Discipleship Studies

Found some new links on the web:

• Audio Bible on the web - listen to your Bible passages. Uses Real Player.
• Wesley Blog - "the United Methodist site your pastor warned you about."
• Christian t-shirts - well, Christian t-shirts

More about the Parable of the Wedding Banquet:

• http://www.datanumeric.com/vlm/06-99/30.html
• http://biblia.com/parables/feast.htm
• http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/the_nonexpert_the_wedding_party.php
• http://www.discipleship.net/parable/weddingbanquet.htm
• http://www.gracethrufaith.com/selah/parables/the-parable-of-the-wedding-banquet

and I think we should order this CD for our next Bible studey group! :)

"The Lord of the Rings: exploring a Holy Trilogy" :)

I have been reading this week's lessons in airports and on planes. I have found them to be the most explicit book in the Bible so far on how to live your life. I had extreme difficulty finding the answers to the questions but did find many lessons in the words. I cannot wait until Wed. night to hear what everyone else got out of the reading!

What a termendous joy it was reading about God's chosen rebuilding the temple and returning to God's ways. I loved how our text said but stand-by --obeying God's word does not quarantee a trouble-free life.......

So, when I joined the Disciples class and study group, I also began reading a couple of other books (I have this...habit of starting lots of books at once). One of them was "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.
"Purpose" was first recommended to me by a friend, who brought up on two different occasions how she really wanted this book and finally received it as a gift from her daughter at Christmas. She said it was a book that I should read, and so I said, "sure, I'll buy it." Weeks later, the story of the young lady who had been held hostage by the Atlanta killer and how she had used this same book to not only save her life, but to change his, caught my attention again. Prompted by the Spirit? You betcha. I bought a copy soon after.

Now, you're supposed to make a commitment to read this book every day for 40 days in a row, so that it can change your life and you can find your purpose. Confession: I haven't been good about reading it each day, but I have been prompted over and over again to pick it up and read. This happened again last night (night before my Bible class).

"Seeing Life from God's View"
Our reading assignment for the the week was to read many of the psalms. One topic that brought up some discussion several times (and not just on this night) is why "bad things happen to good people" and how, maybe, the struggles we face in this life are all a test from God. Reading Psalm 73 asks us "how do we feel when the wicked prosper?" and "what does the psalmist come to understand?" The group discussed the Holocaust, WWII, Hitler, and what lessons are/were learned from those events.
But something that I wanted to say (and couldn't because we ran out of time) was something reiterated in the "Purpose" book: "life on earth is a test." We go through many tests and trials in our lives, some small and some overwhelming.

What Psalm 73 says to us in verse 16-19 and 24-28:

16 When I tried to understand all this [wicked deeds], it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their [the wicked's] final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
... ... ... ...
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

This life is a test. We are humans living on earth, but what we are essentially are a part of God, spiritual beings. Our human life is brief on this earth, "a passing breeze" (Psalm 78:39). The wicked may prosper, but the reward of the faithful is found in heaven, in God's glory, his prescence.

This may sound idealistic and even naive, a little simple-minded. Hopeful. But this is the only way that all the senseless violence, crimes against children, war, etc. can make any kind of sense to me. "How can God allow this to happen?" or "Why did God allow that child molestor to hurt those kids?" Yes, there is evil in the world. Evil lurks in the hearts and actions of mankind. We have "free will," even if it's the will to do harm. When two little girls are killed and it makes absolutely no sense, I think about their spirits, resting now with God in heaven, and how now their trials are over.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the Earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter the gates with thanksgiving
and the courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

++++++
It is a holy thing to have a psalm on our lips. :)

"What are you doing here, Elijah?"

First a strong wind, an earth shattering quake, a fire. Then verse 12, "...And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (13) When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave." In verse 15, "The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you
came..." because the Lord had more work for him to do.

Yes, Elijah was only human. He was afraid (who wouldn't be, after Queen Jezebel had all the prophets killed off) and weary, and was running for his life. Verse 4-5, ""I have had enough, LORD ," he said. "Take my life...."

Shirley, thanks for noticing my remark when I was being teased at Study the other night...that my own comments do not come from me. All discernment comes from God. Without him, there is NO understanding.

:)
Cindy

I've been listening to our Christian radio station each morning for the past few weeks. Guess what the topic has been for the past week? :) The book of Amos!

Right around 8 am each day (because I just barely make it to work around 8 each day), I get to hear some quick tidbit about being a better person. Today's topic was on materialism (not letting the need for "better" or "richer" or "the best" take over your life. One way is to not be around the temptation at all. They also mentioned how easily today's teenagers fall, mostly because so much TV advertisement is telling them to buy, buy, BUY!

Another quick tidbit from a day or two ago spoke to me as well. On honoring your boss. To decide each day, "what can I do to make his/her job easier." Kind of the ongoing topic in this other book I'm reading (which includes a chapter on being a better wife, or in my case, a servant of God to my family). Work my hardest, do my best, so that my boss and company look good.

Blessings!
Cindy

This will be about the third time I have read this section of the Bible and I am still amazed how David had Uriah killed so he can hide his affair with Bethseba.

Definately alot of reading but it held your interest.

The common theme that I got out of the reading was humans are sinful then and now. It is only by the grace of God that he forgives us when we repent.

So, let's try this email feature. :)

1 Samuel 8

6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased
Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD . 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to
all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,
but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the
day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and
serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but
warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over
them will do."

I found it interesting that Samuel seemed more upset than God
was (of course, God knew beforehand what would happen, right?). God is
reassuring Samuel here, letting him know "no no, it's not you they don't
like, it's me" :)

Cindy

Welcome, welcome, welcome... hope it's not only my voice that will be echoing in this blog. :)

BLOGGING. What is blogging, you ask? Umm, it's where you can type in anything you want (nice things, suggestions, comments, wishes, hopes and dreams) and they will automatically get posted to the web site.

Here is a place for anyone in our class to type out their thoughts about our Bible lessons. To be able to use this new feature, send me an email and I'll add you on as a member. I'll send you an invitation and you'll have to have go create an account with www.blogger.com - after you've created a new account, you will be automatically added and can then share all your thoughts and comments with the rest of our classmates.