work week, right?)

Giving in a Greedy Culture
Dictionary.com defines greed as excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions. (It doesn't seem right that going to the dictionary to look up one word leads to another - rapacious.) Rapacious is defined as inordinately greedy or predatory. In the animal kingdom, you may think of a rapacious animal as one that subsists by the capture of living prey - for example, a lion. This isn't what we think of in the human realm, but it certainly does paint a fairly vivid word picture, doesn't it? Greed seems to be the excessive desire for what 'I' want, regardless of whom or what may stand in the way.

Living in a Divided Culture
In this lesson, we will read about Peter and his obvious beginning bias against the Gentiles. However, God's bias was not against the Gentiles and God intended to get that point across to Peter. Are you biased against somebody else and what would God have to say to you? Does anybody come to mind? Does any group of people come to mind?

Caring in an Expendable Culture
Does our culture consider things to be expendable? We are so prone to getting rid of things, knowing that they are not apt to last. If you have bought a new appliance in the past ten to fifteen years, chances are good that you have had to replace it already. You would like that technology and material availability would mean things would last longer, yet that doesn't seem to be the case. You probably know somebody that has bought a new refrigerator (or other appliance) recently; replacing one that was purchased a few years ago - but they still have an older one from the 60s working in their basement or garage!

Seeking Purity in a Sensual Culture
The title of this lesson speaks of a sensual culture. Would you describe our modern day culture as sensual? Dictionary.com defines sensual as preoccupied with the gratification of the senses or appetites; carnal; fleshly. It also mentions lacking in moral restraints. Does any of this sound like our culture? Of course it does. There has been the notion of 'if it feels good, do it'. Things that would have seemed out of the question a generation ago have become the norm and accepted. People used to take stands against the way that the culture has gone, but those days seem long ago. In just about every walk of life, you can find people that are involved in all sorts of things that would have been taboo in the past, but are now accepted as everyday facts of life.

Thriving in a Fast-Food Culture
This study begins a new series of lessons on issues that are affecting our culture. It is somewhat amazing to think of all the ways we are bombarded with temptations in our society. I would imagine every generation would say that things are worse in theirs than the one before. That is probably the same for each of us today - and it is most likely true. When you think of all the different ways that technology has changed society, we see the good - and the bad that is brought with it.

Rejoice in God's Gift
In this lesson, we are focusing on the joy in God's gift. There is a lot of goodwill and joy at Christmas - people are willing to help others and people are generally a little nicer to one another. However, the true joy of Christmas cannot be found unless you are connected to the author of Christmas. There are many people that will sing the carols and will likely attend some sort of obligatory church service. But, many of those people are only going because it is what they have to do or what others might expect them to do. There isn't a lot of joy involved in doing what you have to do.

Respond to God's Gift
How do you respond when you've been given a gift? Are you grateful beyond just saying a simple "Thanks"? Too often, we take for granted what others have spent considerable effort to buy for us. Have you ever thought about what to buy someone and then gone shopping at several stores (or perhaps online), wanting to get that special thing, only to feel as if you have wasted your time, due to the reaction received? This isn't to say that you are to go overboard with mock appreciation for every gift you have ever been given, but when we discount what others have done to give us a gift, we are missing the point.

Receive God's Gift
Have you ever tried to give someone a gift but they wouldn't receive it? This seldom happens with a child, as they are more than willing to accept anything that is offered. However, as people get older, I have often seen people argue about paying a dinner bill, especially among family or close friends. It's not that they don't want to pay, but they want to pay for the others. When I was younger, I thought that was somewhat ludicrous because who wouldn't want a free meal? Then, as I got older, I found it better to enjoy being able to pay for someone else's dinner. It gets somewhat frustrating when you want to do that and they won't let it happen. Or, what if you packaged a very pretty gift for someone and they just refused it? How would you feel?

Recognize God's Gift
This next set of lessons is about God's Greatest Gifts. The greatest gift that God gave to humanity was the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This study is a reminder of the life-changing significance of Christmas and will challenge believers to carry the message of Christmas to the world. The lessons in this series are Recognizing God's Gift (this lesson), Receiving God's Gift, Responding to God's Gift and Rejoicing in God's Gift.

Adopt the Right Perspective
How important is perspective? I often think of athletic analogies and perspective is a key attribute in sports. Have you ever seen a team that came into a game expecting to lose? They generally lose. There are other teams that everyone else expects to lose, but the team enters the game expecting to win. It doesn't always happen, but occasionally, a vast underdog can beat a highly ranked opponent. We've seen this happen in just about every sport, especially when it all boils down to a single game.

Respond to Difficult Situations
The title of this lesson is 'Respond to Difficult Situations'. It would seem that this would be a fitting lesson for each of us, as we face difficult situations from time to time. In fact, you may be facing one right now. Have you ever thought about the way that you respond to difficult situations says a lot about who you are? It points to a large part of your character and is an indication of where your heart is.

Stand for the Lord
Have you ever had to take a stand for something? There are many causes that people have taken a stand for. Some of them have been for issues in our society. Where would we be in civil rights without people that took a stand, at quite a risk? Sometimes, we need to take a stand to be there for others who can't stand for themselves. Or perhaps, taking a stand may just be in agreement to a speaker who asks those who agree to stand. Taking a stand implies doing something that may be different from others around you or in some cases standing with others in agreement. For some people, it is hard to just stand when others are sitting. When you take a stand, it implies that you are drawing some amount of attention to yourself, and for some people, getting attention is avoided at all costs.

Accept the Call
The next four lessons are taken from a study of the events in the life of Moses. They are intended to help each of us as believers deepen our walk with God and to make our life count. I don't think that there is anyone who doesn't want to make their life count in one way or another. I do know that there are those who much prefer to serve in a behind the scenes role. It isn't as if they are in the bleachers watching everything, but they are supporting in their own way. On any athletic team, there are more players than what you see on the field or court at any given time - they are often referred to as bench players. Although they usually aren't seen in game time situations, they may be invaluable for practice or in the instance when they are called on to replace someone that has an injury or some other issue. Some of these people are never seen publicly, but the part they play in the success of a team is very much needed.

Satisfaction Found
Who doesn't like to be satisfied? "Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back". There are many businesses that promote user satisfaction, however they often fall short. If you are really hungry for a candy bar, Snickers satisfies in the short term, for a quick 'pick me up', but can be more harmful if a person eats too many Snickers. People can find temporary satisfaction in a lot of things. At the time of this writing, the St Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers are engaged in the World Series. There are many fans on the edges of their seats. If you have seen the games on TV, fans from both sides have been very nervous at the end of almost every game. The winner feels satisfied, for a while. The loser feels dissatisfied, but that is also for a while. Even with something as big as the World Series, the satisfaction level is temporary. When the next season begins, people tend to forget about 'last year'.

Wholeness Restored
Have you ever been driving down the road and seen an older restored vehicle passing by? Older vehicles that may not have seemed like much in their day are often amazing years later, when they have been restored. There are some people whose livelihood is restoring old vehicles. When they come across them, they appear to have seen better days, but these people can work magic and make them appear as new. When others, such as myself, who are less than old car enthusiasts, see them, they are appear to be more like a big pile of junk. They look rusted out and decrepit. When I look at them, I see old vehicles that may have seen better days, but when a car restorer looks at them, they see a beauty waiting to be brought back to life.

Hope Discovered
In this lesson, we will be looking at a couple of miracles in which hope was restored. In both of these, the people who received the 'physical' benefits of the miracles were not believers. In one case, the servant of a centurion that did not even feel comfortable coming to Jesus on his own asked others to ask Jesus to heal his servant. In the other case, Jesus and the crowd happened upon a funeral procession in which a widow's only son had passed away. Both the centurion and the widow were in a state of despair. Both of them had no place to turn. It would seem that hope was lost, but Jesus stepped in and brought hope to the situations. We can't expect that every sick person will be healed, and we are not to expect that the dead will be raised to life, but we should see that in Christ we do have hope.

Forgiveness Offered
In this lesson, we see a twofold miracle. On one hand, he is healing a paralytic man, but the even greater miracle with eternal consequences is the forgiveness of sins. We may not classify the forgiveness that we are given as a miracle, but perhaps we should change our perspective. In the case of Jesus, a physical healing is temporary - at some point, every person will die. However, forgiveness extends into eternity.

Glory Revealed
The New Testament is full of miracles that Jesus did. He wasn't a magician that went from town to town to amaze others, but he performed miracles on mulyiple occasions. Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a disciple of Christ? They heard teaching that was very much authoritative. They saw him care for the down and out, the sinners and others whom the religious leaders avoided. They saw many miracles that showed that Jesus was no mere teacher, nor was he simply a good man.

Go and Tell
In this lesson, we learn the importance of sharing our faith with others, as it relates to our spiritual growth. There are a lot of things that we don�t �mind telling others. In the place where I work, there are Donut Rules for almost every occasion in life. It started out with things like buying a house, or having a baby, then it branched out into buying a car, having a major storm named after you, going on vacation and so forth. When people bring in donuts, they have some sort of story to tell. It adds to the overall �girth� of the floor, but it has also been a good way for people to get to know about each other. It is an easy way for people to share something, even if it is fairly superficial (or perhaps life altering).

Find Your Place of service
This lesson is about finding a place of service. When we go out to eat, we appreciate service, whether it is at a drive thru fast food restaurant or at a fancy sit down restaurant. In most non fast food restaurants, you will have a host or hostess that seats you. There are people who set the table and bring water or bread. There is the waiter or waitress that welcomes you and takes your order. There is the chef or chefs that prepare your food and potentially someone else who brings the food to your table. There are many different areas of service in a restaurant. What would happen if any of these people chose not to do their job? You may or may not choose to stay at the restaurant, but you likely wouldn't return.

Grow in Spiritual Maturity
This lesson is regarding growing in spiritual maturity. Dictionary.com defines maturity as ripeness (as in a fruit), full development or perfected condition (bringing a plan to maturity). If you think about a crop that grows, it becomes more mature over time by default. It may or may not ripen based on external conditions, such as weather, but given the right conditions, it will mature. However, maturity in the life of a person is not simply based upon time. There is by default a physical difference between a 60 year old, a 30 year old and a 5 year old, as the human body will normally age over time (unlike the movie Benjamin Button!). However, you likely know of people that have had very slow mental development and perhaps have halted very prematurely, so that a person may appear to be older physically, but has the mental capacity of someone much younger.

Connect to Community
The church provides a place with common interests where people come together. While we are to be connected with a local church, it has always been encouraging to know that you can walk into about any like minded church in the world and instantly have some commonality with other believers. I have been in different churches in many different states and in many different nations. When I am around other believers (anywhere in the world), there is the oneness of the Spirit that pulls us together in a way that is beyond the closeness I feel to others who have the same background, yet are not believers.

Agree With One Another
This last lesson in this series is on agreeing with one another. In some relationships, this can be the hardest part. I've seen people come to a logjam when neither will budge. They refuse to recognize they may be wrong or even acknowledge that perhaps the issue isn't worth the fight. I've heard of counselors that have dealt with two individuals that were at odds with one another. One, who firmly believed themselves to be in the right, wanted nothing more than the counselor to tell the other person that they were wrong. The counselor agreed on who was right, but the relationship was lost due to the dogged determinism of the one side to always "be right". If the truth is to be told, there are some things that we should all agree on as believers - these would be the core fundamentals of our faith and if our churches start to preach otherwise, we do need to take a stand on those core pieces. However, there are many issues and subjects that we would have divergent opinions on, so standing on those things could be very detrimental to the church. Problems occur when we want to state our own opinions or judgment calls - or even our own feelings - and say that they are facts, expecting everyone else to agree (or else).

Don't Criticize One Another
This lesson is about criticizing one another. This has become more and more prevalent in our society today. Sports fan seem to criticize officiating all the time. If you sit on either sideline during a football game, you will hear fans state that the officials are for the 'other side'. We have many shows on TV where contestants compete against one another - in talents (singing, dancing, etc). It is easy for someone as tone deaf as me to criticize someone that is 'a little' off key. We go to restaurants and criticize the service or the food. We criticize our neighbors for the 'tacky' things that they may have in their yard. Criticism of those in public office becomes extreme at times - as people seem to criticize any decision that some leaders make.

Personal Service
We all enjoy receiving service. Actually, we enjoy receiving 'good' service. Surely, you've been to a restaurant and found the service to be less than agreeable. A server in a restaurant can make a huge difference, even if the food is not of top notch quality. Berkley and I have been to several different restaurants multiple times, and the server is often the difference between a good and bad experience, even when the meal and the environment was exactly the same as before. We know that in a restaurant, an employee is paid to provide their services and there is an acceptable level of service that is required to continue in the job. It is expected by both the employer and the customers.

Personal Responsibility
A responsible person is one that you can trust. If you are going to let your younger children go with another family to the zoo, you would surely hope that person is responsible. They would do things like drive in a safe manner, keep an eye on the kids so that they didn't get lost or climb into the bear pit. Obviously, you wouldn't trust just anybody to take your kids (at least on most days!)

Personal Relationship
What should our relationship with God have to do with freedom? Some people would argue that entering a relationship with God only hinders freedom and that it sucks the fun out of life. However, true freedom is found only within the confines of being a child of God. In that position, you realize that you have security because of that relationship.

Personal Checklist
How important is a checklist? They are used in many different ways. Some people use the checklist of parts when assembling a purchased item, so as to not end up with leftover pieces. Some people use checklists (and read rules) before beginning to play a game (others don't!) Pilots and air crew use a checklist to ensure that the plane is ready to be flown. Some processes in workplaces have checklists to remind people of the steps that need to be followed and any associated artifacts that are required. Some people use checklists before they go camping or on vacation - to ensure that they don't forget something. We use checklists in many different ways, mostly as reminders so that we don't forget the things that are important. When you have a checklist and you find that you were missing something (as in going camping), it is always advantageous to add the missing items to the checklist for the future.

Personal Rights
This study begins another group of studies regarding true freedom - how we as believers gain it and how we are to live out that freedom. This lesson falls very near to the 4th of July holiday, and the air has been full of the smell of spent fireworks for the past week. Across the country, there will be numerous festivals and celebrations in regards to the freedom of our country. This is one of those times when national pride rises up and people come together for various parades and events to show support for our country.

Why Be Generous?
This is the last lesson in a series of lessons involving our possessions. We've talked about the things that we own, where our treasures are, how much is enough and now we will talk about why we should be generous. In general, it would appear that most people are rather generous when they see a legitimate need. When someone suffers from a natural disaster, people are often willing to give of their time and money to help ease suffering of those who have been impacted. We've seen this in the case of flooding, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides and so forth. We have a tendency to 'feel' for those who have had to endure loss. I don't know if it is because we are so thankful that it wasn't us, or if there is some other altruistic motive behind what we do, but people will give in times of need.

How Much is Enough?
So, how much is enough? This is a question that just about every person wrestles with at one time or another. When we think of money, the answer we generally end up with is never enough. It's easy to look at others and say that if you had that much money, you'd have enough. We see CEOs, entertainers, athletes and several others that have made millions of dollars, only to find that over several years later they declare bankruptcy. At the root is something that is true for people of almost any income level. Some people tend to spend everything that they make (and then some). They believe that next year, they will make more, so they will be okay and the debt grows, year by year.

Where is your Treasure?
If you had access to a Treasure Map, would you use it? As children, we are often enthralled by the idea of treasures. I know I used to think about the bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow (I never found the bucket), although I've seen plenty of rainbows in my life. The thought of sunken treasures or treasures hidden away someplace is the focus point of many stories. People look for treasures among their trash. You have probably seen different shows on TV where people bring old antiques and hope that it is worth something. Many people go to yard sales and flea markets, looking for that little nugget that sells for a couple of dollars, but is worth thousands.

What Do You Own?
The next series of lessons explores the biblical perspective of material possessions. Lesson titles are "What Do You Own?", followed by "Where Is Your Treasure?", "How Much Is Enough?" and "Why Be Generous?" In our day and age, people seem to want to be defined by what they have. There is a notion of 'keeping up with the Joneses'. People pursue education in order to make more. People are drawn to larger houses, faster vehicles, better clothes, more toys and so on. A friend of mine went to the lake over the Memorial Day Weekend. Given that the lake he went to is usually incredibly busy, I asked if they had problems getting around. He said that it was eerily silent - many homes and boats were for sale. In this slow economy, people are starting to get rid of many things they acquired over time. Second and third houses are being sold (usually at a loss). Toys and other nonessentials, such as boats and other recreational vehicles are on the market. When the belt gets tightened, the frivolous things are usually the first things to go.

Invest in Others
There is a mentor program in the place that I work. This is an excellent opportunity for younger folks to spend some time with others more experienced, in order to enhance their career. I've noticed that people often end up wherever they end up because they haven't taken the time to plan on where they are going. Certain steps need to be considered in planning a career and it helps to have someone who has walked that road before you to help you in decisions that are made. In a way, the mentor is investing in the mentee, helping him or her become more likely to experience success in their career.

Pursue God's Agenda
One of the things that have become a big rage over the past several years has been the advent of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and other similar technological advancements. When everyone's day gets busier, it gets harder to track the important things. It isn't uncommon for a person to have multiple events in a day, and when you factor in schedules of kids and other activities, it can become a full time job just to manage the day. It's easy to have conflicting appointments, which cause us to have to manage our priorities.

Walk with God
This lesson is about walking with God. This is one of the key characteristics that are needed by leaders in the church, but I would argue that a person that walks with God makes a better leader in every situation. The guidelines and commands that God has given us are not to make life harder, but are truly intended to bring about real life. As believers, this needs to be a goal in all that we do.

Use Your Influence
As we continue our study on leadership, this lesson focuses on the significance of using your influence. If you think back over the past several years, you can realize that there are many people that have had significant influence on our society. I think of a few key women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the influence that they have had, you would have to admit that their lives have had a profound influence on many in our society. There have been scores of men and women who have influenced society, and millions of men and women who have had influence on untold numbers of individuals.

Overcome Your Fears
You may not think of fear in conjunction with leadership, but many people lack courage when they lead others. For some, it is the fear of speaking in front of people or it may involve a fear of making the wrong decision as a leader. For others it is a fear that they aren't ready to be a leader. There are likely other fears that people possess when it comes to stepping up as a leader. Over time, leaders become more comfortable, but especially at the start, there is fear in becoming a leader.

Encounter the Risen Lord
This lesson concludes the study on grief. In the previous lessons, Berkley and I have talked about hope during grief, recognizing God's presence in the midst of grief and receiving/giving comfort during grief. In this lesson, we focus on the victory of the resurrected Christ. From a believer's perspective, everything we hope for, everything that we place our faith in is reliant upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith �More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins� If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."

Receive Comfort, Give Comfort
Comforting a person in their time of grief can become a very touchy subject. Many people don't know what to say, or what to do when a close friend has lost a spouse or a child or someone else very near to them. While I believe that people really care very much, they often withdraw for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. On the other hand, when someone is experiencing grief, they need to realize that people do care. Sometimes, things get said without thinking - and it shouldn't be taken personal. Although it is difficult for both the giver and receiver of comfort in time of grief, we all need to learn how to receive and give comfort. Whether you need to give or receive it now or not isn't the point. All of us will one day have to experience grief. What can you learn to be a little more prepared?

Recognize God's Presence
This lesson continues the short series on dealing with grief. In the last lesson, we talked about how to balance grief and hope, through a very person example given by my wife Berkley. This week continues with a lesson on recognizing God's presence in the midst of grief. The passage chosen for this lesson is in Psalm 31, but as people have dealt with grief, there are a myriad of passages that have spoken to them.

Balance Grief with Hope
Grief is universal. It isn't something that we deal with daily, but when one has lost a loved one, the grief can last for a very long time. There have been several people (including Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross) that have written about the stages of grief, which include denial (this can't be happening to me), anger (it's not fair), bargaining (let me postpone death - just give me more time), depression (what's the point, why go on) and acceptance (it's going to be okay). There are other very similar grief models that are available.

Stay the Course
How hard is it to stay the course? Assuming you are a driver, how often have you run over the grooves or ruts on the side of the road, indicating that you were veering off the road? I know it has happened to me on a few occasions - sometimes because I'm merging onto a roadway and trying to stay as close to the side to allow another lane of traffic to pass by. At other times, it is because I have become distracted, and the rough pavement is a bit of a wakeup call. Normally, when we are driving, we are cognizant of the task at hand and we are focused on the road and the destination.

Relationships Under Stress
Stress eventually gets to everything, including our relationships. It may not take several months for relationships to become stressed - it could be in a short period, but over the longer haul, all relationships will go through some stress. Often, we try and identify the reason for our stress and either avoid the cause, or try to fix it. Sometimes that works, but often we are unable to change things and we have to find the way to deal with it.

Ready for Action
There are things that we need to put into practice if we are going to live a life that honors God. There are several different disciplines that we need to establish in our lives. These run counter to the world's views of life and if you think you can just grow in these areas by not giving any thought to your faith other than on Sundays, you will find yourself sadly mistaken.

Faith Under Fire
This set of lessons is about living confidently in difficult times. In our day, there is so much uncertainty in many areas of life. In some areas of life, we have some control of outcomes, but there are many other areas that seem to be out of our control. There are many people that have lost their jobs in the past few months and man of them have lost their homes. Just a few short months ago, it may have appeared that things were going very well. There are those who are battling disease at this time and others who are uncertain about many other things. This set of lessons is taken from the book of 1 Peter. In the book Peter wrote to encourage hope and steadfastness to a group of believers who were suffering for their faith.

God Loves to Welcome Us Home
This lesson is about going home. We hear so many songs about home being a place that you feel accepted and loved. There's no place like home for the holidays! We hear that song at Christmas and many people think fondly of their homes - visiting with children, grandchildren, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and others.

God Loves Like a "Grand" Father
This series of lessons has focused on love. "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a song by Frank Sinatra, but love can be one of the most difficult things in life to deal with. One of the things that you may notice about love in our world is that many people make it directly dependent upon other things happening. Nobody likes to have their hopes dashed, but since we deal with humans on a daily basis - in our families and other relationships, we all will experience some dashing at one point or another. We may even be the dasher. We know about people promising things and reneging on their promises. We know about those we love who do things that may very well upset us.

God Loves for His People to be Loyal to Him
How important is loyalty in a relationship? Loyalty is needed in all types of relationships. Loyalty is basically faithfulness to commitments or obligations. We hear about Customer Loyalty, which is a key to a thriving business. We see how important it is to know that others will be loyal to a cause, and that they will 'have your back' if it comes to that. What was the Lone Ranger without the loyalty of Tonto? What was Batman without the loyalty of Robin? Loyalty is a key in human relationships. Loyalty doesn't imply that one will never disappoint another, but there is something present that is consistent beyond the ups and downs of life.

God Loves the Unlovely
The next four lessons are taken from the book of Hosea. The theme of these lessons is God's Outrageous Love. The specific lessons are about choosing faithfulness or unfaithfulness, running to or away from love, and loving truly or falsely. As we study through these lessons, we should be better able to grasp the enormity of God's love and choose to live in it.

A Lifestyle of Meditation
The whole idea of meditation involves continued or extended thought, reflection, contemplation or introspection. When we meditate, specifically on God's word, it displaces other thoughts. It is difficult to meditate on God's word and then turn around and live worldly. Meditation is not memorization. Memorization is good, but even when memorizing, the words do little if we don't reflect on their meaning. As you read this lesson, ask yourself if consistent meditation is part of your life, or if you are more likely pre-occupied with business, sports, pleasure, cars, problems or any of the other things that the world has to offer.

A Lifestyle of Sacrifice
This lesson continues a series of lessons on spiritual disciplines that we must all understand to be successful in our Christian life. So far, we've talked about the importance of community, humility, service and this week we will focus on sacrifice. I believe that most of us understand the meaning of sacrifice. In some cultures or religions, sacrifice is known as the offering of an animal, plant, or even a human life to some deity or image. If you read back through the Old Testament, you will see many of the temple sacrifices that God established with the Israelites. If you were to go to the Far East, you will see temples that are setup for all sorts of sacrifices to be offered to idols or other 'gods'. This type of sacrifice is not what is intended as a spiritual discipline.

A Lifestyle of Service
This week's lesson talks about a lifestyle of service. There are plenty of service opportunities that are out there. In times of tragedy, many people come out and want to serve. In the St Louis area, I remember the flood of 93, and the hordes of people that made themselves available to help with sandbag efforts. More recently, a tornado came through a local city and destroyed several homes and businesses.

A Lifestyle of Humility
This lesson continues a set of lessons on spiritual disciplines that will help ensure success in the Christian life. The discipline is humility. Some see humility as a sign of weakness. Much of our society promotes self first. It is easy to fall into this type of thinking as we want to ensure that we are recognized in our jobs, hoping to ensure that we do not lose our jobs in the event of layoffs. Certainly, we each need to put forth our best effort, and being recognized is not bad in and of itself.

A Lifestyle of Community
Discipline is something that we see as a two edged sword. I don't know many people that desire to be disciplined, although we know it is something that is ultimately good for us. I know people that refuse to eat vegetables, even if it is supposed to be good for them, but you can always compensate with other foods. In the area of our life - spiritual and otherwise, discipline is absolutely essentially. Can you imagine the bedlam that would take place if people were not disciplined when they drove their vehicles? It amazes me that there are not many more accidents than what we typically see - that is largely due to discipline. Any person that desires to do well in athletics must be disciplined - learning how to do the basics and do them so well that it becomes second nature. Although I play much less basketball now than I used to, I grew shooting free throws daily - over and over and over. Even to this day, that discipline proves to be helpful when I do play. A student needs to be disciplined. An employee needs to be disciplined. An artist needs to be disciplined.

Go and Tell
Go and tell. There are some things that we will go and tell others about. If you've just returned from a trip, you are likely to tell others about where you went. I can remember the first Mission Trip I went on, which happened to be the first time I was out of the country. When I got back, I couldn't help but tell anyone that would listen about what I experienced. It's much the same if you go on a vacation and really enjoy yourself. It's easy to talk about that. There are other things that people have little problem talking about - their kids, their cars, their pets, their favorite sports teams, their recipes, their favorite shows or movies and so on.

Focus on Jesus
What are people thinking as they go through the motions of Christmas? It usually depends on what is most important to each person. For some people, Christmas is all about giving and receiving gifts. People fret over what to get for others, or what they are going to get. Some people finish shopping weeks ahead of time, while others wait until Christmas Eve to begin. You will be bombarded by commercials that tell you exactly what it is that you or others 'need'. For some, it's about gifts and giving, but that's not what Christmas is about.

Go and Do
Around the Christmas season, you will hear Christmas music everywhere -on radio stations, in stores on TV and so forth. One of the carols you hear often is "Go, Tell it On the Mountain". You've likely heard that song many times over the course of many years. For most people, even many believers, the more apt title might be "Go, Hear it On the Mountain". People will flock to churches and hear the stories they've heard many times before. Some families I know will sit around and read "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve. While they may refer to it at different points of the year, they only read it on Christmas Eve or around the Christmas holiday. That seems appropriate. For some people, church and anything spiritual is much like "The Night Before Christmas". For these people, there are two high points - Christmas and Easter. I've heard many churches refer to those regular attendees as "Chreasters".

Value What God Values
Especially at this time of the year, people are more focused on seeing needs of others. In St Louis, the local paper used to publish the 100 Neediest Cases, which generally get met. While not every existing need is met, most needs that are known are met at this time. People are generally giving people and want to help others, when they have the opportunity. Often, we all get so caught up in the daily grind of life that we tend to forget that the needs exist. We think about our holiday shopping, our Christmas decorations, our plans and what we are going to do. There isn't anything wrong about being focused on our own needs, but we need to start seeing what God sees. There are many needs that are around us, each and every day. I wonder what would happen if we started looking for them?

Life Worth Sharing
Over the past several lessons, we have looked at some of the foundational beliefs of Christianity and how that should impact our lives. For those of us who are true believers, we realize that Christianity is central to nearly every other aspect of life (and if there are portions of our life that don't relate to our beliefs, perhaps we need to look at those). Decisions we make or don't make are usually based on our beliefs. The quality of life that we have is based upon our beliefs. It certainly doesn't mean that we always make the right decisions or that circumstances in our lives are always rosy, but it is the one constant that drives everything else. When we consider all the benefits that we have as believers and the amount of reliance we put on our Savior, is there something wrong when we have little to no desire to share our faith with others?

Life Together
Some people may seem suited to live their life by themselves. They may thrive in the wilderness with no desire to talk to anyone. The idea of cell phones, internet, TV or any other media may seem like the ideal place to be. It may be that we all would like that from time to time - maybe an hour, maybe a day or a few days. However, most people would go stir crazy if they were to have to live their lives by themselves. People need each other. There are all sorts of places that people go to be around other people. For some, it is their job. For some, it is belonging to a club or organization. For some, it may be through recreation or hobbies. We like being around other people that have similar interests.

Life in Light of Eternity
We are constantly barraged by television and radio commercials, billboards, through magazines and other means that we NEED more stuff. We often find that when we set our hearts on stuff and get it, there is a letdown associated with it. While stuff may entertain for a period of time, or stuff may make us look better for a bit or that stuff may be enjoyable to own for a bit, it loses its appeal rather quickly. Then, for many people, it is off to the next thing and the next and the next. This would leave to a very self-focused life, trying to get the most out of everything that is here and leaving other things that are more important behind. This may be very unintentional, but if left to ourselves, we all tend to go this way. It may not be a life of extravagance, but it often turns out to be a life all about 'me'.

Why the Christian Life is Better
The title of this lesson implies that the Christian life is better. To say that something is better, it is implied that the other thing is less. What is it about a life without Christ is less, and what is it about a life with Christ that is better? It is merely a choice; as if you were choosing colors to paint a room? You can choose the colors over time, but this choice has eternal value. Obviously, there is much more involved, as this relates to your life - not your house or some other possession that we see as temporary. What is it about the Christian life that is better?

Making Sense of Faith
We are constantly reminded of how we have to earn things today. From the time you are a child, you learn that you have to earn things at home. Certainly, there are things that you receive just because you are part of a family, but you know that you have to do certain things to receive some benefits. When you go to school, you know that you have to put forth the effort to do the homework, pay attention in class and do well on tests to get the good grade. In our work environments, we know that there is the need to do the tasks that are assigned and to do a good job to get a raise and to keep the job. We seem to be programmed that there is nothing in life that comes freely - you have to earn it.

Jesus the One and Only
You may have heard the phrase 'the one and only'. While it may indicate that there is something special, to say something is one and only is normally a gross overstatement. I am reminded of the Will Ferrell movie "Elf". In his travel to New York City, Buddy the Elf comes across a caf� that has a sign indicating "World's Best Cup of Coffee". Buddy is beside himself to be able to meet the people that hold that distinguished title. See the clip. However, the title was overstated, as most accolades are.

What's So Different About Jesus?
This lesson continues the study on Christian Apologetics. In the past couple of lessons, we looked at the issue of sin, which is something that we all deal with. Face it, we've all hit times in life where given the choice, we've taken an 'x'. Sin is a big deal and it causes separation between each of us and God. Also, there is none that are good enough. Some people consider themselves to be 'better' than others, but nobody stacks up when compared to the standards that God places before us. You may be graded on a curve in a class, but that isn't now life is to be lived.

Why "Good" Isn't Good Enough
What does it mean to do a good job? For some people, to do a good job is a great thing and for others, it can be somewhat derisive - implying you did a good job; but you can do better. If you've bought a car or some other major purchase, chances are that you will get a satisfaction survey in the mail. The scoring might be 1-5, with 5 being for exceptional service and 1 meaning you'll never go back. Some people will give 5's across the board if they were pleased with their experience, while others grade a little more harshly. A good experience might yield a 4, whereas an exceptional experience is required for a 5. The point is that our perspective of what is good differs from person to person.

Sin IS a Big Deal
People want the feeling of being accepted by God, and knowing that God works in their lives, but many want to avoid any level of accountability or they simply don't want God to impact their lives. However, there is a problem that we all have and it is called sin. There is a difference between sin and mistakes. We can make mistakes on a test that we take in school. A quarterback can make a mistake by throwing an interception. You can remove a door from the basement stairs because you thought you couldn't fit something through there - and then find out you made a mistake. You can turn the wrong way on a road and go further from your destination - that is a mistake. Some people like to say that they may make mistakes, but sin only belongs to other people. They may think that, but there are no perfect people in our world. You may look at others and compare yourself to them, thinking you're not that bad, but we all need to realize that we all are sinners and are separated from God due to our sin - murderer or gossiper, adulterer or liar, thief or even just a real crummy attitude. You may say that you don't really have that big of a problem. I know that line of thinking - yes, I had a big issue in the past, but now I control things and it is no longer an issue. Sin really is a big deal, at any level in our lives.

The Case for God's Involvement
This lesson talks about the involvement of God in our lives. What does it mean to be involved? You may hear people that talk of being involved in a relationship or some cause. Others often talk about being involved in the lives of others. I have some friends that serve as foster parents and to do so, you must be willing to be involved. There are some people that I work with that seem to want to be involved in everything at work. Some people see a crime in progress, yet they pass by because they don't want to be involved.

The Case for God's Love
If you get to the point of realization that God does exist, then you need to determine what God is like. Is he a cosmic genie of sorts that controls everything? In some circles, he is depicted as an older gray bearded meek grandfatherly type in a huge rocking chair. In other circles, he may be depicted with lightning bolts in his hands. There are lots of different ways that people view God.

The Case for God's Existence
Does God really exist? Perhaps there is no other question that has been asked that has had such far reaching implications since the dawn of time. It is a question that has been grappled with by different cultures and generally the conclusion comes to at least the notion of there being some sort of Creator. While we cannot adequately explain God, and it requires some measure of faith to believe in God, I would argue that it takes a greater leap of faith to act as if there is no God. The answer that a person gives to this question results more consequences than any other question that a person may have to answer. It basically comes down to whether a person believes that man is supreme in the entire universe or that there is at minimal, a force that be deified or obeyed.

Making Your Case
This unit begins a study in apologetics. Over the next several lessons, there will be an introduction and several lessons making the case for God's existence, his love and his involvement in our lives. There will be lessons on why we need a savior, why Jesus is the savior we need and how we ought to respond to him. There will also be lessons on why the Christian life is the best way to live, and the right and responsibility we have as believers to share the gospel with all people everywhere.

Face Crises with Courage
If you had the ability to plan the next day out, what would you plan? I would imagine you would try and make sure that there are no problems that you have to face. There would be no financial issues. There would be no relationship issues. There would be no job issues. You would wake up feeling great; have food to eat during the day that you like; make progress at work or in your home projects or at your school. You would spend great family time with your spouse, kids, or with your friends. You would laugh a lot and enjoy the evening. You would be able to do whatever exercise you like (and feel good doing it) and then get to bed when you would like. In short, it would be an easy day. And, if we could plan our week, it would be the same. And, if we could plan our month, year or life, it would be the same. But, have any of us lived that way? We all face crises of many types.

Deal with Personal Sin
We all know what it is like to sin. None of us is perfect. For many, if not most people, there is the idea of some besetting sin. It may be an area of your life that, try as you may, you can't seem to shake. It may be similar to an addiction that a drug user may have. At times, they'd like to kick that addiction, but they strangely end up coming right back to it. For some people, it may be actual addictions to harmful behavior. For example, pornography has become more and more prevalent in our society, and it has infiltrated our churches. Perhaps it has always been there in some manner or another, but now it is just too widely accessible. Some people think they can control it, but it ends up controlling them. It warps life and can lead to many behaviors that are very destructive to self, family and others around a person. For others, it may be sins of speech. This may or may not be the words that are used. Nothing against a sailor, but when Christians are speaking like sailors, they are allowing their speech to negatively impact them. There are others that may never use profanity, but are quick to attack and tear down others. This can ruin relationships as quick as anything else.

Demonstrate Kindness
This lesson is on kindness. We all see reasons to be kind to other people. It's how we want to be treated. Even when we've failed, we like to be treated in a kind manner. When you are in school and struggling in a subject, it is always better to have a teacher that will treat you kindly. You are more apt to go and ask for help if you know that kindness is the way that they operate. In a work environment, we like to be treated kindly when we are making presentations or having reviews. In a sports context, most athletes like to be treated with kindness and respect as they seek to improve their skills and performance. In relationships, we like to be treated kindly, through the good times and bad.

Focus on God's Purposes
In this lesson, we look at success as it pertains to God's purposes. Sometimes, we want to do something for God. If you're like me, there have been times in your life where you have come up with some grandiose idea of what you can do for God. This isn't a bad thing, but we need to stop and see if the thing we are doing is our own idea, or if God is behind it. Unfortunately, if you're like me, you've also come across times in your life where you decided to forge ahead with little regard for what God's purposes are. When we do this, we assume that God will bless whatever we do. In practice, we've seen this happen, as we've made bad decisions and God still uses our lives (if he didn't, then none of our lives would be of any use to his kingdom). However, to have true success, we must align ourselves with God's purposes. It's always better to find out where God is at work and then join him there than it is to forge out on our own and ask him to bless our efforts.

Respect God's Holiness
What do you think about when you think of holiness? Dictionary.com defines holiness as a state of being holy, so that doesn't help much. However, something holy may be defined as something declared sacred by religious use or authority or something consecrated. There is another sense of something being pure or undiluted. There is a tendency to treat something as holy, but over time, many people closest to it tend to forget that.

The Power of Loyalty
Loyalty is an aspect of our everyday lives. We see loyalty depicted in terms of families, schools, churches and so forth. A lot of the decisions that we make in life are based upon loyalty that we show to others. When we are loyal to a group or a cause, we make decisions that are in line with that group or cause. All of our decisions are based upon the things that we hold dear to us. Our loyalty to others or the lack of loyalty will influence many of our decisions.

The Power of Petition
This week's lesson is about the power of petition. Petition is another term used for prayer. It isn't the type of prayer that is used before dinner or before bedtime. It is the type of prayer that you pray when you are out of options. It is when you have reached the end of all you can do. It is when you realize that you are utterly powerless to change a situation.

The Power of Courage
In the area I work, one of the questions that I often hear is "what keeps you awake at night?" There is the idea that there is some problem that bothers us to the point of impacting other areas of our lives. In my own life, I've seen that there have been situations that have frightened me and I also find that if I don't act on those situations early on, I often become more fearful as time goes by. Maybe you've found the same thing to be true in yours. Courage is sometimes found to be in short supply.

The Power of Choice
This study continues in the book of 1 Samuel, as we see the rise of David. The title of the series for July is Power up. We will be looking at the power of choice, courage, petition and loyalty. These lessons will all focus on different aspects of the life of David, as he is chosen to be king, faces Goliath, seeks God's leadership in his decision and spares Saul's life, when it seemed the easy answer would have been to be done with Saul.

When I Make Poor Choices
Today's lesson hits closer to home to most of us - or at least to me. It is in the area of poor choices. I believe most of us can look back in our lives and realize where we have made poor choices. Some of them end up with little or no consequences, while others of them have major consequences, impacting many lives. We'd like to think that we are able to make the correct choices all throughout life, but that is impossible. And, many of us have made extremely bad choices that have rippled through many people's lives (generally with the greatest impact to those we love the most). We may think our life is out of control, and those who are impacted may believe that there is no control. But, thanks be to God, that despite our own poor choices, God is still in control. As one pastor recently said, God never wastes a painful moment in your life. That poor choice that led to the painful moment may have been yours or someone else's, but the choice of how it impacts you is yours alone to make.

When External Threats Come
In this lesson, we will be looking at external threats. Does anybody really like those? We like to think that we can control the environment and the people around us. Thomas Kempis, in an Imitation of Christ, quotes "Be not angry that you cannot make others are you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be". Isn't that so true? We struggle with handling our own behavior and we are even less able to control others. This is a common desire - as we think that if we can only make someone else do this or that, our lives would be so much better. These aren't always threats, but just how life is lived. However, when we face external threats, we start to see what we are made of. Are we relating back to God, or are we dependent upon ourselves?

When Religion Fails
In this lesson, we look at what happens when religion fails us. There are many people, including just about anybody that will read this lesson, that go to church week after week. There are a variety of reasons why people attend church. Some go because they have to. Some go because they have always done it. Some go because they love to worship. Some go to fellowship or visit with other friends. Some people believe that if they attend church on a regular basis, they are going to be exempt from any major problems in life - no job loss, no death, no divorce, no kids behaving badly, no tragedy and so on. They may believe that they can hide behind the church and find sanctuary or safety from the ills of the world. However, most of us that regularly attend church have seen many issues in the church. There is no guarantee of protection from life in religion.

When Leaders Fail
Have there been times in life when it appeared that God was no longer in control? If you've lived very long, you've found yourself asking that question - perhaps over and over. It may be because of something you have seen on TV, as you see people all over the world dealing with life or death crises, with no sign of hope on the horizon. It may be as you watch the local news and see how severe weather has destroyed towns in its path or how people have been hurt by others in their own community. It may be as you see close friends that have experienced the loss of loved ones. It may even be in your own life, as things didn't turn out quite the way that you had planned - perhaps through no fault of your own, or perhaps because of something you caused. We see failure in many places.

From This Day Forward
How many times in your life do you wish that you could go back and change the past? Until a time machine has been developed that allows you to do that, you really have no way to go back and change anything about your past. You cannot change the decisions that you made, whether good or bad. You cannot take away consequences to past actions.

I Pledge You My Faithfulness
How important is faithfulness? It is something we do appreciate in just about every area of life. If you're working with a group of people towards a common goal, you appreciate the faithfulness of everyone on the team. Some people are avid sports fans and they only wish that some of the athletes were more loyal to their favorite team. In pursuits such as jobs, or in athletics, we realize that people come and go. They may be there for a while, but in the end, they are looking out for themselves.

To Love and Cherish
The title of the lesson is to love and cherish. It sounds very similar to that song "Love and Marriage". When two people get married, I would hope they truly understand the idea of love and cherish. If there are issues with this at the start, it would be best to call off the wedding before the train wreck occurs. I don't know of anyone who begins marriage thinking of demise, but as any of us start falling into the rhythm of life, some of the more important aspects of marriage maintenance can get neglected. It may not be the desire of either person, but if maintenance is not at the forefront of their mind, the marriage can begin to suffer. We know the concept of maintenance, in many different areas.

I Take You
This series of lessons is difficult for many of us. Some have fallen far short of the standard that God has given in the area of marriage. Certainly, in just about any church, you can find couples who are on their 2nd marriage; some have been married more than that. You can find others who are in marriages that are hurting. Divorce has become rampant in our society and nearly everyone has been impacted, either personally or in regards to parents, children or close friends. However, when we go to God's word, we must continue to look for what God's view of life is, rather than our own. His standards will always remain constant, even though mankind will always fall short.

In the Presence of God
In our society, the view of marriage varies greatly from person to person. There are some that argue if it matters whether or not marriage is between a man and a woman or between two men or two women. As one friend from high school (now living a gay lifestyle) on facebook posted this past week - So, Larry King is getting his 8th divorce, and Elizabeth Taylor is possibly getting married for a 9th time. Jesse James and Tiger Woods are, well... you know... Even Newt Gingrich is on his 3rd marriage. Yet the idea of same-sex marriage is what is going to destroy the institution of marriage? There are some that have supported polygamy (multiple spouses). There are some that avoid the whole idea of marriage for tax purposes. The statistics involving divorce in our country are astounding, and it really isn't any better among believers. And, the rate of divorce in each subsequent marriage increases - apparently many never learn from their past mistakes.

The Right Support
If you were going to buy a ladder, does it really matter what type of ladder you get? The height of the ladder needs to be enough to reach the destination, while allowing a safe standing, so that the climber is not likely to lose their balance and fall. Additionally, ladders are designed and constructed to safely hold up to a specific amount of weight. If you were going to use a ladder, you would have to identify your weight, plus the weight of any tools or materials that you would carry onto the ladder. Also, if you are only using the ladder for light chores around the house (changing light bulbs, painting, etc), you would not need the same ruggedness as a construction worker might need. It is easy to see with ladders that you can choose the wrong type of ladder and find yourself unable to perform the task at hand, as it may not support your needs.

The Right Motivation
Why do you do what you do? Many people are primarily concerned about what they do and give little if any regard to why they do it. That may work in many different jobs and in parts of life, but it is something that doesn't really fit within the Christian faith. So many people are trying to do the right things, but they do it for the wrong reasons.

The Right Stuff
This new 3 lesson series examines a few things about Christian ministry. It is entitled Ministry Done Right. The lessons are all taken from 2 Corinthians. We will talk about the nature of Christian ministry, the qualities and motivations required to be in ministry and how we can all support ministry. In all churches that I've been involved in, there have been several ministries. I remember several years ago when my church had a list of all the ministries identified in a prominent hallway. As I recall, there were over 100 ministries. Some of them are likely prevalent in any church, while others were specifically created to serve some purpose. If a member wanted to lead a ministry, the church was supportive of them going forth and conquering.

When Easter Becomes Just Another Holiday
The United States seems to be more than happy to celebrate holidays. In fact, in every nation around the world, holidays are observed for many different reasons. Everywhere, many kids grow up just looking for the times off of school, while adults may look for the breaks from work. It doesn't really seem to matter what the intention of the holiday is, as people just look to avoid normal activities. There are some holidays that seem to have more significance to the general public, but generally they are for reasons other than initially intended. The retail market takes full advantage of the situation and no matter what the intent of the holiday was, they are out to make a buck.

When Worship Dishonors God
Most of the people that read this lesson have been involved in a church for a number of years. I'm sure there are others with little church experience who happen upon this lesson as well. Regardless of whether you've been in a church once or many times, you have likely had worship experiences that were less than rewarding. There are so many things going on in our lives. Sometimes, we are focused on good things - something that is happening after church (a dinner, a game, some special event) or something else that is very positive in our lives. Sometimes, we are focused on bad things (an illness, uncertainty in finances, job issues, relationship issues or some area of sin in our lives). Sometimes, we are just in a rut - nothing really good or bad, but we are just going through the motions at church.

When Members Insist on Their Way
Who likes to have it their way? Burger King made an entire ad campaign out of that phrase and it was successful for many years. "Have it your way!" Frank Sinatra made a Paul Anka song very popular in the late 1950's in his album titled "My Way". It basically tells the story of a man who is nearing death and looking back on his life with few regrets. The song has been remade by various artists over time, but whether it is taken as a person looking back or someone living their life currently, the idea of doing things 'my way' appeals to many people.

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