Tuesday: You are typing and sending me your critique on the interview with Bono on his Christian faith. Click here for the interview: THE APOLOGETICS OF BONO Many thanks to Dr. Hudson of King University for his introduction of this important article.
Wednesday: The Gospel of Mark as presented by a Australian post-punk/goth singer-songwriter? Nick Cave's research might have you thinking more deeply. Let's take a look at how he sees the Gospel: NICK CAVE INTRODUCES THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
Wednesday: The Gospel of Mark as presented by a Australian post-punk/goth singer-songwriter? Nick Cave's research might have you thinking more deeply. Let's take a look at how he sees the Gospel: NICK CAVE INTRODUCES THE GOSPEL OF MARK.
UTTERLY HUMBLED BY MYSTERY
BY RICHARD ROHR
I believe in mystery and multiplicity. To religious believers this may sound almost pagan. But I don't think so. My very belief and experience of a loving and endlessly creative God has led me to trust in both.
I've had the good fortune of teaching and preaching across much of the globe, while also struggling to make sense of my experience in my own tiny world. This life journey has led me to love mystery and not feel the need to change it or make it un-mysterious. This has put me at odds with many other believers I know who seem to need explanations for everything.
Religious belief has made me comfortable with ambiguity. "Hints and guesses," as T.S. Eliot would say. I often spend the season of Lent in a hermitage, where I live alone for the whole 40 days. The more I am alone with the Alone, the more I surrender to ambivalence, to happy contradictions and seeming inconsistencies in myself and almost everything else, including God. Paradoxes don't scare me anymore.
When I was young, I couldn't tolerate such ambiguity. My education had trained me to have a lust for answers and explanations. Now, at age 63, it's all quite different. I no longer believe this is a quid pro quo universe — I've counseled too many prisoners, worked with too many failed marriages, faced my own dilemmas too many times and been loved gratuitously after too many failures.
Whenever I think there's a perfect pattern, further reading and study reveal an exception. Whenever I want to say "only" or "always," someone or something proves me wrong. My scientist friends have come up with things like "principles of uncertainty" and dark holes. They're willing to live inside imagined hypotheses and theories. But many religious folks insist on answers that are always true. We love closure, resolution and clarity, while thinking that we are people of "faith"! How strange that the very word "faith" has come to mean its exact opposite.
People who have really met the Holy are always humble. It's the people who don't know who usually pretend that they do. People who've had any genuine spiritual experience always know they don't know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind. It is a litmus test for authentic God experience, and is — quite sadly — absent from much of our religious conversation today. My belief and comfort is in the depths of Mystery, which should be the very task of religion.
--------------------------------------
BY RICHARD ROHR
I believe in mystery and multiplicity. To religious believers this may sound almost pagan. But I don't think so. My very belief and experience of a loving and endlessly creative God has led me to trust in both.
I've had the good fortune of teaching and preaching across much of the globe, while also struggling to make sense of my experience in my own tiny world. This life journey has led me to love mystery and not feel the need to change it or make it un-mysterious. This has put me at odds with many other believers I know who seem to need explanations for everything.
Religious belief has made me comfortable with ambiguity. "Hints and guesses," as T.S. Eliot would say. I often spend the season of Lent in a hermitage, where I live alone for the whole 40 days. The more I am alone with the Alone, the more I surrender to ambivalence, to happy contradictions and seeming inconsistencies in myself and almost everything else, including God. Paradoxes don't scare me anymore.
When I was young, I couldn't tolerate such ambiguity. My education had trained me to have a lust for answers and explanations. Now, at age 63, it's all quite different. I no longer believe this is a quid pro quo universe — I've counseled too many prisoners, worked with too many failed marriages, faced my own dilemmas too many times and been loved gratuitously after too many failures.
Whenever I think there's a perfect pattern, further reading and study reveal an exception. Whenever I want to say "only" or "always," someone or something proves me wrong. My scientist friends have come up with things like "principles of uncertainty" and dark holes. They're willing to live inside imagined hypotheses and theories. But many religious folks insist on answers that are always true. We love closure, resolution and clarity, while thinking that we are people of "faith"! How strange that the very word "faith" has come to mean its exact opposite.
People who have really met the Holy are always humble. It's the people who don't know who usually pretend that they do. People who've had any genuine spiritual experience always know they don't know. They are utterly humbled before mystery. They are in awe before the abyss of it all, in wonder at eternity and depth, and a Love, which is incomprehensible to the mind. It is a litmus test for authentic God experience, and is — quite sadly — absent from much of our religious conversation today. My belief and comfort is in the depths of Mystery, which should be the very task of religion.
--------------------------------------
LEADERS: WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE AND HOW DID YOU LEARN FROM IT?
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LEADERSHIP WEBSITE THAT SHOWS BRUTAL HONESTY AND REAL-LIFE LEADERSHIP ANSWERS. WE WILL DISCUSS IT TODAY.
THE BIBLE LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENT: You will be writing for the Brickyard Bible commentary site.
1. GO TO THE BRICKYARD BIBLE SITE BY CLICKING HERE: LINK TO BRICKYARD BIBLE SITE
2. GET OUT PAPER - YOU WILL BE HAND WRITING THIS ON PAPER. YOU MUST TURN THIS IN BEFORE THE END OF THE PERIOD.
3. READ A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES FROM MATTHEW 1-4 ON THE SITE. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING, BUT YOURS WILL BE LONGER THAN THE ENTRIES YOU ARE READING. YOU WILL BE DOING AN ENTRY OF NO LESS THAN 200 WORDS.
4. LOOK AROUND AND GET AN IDEA OF HOW SOME OF THE DEVOTIONAL ENTRIES BY OTHER STUDENTS HAVE BEEN DONE.
5. ON YOUR PAPER, WRITE OUT AN ILLUSTRATION OR BIBLE STUDY FOR EITHER MARK CHAPTER 1, MARK CHAPTER 2, OR MARK CHAPTER 3. PICK OUT A VERSE, AND LIKE THE OTHER STUDENTS HAVE DONE, EXPLAIN IT AND THEN GIVE EITHER AN EXAMPLE OR A PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION OR MAYBE A QUOTE FROM A FAMOUS PERSON THAT WILL HELP EXPLAIN THE PASSAGE. MAKE IT GOOD - THIS IS A TEST GRADE. WHEN YOU HAND IN THE PAPER PUT YOUR NAME AND CLASS PERIOD ON IT.
6. HERE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE:
MARK 1:3 The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness:
“Prepare the road for the Lord,
make a straight path for him.”’
Make a straight path? That means getting serious about Jesus - and stop playing games! Sometimes when a person claims they’re a Christian, they don’t fully understand what it takes to be a Christian. I know of a boy who claimed to be a Christian, but only said so for attention. His brother accepted Christ and he saw the attention his brother was getting. So he said he also accepted Christ, but only said so for the attention. Years later, the boy’s faith was tested with family money problems. He couldn’t understand why God was doing this to his family, for his parents were very strong Christians. He went to a retreat, barely affording it, with his church. There his eyes were opened to the true beauty of God and realized he was not being punished, but tested. At that camp, that boy became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He has never been the same since.-RBH
7. REMINDER: IF YOU GET STUCK, BROWSE THROUGH THE BRICKYARD BIBLE SITE AND GET AN IDEA OF WHAT OTHER STUDENTS DID. YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE PERIOD. IF YOU NEED HELP IN GETTING GOOD THOUGHTS, RESEARCH AT PLACES LIKE blueletterbible.org
1. GO TO THE BRICKYARD BIBLE SITE BY CLICKING HERE: LINK TO BRICKYARD BIBLE SITE
2. GET OUT PAPER - YOU WILL BE HAND WRITING THIS ON PAPER. YOU MUST TURN THIS IN BEFORE THE END OF THE PERIOD.
3. READ A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES FROM MATTHEW 1-4 ON THE SITE. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING, BUT YOURS WILL BE LONGER THAN THE ENTRIES YOU ARE READING. YOU WILL BE DOING AN ENTRY OF NO LESS THAN 200 WORDS.
4. LOOK AROUND AND GET AN IDEA OF HOW SOME OF THE DEVOTIONAL ENTRIES BY OTHER STUDENTS HAVE BEEN DONE.
5. ON YOUR PAPER, WRITE OUT AN ILLUSTRATION OR BIBLE STUDY FOR EITHER MARK CHAPTER 1, MARK CHAPTER 2, OR MARK CHAPTER 3. PICK OUT A VERSE, AND LIKE THE OTHER STUDENTS HAVE DONE, EXPLAIN IT AND THEN GIVE EITHER AN EXAMPLE OR A PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION OR MAYBE A QUOTE FROM A FAMOUS PERSON THAT WILL HELP EXPLAIN THE PASSAGE. MAKE IT GOOD - THIS IS A TEST GRADE. WHEN YOU HAND IN THE PAPER PUT YOUR NAME AND CLASS PERIOD ON IT.
6. HERE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE:
MARK 1:3 The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness:
“Prepare the road for the Lord,
make a straight path for him.”’
Make a straight path? That means getting serious about Jesus - and stop playing games! Sometimes when a person claims they’re a Christian, they don’t fully understand what it takes to be a Christian. I know of a boy who claimed to be a Christian, but only said so for attention. His brother accepted Christ and he saw the attention his brother was getting. So he said he also accepted Christ, but only said so for the attention. Years later, the boy’s faith was tested with family money problems. He couldn’t understand why God was doing this to his family, for his parents were very strong Christians. He went to a retreat, barely affording it, with his church. There his eyes were opened to the true beauty of God and realized he was not being punished, but tested. At that camp, that boy became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He has never been the same since.-RBH
7. REMINDER: IF YOU GET STUCK, BROWSE THROUGH THE BRICKYARD BIBLE SITE AND GET AN IDEA OF WHAT OTHER STUDENTS DID. YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE PERIOD. IF YOU NEED HELP IN GETTING GOOD THOUGHTS, RESEARCH AT PLACES LIKE blueletterbible.org
leadership devotional section
DAY 1: ANGER: WHO DOES IT HURT?
I was angry - so angry that all my systems went haywire. I left the room and walked down the hall, seething. They had no right...
I sat in the front seat of my car and looked through the windshield, letting my temper settle. I went through all of the arguments that justified my anger: They broke their promise. They weren't fair. They...
Then I realized how much I wasn't in control. The anger was controlling me. No matter who was to blame and how bad the situation, I had let anger take the reins.
But is anger wrong?
Jesus was angry whenever he saw how people were ruining worship at God’s temple (John 2:13-18). However, that anger was in standing up for truth, not in an emotional self-defense.
The trouble with my anger - and I'm sure you've had this problem as well - was that I was using it for self-justification. And that's where things get dangerous.
Hurt feelings.
Unkind words.
Lingering grudges.
Ever wonder where we get the phrase "flying off the handle?" In the pioneer days in America, axes were often hand-made. Men on the frontier would carve down their own handles to fit into an ax-head they had bought before moving out West. Usually they were fitted rather crudely and this made for a bad bond. Many times while chopping, the ax-head flew off, sometimes injuring nearby people. Because it was a sudden act of quick danger, it became known as "flying off the handle" ; when one would have a sudden unpredictable burst of uncontrolled anger. It was in a moment, yet it was dangerous to those nearby.
Do you "fly off the handle?" Do you justify your rage?
How does it affect your family? Your friends?
--------------------------------------------
I was angry - so angry that all my systems went haywire. I left the room and walked down the hall, seething. They had no right...
I sat in the front seat of my car and looked through the windshield, letting my temper settle. I went through all of the arguments that justified my anger: They broke their promise. They weren't fair. They...
Then I realized how much I wasn't in control. The anger was controlling me. No matter who was to blame and how bad the situation, I had let anger take the reins.
But is anger wrong?
Jesus was angry whenever he saw how people were ruining worship at God’s temple (John 2:13-18). However, that anger was in standing up for truth, not in an emotional self-defense.
The trouble with my anger - and I'm sure you've had this problem as well - was that I was using it for self-justification. And that's where things get dangerous.
Hurt feelings.
Unkind words.
Lingering grudges.
Ever wonder where we get the phrase "flying off the handle?" In the pioneer days in America, axes were often hand-made. Men on the frontier would carve down their own handles to fit into an ax-head they had bought before moving out West. Usually they were fitted rather crudely and this made for a bad bond. Many times while chopping, the ax-head flew off, sometimes injuring nearby people. Because it was a sudden act of quick danger, it became known as "flying off the handle" ; when one would have a sudden unpredictable burst of uncontrolled anger. It was in a moment, yet it was dangerous to those nearby.
Do you "fly off the handle?" Do you justify your rage?
How does it affect your family? Your friends?
--------------------------------------------
?DAY 2: ARE WE READY?
"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." - - 1 Thess.5:6
Red Barber was perhaps one of the greatest baseball broadcasters of all time. His attention to detail and insightful comments constantly stood him above the rest. When asked how he did so well, he simply answered that every game - no matter what time of year or what the significance - was taken seriously and with great preparation. Red Barber said, "You have to be as fully prepared for the dull game as you are for the great one, or else you won't be prepared for the great one."
Christ's coming will instead be the greatest time in our history. But are we prepared for it? Are our lives ready? There are friends and family who do not know the Savior, yet we avoid witnessing because it is either not exciting, or too difficult...or maybe even dull.
Could we prepare and diligently work through the trenches so that when the "great game" time approaches, we will be ready?
"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." - - 1 Thess.5:6
Red Barber was perhaps one of the greatest baseball broadcasters of all time. His attention to detail and insightful comments constantly stood him above the rest. When asked how he did so well, he simply answered that every game - no matter what time of year or what the significance - was taken seriously and with great preparation. Red Barber said, "You have to be as fully prepared for the dull game as you are for the great one, or else you won't be prepared for the great one."
Christ's coming will instead be the greatest time in our history. But are we prepared for it? Are our lives ready? There are friends and family who do not know the Savior, yet we avoid witnessing because it is either not exciting, or too difficult...or maybe even dull.
Could we prepare and diligently work through the trenches so that when the "great game" time approaches, we will be ready?
DAY 3: The Life of Christ: Why did Jesus need to be baptized?
RED – Read the passage(s): Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23a; Exodus 28, 29
Don’t continue this devotion until you have read the passage.
GREEN – Here’s the explanation:
Jesus’ baptism is confusing to many people: the baptism obviously has nothing to do with salvation, since Jesus wasn't lost: it has nothing to do with repentance, since Jesus wasn't a sinner: it has nothing to do with any decision Jesus made to love and serve his Father — he had been doing so since his early childhood. What exactly, then, was this baptism all about? And why did Jesus go to John the Baptizer? And finally, why should you care?
Since evangelical Christians typically only use baptism in connection with salvation and membership in the visible Church, we can easily miss what John and Jesus were doing. Baptisms were a common part of the religion of Israel whenever holiness and consecration to a special use or relationship were in view. John's baptism unto repentance was one use; others symbolically cleansed articles used in worship. Baptisms were also used to set apart the priests unto their ministry (using oil, water, and blood in separate anointings). Exodus 29:1-37 tells us how baptism (anointing) was used in the priests’ consecration. The high priest was ceremonially washed, dressed in special garments (including the golden crown), and anointed with oil. Then there were the sacrifices made for the high priest. Blood from the offerings was sprinkled on the priests in their garments, along with anointing their right ears, thumbs, and big toes, to set them apart in holiness to their service. Here is the key to understanding what was going on at Jesus’ baptism.
You may already know that it was to be John who prepared the way for the Messiah’s arrival. You must remember that John was a son of Aaron, on both sides of his family. His lineage was impeccable, and by virtue of calling, family, and character he was a priest chosen of God to minister to the nation through his ministry of calling God s people to holiness. God placed his mark upon John from before his birth — in God’s mind, it was John who spiritually fulfilled the role of the high priest in Israel.
So now compare the events of the anointing of the high priest and those involved in Jesus’ baptism:
Aaronic Consecration - Exodus 28, 29 Christ's Consecration - Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-23a
Ceremonial cleansing with water (29:4) Baptism fulfilled all righteousness; (Jer. 23:5. 6)
Anointing with oil (28:41: 29:7. 29-30) Holy Spirit descending upon him
Golden plate on forehead (28:36-38) God's declaration of Sonship
Offerings (29:1-3. 10-37) Christ offers himself (cf Heb. 9-10)
Conclusion: Jesus’ baptism by John is the public consecration of Christ our High Priest to his public ministry.
BLUE – Here’s the application:
So why is this important to you? Because you have a perfect High Priest who lawfully intercedes for you as the only Mediator between God and Mankind. Jesus fulfilled every shadow, every prophecy, every pattern laid out for us in all of God’s dealings with men from Creation onward. And He did it publicly, so no one would miss it. With Christ to die for us, live for us, and intercede for us, you don’t need any other human being or any other creature to stand between you and your Heavenly Father. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:19-22 ESV)
RED – Read the passage(s): Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23a; Exodus 28, 29
Don’t continue this devotion until you have read the passage.
GREEN – Here’s the explanation:
Jesus’ baptism is confusing to many people: the baptism obviously has nothing to do with salvation, since Jesus wasn't lost: it has nothing to do with repentance, since Jesus wasn't a sinner: it has nothing to do with any decision Jesus made to love and serve his Father — he had been doing so since his early childhood. What exactly, then, was this baptism all about? And why did Jesus go to John the Baptizer? And finally, why should you care?
Since evangelical Christians typically only use baptism in connection with salvation and membership in the visible Church, we can easily miss what John and Jesus were doing. Baptisms were a common part of the religion of Israel whenever holiness and consecration to a special use or relationship were in view. John's baptism unto repentance was one use; others symbolically cleansed articles used in worship. Baptisms were also used to set apart the priests unto their ministry (using oil, water, and blood in separate anointings). Exodus 29:1-37 tells us how baptism (anointing) was used in the priests’ consecration. The high priest was ceremonially washed, dressed in special garments (including the golden crown), and anointed with oil. Then there were the sacrifices made for the high priest. Blood from the offerings was sprinkled on the priests in their garments, along with anointing their right ears, thumbs, and big toes, to set them apart in holiness to their service. Here is the key to understanding what was going on at Jesus’ baptism.
You may already know that it was to be John who prepared the way for the Messiah’s arrival. You must remember that John was a son of Aaron, on both sides of his family. His lineage was impeccable, and by virtue of calling, family, and character he was a priest chosen of God to minister to the nation through his ministry of calling God s people to holiness. God placed his mark upon John from before his birth — in God’s mind, it was John who spiritually fulfilled the role of the high priest in Israel.
So now compare the events of the anointing of the high priest and those involved in Jesus’ baptism:
Aaronic Consecration - Exodus 28, 29 Christ's Consecration - Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-23a
Ceremonial cleansing with water (29:4) Baptism fulfilled all righteousness; (Jer. 23:5. 6)
Anointing with oil (28:41: 29:7. 29-30) Holy Spirit descending upon him
Golden plate on forehead (28:36-38) God's declaration of Sonship
Offerings (29:1-3. 10-37) Christ offers himself (cf Heb. 9-10)
Conclusion: Jesus’ baptism by John is the public consecration of Christ our High Priest to his public ministry.
BLUE – Here’s the application:
So why is this important to you? Because you have a perfect High Priest who lawfully intercedes for you as the only Mediator between God and Mankind. Jesus fulfilled every shadow, every prophecy, every pattern laid out for us in all of God’s dealings with men from Creation onward. And He did it publicly, so no one would miss it. With Christ to die for us, live for us, and intercede for us, you don’t need any other human being or any other creature to stand between you and your Heavenly Father. As the writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:19-22 ESV)
NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY/BIBLE
DOCTRINES Dr. Brad Zockoll
OFFICE: High school Building, Room 181 OFFICE PHONE: x 4827
E-MAIL ADDRESS: bzockoll@gcarams.org (school) bradzockoll@gmail.com (wknds /holidays)
A. DESCRIPTION
NT Survey involves a careful examination of the Second Covenant, as it is also known. My emphasis in the development of my students’ learning goes beyond the themes and authors, reaching the message God sent and continues to send to the reader. This is an exploratory course in an overview look at the New Testament, designed primarily for students to get a better grasp of the overall theme of the Bible by understanding its initial writings. We’ll dissect key verses, talk about each book’s relation to today’s world, and even strengthen knowledge of passages by learning an introductory course in Koine Greek. Koine Greek word studies, discussions and even debate will be part of the approach to getting on overview of this essential part of the Bible. We will also be learning the basic doctrines of the Bible as we walk through the Scriptures.
B. ORGANIZATION
This is a lecture/action course in which the NT books are presented by the instructor with Powerpoint presentations and handouts incorporated in for a visual as well as audio presentation. Objective quizzes are given daily, and I give a test every four weeks. The structure of the course is to present the NT in a chronological manner but also discuss contemporary issues and events to “highlight” the sections being studied. Students will speak, team-learn and even compete against other classes in a quest to grasp the material given. Extra credit is available when needed.
C. COURSE OBJECTIVES
To introduce students to an interesting way of studying the New Testament.
To introduce students to prophecies and foreshadowings of the Messiah found in the OT.
To show students the foundational doctrines so necessary to the understanding and living of the Christian faith.
To provide students with different aspects of using this information such as material in face of an atheist or evolutionist, responses to cult members, preparation for delivery before a congregation, or thorough self-study.
To help students create a Ready Reference dictionary-type book of their own that they can use as a rapid resource in times of witnessing, apologetics or outright debate.
D. COURSE TOPICS
The course will cover the following topics:
Themes of all NT books, including NT symbols and numerology
OT Prophecies, connection between OT and NT
Christ’s teachings and sacrifice
Answers to puzzling questions of the NT
How cults distort the NT
Purpose of the NT
Doctrines of the Bible faith
E. TEXT AND REQUIRED SUPPLIES
Required text: Bible
Supplies: composition book
F. GRADING PLAN
Coursework for the grading period will be weighted as follows:
1. Tests 45% 2. Quizzes (minimum 4x week) 45% 3. In-class participation 10%
BEGINNING LIST OF THE COURSES OF STUDY WE WILL COVER THROUGHOUT THIS SEMESTER:
Doctrine of God
Doctrine of Jesus Christ
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Koine Greek alphabet and key words (John 1:1 and John 3:16 especially)
Doctrine of the Bible
Doctrine of Satanology
Doctrine of Heaven
OFFICE: High school Building, Room 181 OFFICE PHONE: x 4827
E-MAIL ADDRESS: bzockoll@gcarams.org (school) bradzockoll@gmail.com (wknds /holidays)
A. DESCRIPTION
NT Survey involves a careful examination of the Second Covenant, as it is also known. My emphasis in the development of my students’ learning goes beyond the themes and authors, reaching the message God sent and continues to send to the reader. This is an exploratory course in an overview look at the New Testament, designed primarily for students to get a better grasp of the overall theme of the Bible by understanding its initial writings. We’ll dissect key verses, talk about each book’s relation to today’s world, and even strengthen knowledge of passages by learning an introductory course in Koine Greek. Koine Greek word studies, discussions and even debate will be part of the approach to getting on overview of this essential part of the Bible. We will also be learning the basic doctrines of the Bible as we walk through the Scriptures.
B. ORGANIZATION
This is a lecture/action course in which the NT books are presented by the instructor with Powerpoint presentations and handouts incorporated in for a visual as well as audio presentation. Objective quizzes are given daily, and I give a test every four weeks. The structure of the course is to present the NT in a chronological manner but also discuss contemporary issues and events to “highlight” the sections being studied. Students will speak, team-learn and even compete against other classes in a quest to grasp the material given. Extra credit is available when needed.
C. COURSE OBJECTIVES
To introduce students to an interesting way of studying the New Testament.
To introduce students to prophecies and foreshadowings of the Messiah found in the OT.
To show students the foundational doctrines so necessary to the understanding and living of the Christian faith.
To provide students with different aspects of using this information such as material in face of an atheist or evolutionist, responses to cult members, preparation for delivery before a congregation, or thorough self-study.
To help students create a Ready Reference dictionary-type book of their own that they can use as a rapid resource in times of witnessing, apologetics or outright debate.
D. COURSE TOPICS
The course will cover the following topics:
Themes of all NT books, including NT symbols and numerology
OT Prophecies, connection between OT and NT
Christ’s teachings and sacrifice
Answers to puzzling questions of the NT
How cults distort the NT
Purpose of the NT
Doctrines of the Bible faith
E. TEXT AND REQUIRED SUPPLIES
Required text: Bible
Supplies: composition book
F. GRADING PLAN
Coursework for the grading period will be weighted as follows:
1. Tests 45% 2. Quizzes (minimum 4x week) 45% 3. In-class participation 10%
BEGINNING LIST OF THE COURSES OF STUDY WE WILL COVER THROUGHOUT THIS SEMESTER:
Doctrine of God
Doctrine of Jesus Christ
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Koine Greek alphabet and key words (John 1:1 and John 3:16 especially)
Doctrine of the Bible
Doctrine of Satanology
Doctrine of Heaven
PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY Dr. Brad Zockoll
OFFICE: Room 181 OFFICE PHONE: x 4827
E-MAIL ADDRESS: bzockoll@gcarams.org (school)
A. DESCRIPTION Psychology will involve a look at the ways and means of the principles and practices of the world of psychology. Theories will be discussed and test cases will be studied. Research will be read and the many aspects of the mind will be intensely studied. Sociology will start next semester.
B. ORGANIZATION
This is a lecture/interactive course in which the aspects of psychology are presented by the instructor with Powerpoint presentations and handouts incorporated in for a visual as well as audio presentation. Objective quizzes are given daily, and there is a test every four weeks. The structure of the course is to present the chapters of Psychology: Principles in Practice in a clear and concise manner, leaving room for discussion. Students will discuss, team-learn and even compete against other classes in a quest to grasp the material given.
C. COURSE OBJECTIVES To introduce students to principles of psychology.
To discuss actual cases and situations of interest to psychologists.
To introduce students to the power of God’s creation of the mind and the thought process.
To show students the ways psychology is used, both good and bad.
To provide students with an overall view of psychology from a Christian worldview, and how it can be a meaningful part of their life.
To prepare the student for college-level Psychology classes.
D. COURSE TOPICS
The course will cover the following topics:
Definition of psychology
Importance of research
Brain Mapping
The Five Senses
Sleep and dreams
The issue of faith and rationality
Physical and social development
Intelligence: its influences
Problem solving
E. GRADING PLAN
Coursework for this grading period will be weighted as follows:
1. Tests 45%
2. Quizzes 45%
3. In-class participation
OFFICE: Room 181 OFFICE PHONE: x 4827
E-MAIL ADDRESS: bzockoll@gcarams.org (school)
A. DESCRIPTION Psychology will involve a look at the ways and means of the principles and practices of the world of psychology. Theories will be discussed and test cases will be studied. Research will be read and the many aspects of the mind will be intensely studied. Sociology will start next semester.
B. ORGANIZATION
This is a lecture/interactive course in which the aspects of psychology are presented by the instructor with Powerpoint presentations and handouts incorporated in for a visual as well as audio presentation. Objective quizzes are given daily, and there is a test every four weeks. The structure of the course is to present the chapters of Psychology: Principles in Practice in a clear and concise manner, leaving room for discussion. Students will discuss, team-learn and even compete against other classes in a quest to grasp the material given.
C. COURSE OBJECTIVES To introduce students to principles of psychology.
To discuss actual cases and situations of interest to psychologists.
To introduce students to the power of God’s creation of the mind and the thought process.
To show students the ways psychology is used, both good and bad.
To provide students with an overall view of psychology from a Christian worldview, and how it can be a meaningful part of their life.
To prepare the student for college-level Psychology classes.
D. COURSE TOPICS
The course will cover the following topics:
Definition of psychology
Importance of research
Brain Mapping
The Five Senses
Sleep and dreams
The issue of faith and rationality
Physical and social development
Intelligence: its influences
Problem solving
E. GRADING PLAN
Coursework for this grading period will be weighted as follows:
1. Tests 45%
2. Quizzes 45%
3. In-class participation
WELCOME. If you are on this page, you've probably enrolled in my Biblical Leadership Class. This will be one of the most dynamic - and unusual - classes in your high school years.
We'll be learning not only how to be a leader - that includes speech, debates, and organizational challenges I will throw at you - it will also be an intensive Bible study on key truths of the Bible that many Christians have not studied. There's no need for me to go into a long introduction... you'll experience it soon enough.
The two key verses you will memorize are both found in the book of Hebrews:
4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
4:15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
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The two key verses you will memorize are both found in the book of Hebrews:
4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
4:15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
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One of our main drives in Biblical Leadership is to be able to explain the Gospel
This is more than just knowing a handful of verses and giving a cliche-filled presentation. This is about explaining why there are scores of books in the Bible with stories and explanations that make it clear who this stranger called Jesus really is. Part of our class will be in learning how to clearly present the plan of salvation in a proper way so that people can see the path leading through the entire Bible.
Download this book for classroom use by clicking here:
http://www.goodseed.com/products/str-eng-book-ebook/
Download this book for classroom use by clicking here:
http://www.goodseed.com/products/str-eng-book-ebook/
Now head over to the School of Resources and look up the section on Icebreakers. You'll be actively using one of the icebreakers in class.
GETTING A HANDLE ON POSTMODERNISM
It's important that we understand how people view the Christian's belief that there is a Universal Truth. Click here to read an important article:
http://www.albertmohler.com/2005/03/01/truth-telling-is-stranger-than-it-used-to-be-part-one/
http://www.albertmohler.com/2005/03/01/truth-telling-is-stranger-than-it-used-to-be-part-one/
SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP
TWO SECTIONS ON THIS WEB PAGE:
1. BIBLE LESSONS AND DISCUSSION STARTERS
2. SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS
PART ONE:
BIBLE LESSONS AND DISCUSSION STARTERS
On this page you'll find resources to help you lead a Bible study. Use the illustrations, verses and Bible helps to create a presentation for your church, youth group, conference or camp setting.
BIBLE STUDY : SUCCESS ... JOHN 9
May I ask you, what will give you satisfaction as being successful? Will it be a fat salary or a well-respected reputation? Perhaps it is well to note the power of the passage in John chapter 9, where Jesus takes a down-and-out blind beggar and gives him sight. This is a new man, with a whole new life ahead of him! Mark now what the people ask him and how he answers (I'll paraphrase this.)
"You look familiar, but the guy we knew who looked like you was blind," the people said.
"It's me, for sure, " answers the former blind man.
"Well, wait a minute," the people respond. "How did you get to be able to see?"
"You see, Jesus did it all..." answers the new man.
Notice that all his success starts with Jesus. He gave no opinion of himself or of anything or anyone but Jesus. Jesus was the reason for the miracle, and it's Jesus who gets the credit. THAT is success for the Christian, friends. It's Jesus first and foremost. Please remember this throughout your career, and no matter where you go, you will find that for the Christian, this is true.
BIBLE STUDY: God is a God of Invitation!
Take a look at Isaiah 1:18. Take a look at Isaiah 55:1. Didn't Jesus say "Come unto Me and I will give you rest?"
And I also see that God invited Noah into the ark, where He was. Isn't that a great picture of salvation?
Best of all, look at Revelation 22:17. You know the qualifications for coming to Him? You must be thirsty and you must be willing. That's it. Let's look up other references besides these, where God openly invites people to receive His blessing.
CHRISTMAS BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE: 1 Corinthians 15:1-23 - The Greatest Christmas Celebration Ever: We Will Rise Again!
1. It's a verified fact that Jesus was resurrected (1-11)
a. Jesus was resurrected and seen by more than 500 people.
b. Josephus writings attest to Jesus.
2. It's an eternal hope (12-23)
a. v. 17 vain literally means "void of results."
b. v. 19 literally "people that should be pitied."
3. It's going to be an incredible party!
a. Revelation 5, the singing of the redeemed - an incredible number!
b. We will be joined (Rev. 5) by angelic beings as well - what a choir!
BIBLE STUDY: GOD THE FATHER
Texts: John 3:3-15 (We are His children)
Matthew 7:21 (We are to obey and respect Him)
Start the study by asking the teens to name a few of the father images on TV. Write them on the overhead or blackboard. You may get a variety of answers and some examples that may make you cringe , but follow through and ask for good traits and bad traits. Then as the discussion gets rolling, ask for a comparison of these dads to God the Father. Does God lose His patience? Would God allow that kind of an attitude to continue? What would God do in that situation? How does God treat us, His teen?
Follow this with the teens finding as many of the fatherly traits of God as possible. Lead a prayer specifically thanking God for His benevolence as a Holy Father.
BIBLE STUDY: SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
The question has come up again and again throughout the years of my youth ministry - "Can I lose my salvation? Does the Bible say I will have my salvation taken away? What does the Bible say about eternal security?"
Due to the overwhelming interest in this area to new believers, allow me to share some Scriptures with you. Transfer these verses to a study page and pass it out to your teens. Put it on 8.5 x 5.5 inch paper so it can fit neatly into their Bibles.
1. God does not let saints fall
Micah 7:8 - "when I fall I shall arise"
Psalm 37:24,25 - "Though he fall he shall not utterly be cast down...I have not seen the righteous forsaken..."
2. This is the Lord's doing, and it is not in our power to "undo" it.
Psalm 37:37,40 - "But salvation of the righteous is of the Lord..."
2 Tim. 1:12 "He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."
Jude 24 - "...now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling..."
1 Peter 1:5 - "who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
3. God knows the believer. John 10:14 - God tells us He knows His child. Compare that with the lost He speaks to in Matthew 7:23. "...I never knew you..."
4. The believer is in Jesus' hand.
John 10:28 - "...neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
5. The believer will not come into condemnation.
John 5:24 - "He that...believes on Him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation..."
BIBLE STUDY: GENUINE CHRISTIANITY
VERSES ON OPENING UP AND BECOMING REAL
We see hypocritical people and deceptive practices all around us every day. From false advertising to unreal movie action, we are bombarded with sham activity and thoughts. Can we as Christians be real in a false world? Share this dicussion with your teens.
HOW TO BECOME "REAL"
* Read Acts 2:42-45 ... what one point stands out to you most about the early church? What do you like most about their attitude of sharing and caring?
* Read Psalm 22 - this is known as the Messianic Psalm, because it so closely details the crucifixion experience Christ endured...but look at verse 6. See how Christ refers to himself. He is referring to how he feels as he is being persecuted. Have you ever felt so despised and lonely because you were standing up for the Lord? Our youth group wants to be a refuge from the hardness and cruelty Christians face in an unsaved world. How can we do that?
Read Proverbs 11:2 - What does the humble Christian receive? How can we relate this to our lives?
BIBLE STUDY: THE RIGHT KIND OF EXERCISE
1. A great exercise for a Christian is practicing humility to help point others to Christ.
TEXT: John 1:7 John would not let himself be exalted, but pointed people to Christ, the true Light.
2. Prayer and studying the Scripture helps us exercise our readiness to witness.
TEXT:Acts 1:8 We should prepare not only to witness to our neighbors and classmates (Jerusalem) but also other neighborhoods and areas (Judea) and far-reaching regions (Samaria & uttermost parts of the world)
3. Memorizing Scripture is a good exercise to help guard the soul against testimony-killing sin.
TEXT: Psalm 119:11 Hiding God's Word in our heart is a defensive measure against sin.
4. Preparing to actually verbally witness opens up new opportunities.
TEXT: 1 Peter 5:13 Being ready to share our hope keeps us from getting caught 'flat-footed.'
BIBLE STUDY: INITIATIVE
2 Timothy 4:6-7
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith..."
The newspaper article in the Florida newspaper told it in grim detail. The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported the death of a 12 year old boy who hung himself. Why? The merciless taunting of his classmates because of his weight. The boy was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed 174 pounds. Seems the classmates couldn't get enough of teasing him. So one evening at midnight, he crawled out of the window of his home and went to the backyard tree, got a stool, slung a rope over a branch and hung himself. His 8 and 10 year old brothers found him as they were getting ready for school. His mother collapsed as the paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene. The father immediately took an axe and cut down the tree.
You might say the boy was literally teased to death. Isnt that absolutely tragic?
One observer put it this way: Our kids learn a lot about science and math - but they don't really hang onto the instruction about compassion. Maybe there has been a bit of taunting and teasing here in our own families. It's painful. Stop it now. Start showing Christ living in you.
But let me ask you...surely there was at least one student in his school who was a Christian, who could have befriended him, and made him feel welcome. WHERE WERE THE CHRISTIANS?
Maybe this same situation is brewing at your school. Are there others who need your care? As a Christian, take the initiative.
Verses for study:
1 Timothy 6:12 - "Fight the good fight...:
2 Timothy 4:9 - "Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me..." Jesus wants folowers who are loyal to Him!
GOALS - a Bible Study on careers and stuff
Even more important than planning for college and a business career is the need to prepare for a life of ministry for Christ.
This Bible study helps teens think about their goals in serving the Lord as the years go by. It starts by getting the teen to write down Godly goals for this school year! Let them write some thoughts down in the flyleaf of their Bible.
* Read John 10:12-13 and discuss: what kind of a mentality does a hireling have? Have you ever had a hireling mentality when it came to serving Jesus?
* Read Acts 17:22 Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and he made quite a stand - what was his goal? Could that be our goal as well?
* Proverbs 16:17 What is the goal of the upright, according to this verse? How can you do that?
Then say:
"Teens, write down three Godly goals that you would want to accomplish before the end of this school year. Take that paper and pray over it. Put it in your Bible and report your progress to me in two weeks."
1. BIBLE LESSONS AND DISCUSSION STARTERS
2. SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS
PART ONE:
BIBLE LESSONS AND DISCUSSION STARTERS
On this page you'll find resources to help you lead a Bible study. Use the illustrations, verses and Bible helps to create a presentation for your church, youth group, conference or camp setting.
BIBLE STUDY : SUCCESS ... JOHN 9
May I ask you, what will give you satisfaction as being successful? Will it be a fat salary or a well-respected reputation? Perhaps it is well to note the power of the passage in John chapter 9, where Jesus takes a down-and-out blind beggar and gives him sight. This is a new man, with a whole new life ahead of him! Mark now what the people ask him and how he answers (I'll paraphrase this.)
"You look familiar, but the guy we knew who looked like you was blind," the people said.
"It's me, for sure, " answers the former blind man.
"Well, wait a minute," the people respond. "How did you get to be able to see?"
"You see, Jesus did it all..." answers the new man.
Notice that all his success starts with Jesus. He gave no opinion of himself or of anything or anyone but Jesus. Jesus was the reason for the miracle, and it's Jesus who gets the credit. THAT is success for the Christian, friends. It's Jesus first and foremost. Please remember this throughout your career, and no matter where you go, you will find that for the Christian, this is true.
BIBLE STUDY: God is a God of Invitation!
Take a look at Isaiah 1:18. Take a look at Isaiah 55:1. Didn't Jesus say "Come unto Me and I will give you rest?"
And I also see that God invited Noah into the ark, where He was. Isn't that a great picture of salvation?
Best of all, look at Revelation 22:17. You know the qualifications for coming to Him? You must be thirsty and you must be willing. That's it. Let's look up other references besides these, where God openly invites people to receive His blessing.
CHRISTMAS BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE: 1 Corinthians 15:1-23 - The Greatest Christmas Celebration Ever: We Will Rise Again!
1. It's a verified fact that Jesus was resurrected (1-11)
a. Jesus was resurrected and seen by more than 500 people.
b. Josephus writings attest to Jesus.
2. It's an eternal hope (12-23)
a. v. 17 vain literally means "void of results."
b. v. 19 literally "people that should be pitied."
3. It's going to be an incredible party!
a. Revelation 5, the singing of the redeemed - an incredible number!
b. We will be joined (Rev. 5) by angelic beings as well - what a choir!
BIBLE STUDY: GOD THE FATHER
Texts: John 3:3-15 (We are His children)
Matthew 7:21 (We are to obey and respect Him)
Start the study by asking the teens to name a few of the father images on TV. Write them on the overhead or blackboard. You may get a variety of answers and some examples that may make you cringe , but follow through and ask for good traits and bad traits. Then as the discussion gets rolling, ask for a comparison of these dads to God the Father. Does God lose His patience? Would God allow that kind of an attitude to continue? What would God do in that situation? How does God treat us, His teen?
Follow this with the teens finding as many of the fatherly traits of God as possible. Lead a prayer specifically thanking God for His benevolence as a Holy Father.
BIBLE STUDY: SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
The question has come up again and again throughout the years of my youth ministry - "Can I lose my salvation? Does the Bible say I will have my salvation taken away? What does the Bible say about eternal security?"
Due to the overwhelming interest in this area to new believers, allow me to share some Scriptures with you. Transfer these verses to a study page and pass it out to your teens. Put it on 8.5 x 5.5 inch paper so it can fit neatly into their Bibles.
1. God does not let saints fall
Micah 7:8 - "when I fall I shall arise"
Psalm 37:24,25 - "Though he fall he shall not utterly be cast down...I have not seen the righteous forsaken..."
2. This is the Lord's doing, and it is not in our power to "undo" it.
Psalm 37:37,40 - "But salvation of the righteous is of the Lord..."
2 Tim. 1:12 "He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."
Jude 24 - "...now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling..."
1 Peter 1:5 - "who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
3. God knows the believer. John 10:14 - God tells us He knows His child. Compare that with the lost He speaks to in Matthew 7:23. "...I never knew you..."
4. The believer is in Jesus' hand.
John 10:28 - "...neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
5. The believer will not come into condemnation.
John 5:24 - "He that...believes on Him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation..."
BIBLE STUDY: GENUINE CHRISTIANITY
VERSES ON OPENING UP AND BECOMING REAL
We see hypocritical people and deceptive practices all around us every day. From false advertising to unreal movie action, we are bombarded with sham activity and thoughts. Can we as Christians be real in a false world? Share this dicussion with your teens.
HOW TO BECOME "REAL"
* Read Acts 2:42-45 ... what one point stands out to you most about the early church? What do you like most about their attitude of sharing and caring?
* Read Psalm 22 - this is known as the Messianic Psalm, because it so closely details the crucifixion experience Christ endured...but look at verse 6. See how Christ refers to himself. He is referring to how he feels as he is being persecuted. Have you ever felt so despised and lonely because you were standing up for the Lord? Our youth group wants to be a refuge from the hardness and cruelty Christians face in an unsaved world. How can we do that?
Read Proverbs 11:2 - What does the humble Christian receive? How can we relate this to our lives?
BIBLE STUDY: THE RIGHT KIND OF EXERCISE
1. A great exercise for a Christian is practicing humility to help point others to Christ.
TEXT: John 1:7 John would not let himself be exalted, but pointed people to Christ, the true Light.
2. Prayer and studying the Scripture helps us exercise our readiness to witness.
TEXT:Acts 1:8 We should prepare not only to witness to our neighbors and classmates (Jerusalem) but also other neighborhoods and areas (Judea) and far-reaching regions (Samaria & uttermost parts of the world)
3. Memorizing Scripture is a good exercise to help guard the soul against testimony-killing sin.
TEXT: Psalm 119:11 Hiding God's Word in our heart is a defensive measure against sin.
4. Preparing to actually verbally witness opens up new opportunities.
TEXT: 1 Peter 5:13 Being ready to share our hope keeps us from getting caught 'flat-footed.'
BIBLE STUDY: INITIATIVE
2 Timothy 4:6-7
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith..."
The newspaper article in the Florida newspaper told it in grim detail. The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported the death of a 12 year old boy who hung himself. Why? The merciless taunting of his classmates because of his weight. The boy was 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed 174 pounds. Seems the classmates couldn't get enough of teasing him. So one evening at midnight, he crawled out of the window of his home and went to the backyard tree, got a stool, slung a rope over a branch and hung himself. His 8 and 10 year old brothers found him as they were getting ready for school. His mother collapsed as the paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene. The father immediately took an axe and cut down the tree.
You might say the boy was literally teased to death. Isnt that absolutely tragic?
One observer put it this way: Our kids learn a lot about science and math - but they don't really hang onto the instruction about compassion. Maybe there has been a bit of taunting and teasing here in our own families. It's painful. Stop it now. Start showing Christ living in you.
But let me ask you...surely there was at least one student in his school who was a Christian, who could have befriended him, and made him feel welcome. WHERE WERE THE CHRISTIANS?
Maybe this same situation is brewing at your school. Are there others who need your care? As a Christian, take the initiative.
Verses for study:
1 Timothy 6:12 - "Fight the good fight...:
2 Timothy 4:9 - "Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me..." Jesus wants folowers who are loyal to Him!
GOALS - a Bible Study on careers and stuff
Even more important than planning for college and a business career is the need to prepare for a life of ministry for Christ.
This Bible study helps teens think about their goals in serving the Lord as the years go by. It starts by getting the teen to write down Godly goals for this school year! Let them write some thoughts down in the flyleaf of their Bible.
* Read John 10:12-13 and discuss: what kind of a mentality does a hireling have? Have you ever had a hireling mentality when it came to serving Jesus?
* Read Acts 17:22 Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and he made quite a stand - what was his goal? Could that be our goal as well?
* Proverbs 16:17 What is the goal of the upright, according to this verse? How can you do that?
Then say:
"Teens, write down three Godly goals that you would want to accomplish before the end of this school year. Take that paper and pray over it. Put it in your Bible and report your progress to me in two weeks."
____________________________________________________
PART TWO:
SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS
MAYBE THESE ILLUSTRATIONS COULD HELP YOU AS YOU PREPARE A MESSAGE.
It's always nice to get a little assistance whenever you're doing something as serious as putting together a Bible message for your youth group, Bible study or camp gathering. Perhaps a story or two could help you out. Peruse the list below and add one to your presentation.
ANGER
Ever wonder where we get the phrase "flying off the handle?" In the pioneer days in America, axes were often hand-made. Men on the frontier would carve down their own handles to fit into an axe-head they had bought before moving out West. Usually they were fitted rather crudely and this made for a bad bond. Many times while chopping, the axe-head flew off, sometimes injuring nearby people. Because it was a sudden act of quick danger, it became known as 'flying off the handle' when one would have a sudden unpredictable burst of uncontrolled anger. It was in a moment yet it was dangerous to those nearby.
ANGER
"Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath; neither give place to the devil."
- Ephesians 4:26,27
A woman came to the late evangelist Billy Sunday and told of her very bad temper, yet didn't seem ready to confess it as sin. It appeared she was trying to justify it.
"After all, Mr. Sunday," she said, "although I blow up over the least little thing, it's all over in a minute."
Billy Sunday looked her straight in the eye and said, "So is a shotgun blast! It's over in seconds too, but look at the terrible damage it can do!"
A QUOTE ON ANGER
"Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you."
- Frederick Buechner, 1973.
APATHY
Warren Wiersbe brought up a great point that you can quote to your apathetic teens. In his book "God Isn't in a Hurry," Wiersbe states,
"Emerson said that if the stars came out only once a year, everyone would stay up all night to behold them. We have seen the stars so often that we don't bother to look at them anymore. We have grown accustomed to our blessings." Is this true with your teens? Are they getting "bored of God?"
ADDICTIONS
1 Corinthians 6:19 - "...your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit..."
Good Housekeeping Magazine reported an offer made by a Detroit newspaper concerning addictions. However, the addictions were not based on drugs or cigarettes or overeating. The addiction was on TV watching.
The newspaper made an offer to 120 city families with a reward of $500 as the incentive. The challenge was to go for 30 days without watching TV. Immediately 93 said no! Of the remaining 27 families, the newspaper researched 5 of them to see the results. The families had been watching TV from 40 to 70 hours a week - an average of over 5 and a half to 10 hours a day! The five families made it and admitted four things:
1. They became closer.
2. Personal contact between parent and child was much more abundant.
3. The members became more patient.
4. Creativity abounded.
Oh, one more thing...all five families went right back to the same amount of TV watching. Some added even more hours to their TV watching schedule.
BIBLE, MEANING OF
A father was approached by his small son, who told him proudly, "I know
what the Bible means!" His father smiled and replied, "So, Son, what does
the Bible mean?"
"That's easy, Daddy. It stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth!"
BRAVERY
A fire started on some grassland near a farm. The county fire department was called to put out the fire. The fire was more than the county fire department could handle, and someone suggested that a nearby volunteer bunch be called. Despite some doubt that the volunteer outfit would be of any assistance, the call was made. The volunteers arrived in a dilapidated old fire truck.
They rumbled straight towards the fire, drove right into the middle of the flames and stopped! The firemen jumped off the truck and frantically started spraying water in all directions. Soon they had snuffed out the center of the fire, breaking the blaze into two easily controlled parts. Watching all this, the farmer was so impressed with the volunteer fire department's work and was so grateful that his farm had been spared, that right there on the spot he presented the volunteers with a check for $1,000. A local news reporter asked the volunteer fire captain what the department planned to do with the funds.
"That ought to be obvious," he responded, wiping ashes off his coat. "The first thing we're gonna do is get the brakes fixed on our fire truck!"
BIBLE
A gentlemanly old pastor was walking down the street one day when one of his church members came strutting up to him with a self-satisfied smile. The pastor knew this young man had been quite proud of his own Scriptural accomplishments, and pride was beginning to be a danger in his life.
The teen boasted, "Say, Pastor, did you know that I have now read the Bible all the way through three times this year!"
To which the kind pastor quietly replied, "Todd, the important thing is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but whether the Bible has been through you."
The young man stood and pondered this a moment, thanked the pastor, and went on his way, promising himself to live the Bible he was learning.
BOLDNESS FOR CHRIST
There are many times when we might be intimidated by the crowds who are against our Christian stand. Let's find a good example in the Wichita pastor Joe Wright of Central Christian Church, the guest chaplain's opening prayer that angered legislators in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Here is, word by word, his prayer:
"We confess we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem." ...As one legislator walked out and another sat down, Wright continued. "We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment."
Rep. Delbert Gross actually refused to stand during the prayer. He called it "divisive, sanctimonious, self-serving, and overbearing."
How would you react if you were given the opportunity to pray?
BOLDNESS
Peter Cartwright was a 19th century circuit riding preacher whose convictions were as tough as the man himself. Nobody could or would accuse Cartwright of compromise. As a matter of fact, history tells us that one Sunday morning just before he was to preach, Cartwright was told that President Andrew Jackson was in the congregation. He was warned to be careful of what he said in light of the President in the place.
Cartwright stood up. "I understand President Jackson is here. I have been requested to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to hell if he doesn't repent."
Needless to say, the church people were shocked. However, Jackson was delighted at the boldness of the man. After the service, he shook hands with Cartwright and said, "Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world."
C.S. LEWIS
At one time a hardened atheist, writer C.S. Lewis learned of a benevolent and loving God who cared about him. Lewsi was able to overcome his terrible childhood memories and come to Jesus. he said, "In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed . . . . The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation." Then Lewis made a specific step to accept Jesus as the God/man, the Savior. "I was now approaching the source from which those arrows of Joy had been shot at me ever since childhood. . . . No slightest hint was vouchsafed me that there ever had been or ever would be any connection between God and Joy. If anything, it was the reverse. I had hoped that the heart of reality might be of such a kind that we can best symbolize it as a place; instead, I found it to be a Person."
CHANGE
The old legend tells us about two brothers who were convicted of stealing sheep in an Old World country. For their punishment, they each were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, for "sheep thief." One brother, bitter tot he core, ran away to another land to build a new life . Even there, people continually asked him about the strange letters on his forehead. He agitated so much about the stigma, that he took his own life.
The other brother thought his predicament out. "I can't run away from the fact that I stole sheep, he said, "But I will stay here and win back the respect of my neighbors and myself." As the years went by, he earned a reputation of honesty, respect, and love. One day a stranger saw the old man with the letters branded on his forehead. He asked a citizen of the town what the letters stood for. The townsman replied, "It happened a great while ago. I've forgotten the details, but I think the letters are an abbreviation for Saint."
We can never really make up for the past sins in life, but we can always start fresh now by living a life of integrity and kindness.
CHEATING
In what is probably one of the most open admissions to work alongside dishonest college students, numerous web sites and e-companies have made it a business to cheat. From places like AcademicTermPapers.com to Papaermasters.com, you can buy term papers already done. On each pay site there are disclaimers that you should not to pass off these papers as your own work, but the articles I have read from others who have used the service laugh and admit that there is little other reason for the sites' existence.
AcademicTermPapers.com charges $7 per page ,PaperStore.net charges about $10 per page, and A1Termpaper.com charges a flat rate plus a fee for scanning all the pages. PaperMasters.com even makes a custom-made paper written to specifications for between $17 and $20 per page. Claiming all the writers in their employ have at least one Master's Degree, customers type requests into the Web order form stating their deadlines. The company will then create the paper, doing the student's assignment - for a price. Isn't this a sorry way fo a student to learn how to enter the career world?
COMMUNICATION
And then there's the story of the supervisor who was working in a huge corporation. He was called in by the big-wigs and told that a new project was underway. The supervisor's department would be given the responsibility of overseeing the project if they could get it down on blueprint plans. If the job was successful, the big-wigs said, the supervisor could be assured of a hefty increase in pay and a promotion as well.
The supervisor gathered his people together and with great enthusiasm, started to roll out the information needed to get the blueprints started. His staff, however, couldn't grasp the idea. He tried from another angle. No luck. His patience grew thin, but he just couldn't get his point across because he wasnt being clear. Finally, in exasperation, the supervisor yelled at them: "Dont listen to what I say. Listen to what I mean!"
Many times we get frustrated as we give the Gospel to others because we aren't clear about salvation. It may not be the resistance of the listener. We might try to yell out for them to understand what we mean. Let's check our presentation of the Word. Are we saying what we mean?
COMPASSION
If you are dealing with teens who seem callous or unfeeling, use this illustration that is found in Steven Covey's book "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People." Covey relates a personal experience while on the New York subway. The passengers were sitting quietly in the subway car, when a man entered with children who were extremely noisy and active. To Covey's surprise, the man (who was obviously the father) sat down and closed his eyes, ignoring the loud and rambunctious children. He sat as though he were oblivious to them! The subway car was ringing with chaotic noise. The children's behavior was way out of line, and everyone was getting agitated - except the father.
Finally, Covey leaned over and spoke to the man about his children. The father opened his eyes and seemed to finally grasp the situation.
"Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."
Covey learned that often we leave compassion out of our daily ministry. Oftentimes we would do best if we looked past the initial appearance.
FACING HARDSHIPS
Here's a fantastic story about a person who wouldn't let obstacles overcome his life:
Charles Steinmetz was born with severe limitations - he was a cripple, as people of his day would say. He was dwarfish in appearance and suffered from a severe hunchback deformity. His mother died before he was one year old, but his poverty-stricken father decided to give his child the best love and care he could. With little money, his father made ends meet and helped his grwoing child learn. Charles could not run and play but he could read and learn, and he found an interest in science. Making up his mind to make his discoveries for the benefit of mankind, he studied hard and then immigrated to the U.S.
Talk about more difficulties! He knew not a word of English and has such a deformed appearance that the port authorities were tempted to return him to his native Switzerland. With defective sight and torn clothes, Charles found a job that paid him twelve dollars a week. Working for the small fledgling company General Electric, Charles Steinmetz quickly showed himself to be one of the greatest experts in the world in the field of electricity. His career was a stunning series of ground-breaking research and development. As his death in 1923, Charles Steinmez was honored as one of the founding fathers of the powerful General Electric. I hope you will remember this story whenever you face hardship and obstacles.
HUMILITY
No matter how high you attain great heights and do mighty things, there are always some people or something that will be quick to bring you down. Take this story printed in "Today in the Word," on March 7, 1993:
Shortly after the 1912 presidential election, Woodrow Wilson visited an aged aunt whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"What are you doing these days, Woodrow?" she asked.
"I've just been elected president," replied Wilson.
"Oh, yes? President of what?" inquired the aunt.
"Of the United States."
"Don't be silly!" she snorted impatiently.
HEAVEN
As you talk about Heaven, show two identical balloons ...however, one has helium and one has NO helium in it. Tell the teens you want them to guess which balloon they think will hit the ceiling first when you release them. Let the teens cheer and make predictions.
let the crowd count down from five and release the balloons. Of course, one rises while the other will fall down.
You then pretend you are shocked but continue to explain that when it comes to your future in Heaven, outward appearance is not what God is seeking. It is what is INSIDE the person that counts, and salvation by Jesus Christ is the "lift"!
HONESTY
You might stop is a store and see the meat section display saying "Fresh Turkey" or "This Turkey Never Frozen" and you assume it's fresh. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that the FDA states that to be called fresh, a turkey has to be stored at above 26°F, the freezing point for poultry. However, the label still doesn't have to say frozen unless it was stored at 0°F or less. You know what this means? A company can legally say a turkey was never frozen, even if it was stored at 1°F.
INFLUENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN
Years ago, a much-loved Senate Chaplain gave a story to the many audiences across the country. The man's name was Peter Marshall, and he is still considered one of the most influential Christians in Washington D.C.'s history. He liked to give a little talk about an old man who lived next to a spring in an Austrian village in the Alps:
The little town gave a small sum to the old man to watch over a local spring. The old man loved the spring and took good care of it. He would pull weeds and remove branches from it. He would feed the ducks and swans, and he would skim the surface of the spring. Soon the spring was clean, the wildlife was abundant, and the place was picture-pretty. People came to see the spring and enjoy the scenery, and word got around. Tourists started to visit. Crowds grew, and the little town had a good business going. In fact, it got so good that every business in town benefited from the beautiful spring.
The town leaders were in a meeting, discussing what to do with this new profit coming their way. As they discussed their plans, it was mentioned that the town was paying a stipend to the old man to keep the spring tidy. "What! We could use that money elsewhere. The guy's an old coot, and doesn't need to be messing around with our spring. Let's cut his pay," blasted some of the leaders. So they did.
In fact, they dropped his pay altogether. The man was no longer around to do cleaning, and scum began to grow on the surface. Swans and ducks left, and branches clogged up the spring. People didn't come any more. Businesses lost income. Desperately, the leaders saw their mistake and hired the old man again. After careful cleaning, the town again prospered when the spring was cleaned up. The leaders learned their lesson.
Peter Marshall used this story to talk about the influence of Christians in their local surroundings. He emphasized that people may think you strange and even unlikeable. But what a difference and influence you have! He mentioned that a society without a Godly representative is a sorry society indeed. So, let's take his story to heart; we are an influence on the area around us. Don't lose hope - you are making an influence as you follow the Lord!
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES
Race officials said was the slowest time in marathon history: four days, two hours, 48 minutes, 17 seconds. Bob Wieland started the 1986 New York marathon at 8:23 a.m. - more than two hours before the main body of runners. When he at last crossed the finish line on Thursday, November 6, 1986, he was the Marathon's 19,413th and final finisher. Why was he so slow?
He was the first to run a marathon with his arms instead of his legs! Wieland is a 40-year old Californian whose legs were blown off in a Vietnam battlefield 17 years ago, but he ran the race partly to display to his born-again Christian faith. Wieland runs in a sitting position on a 15 pound saddle, using his muscular arms like crutches to lift his torso and swing forward at a pace of one mile per hour. He covers his clenched fists with pads to protect them in the grueling race. Race director Fred Lebow personally came to congratulate him in his finish and present his finisher's medal.
PRIORITIES
A report came out about an unusual business move by the owner of a South Korean movie house. It seems that the theater owner decided that the movie "The Sound of Music" was too long. He decided to take care of the problem by shortening the movie. How did he do it? By cutting out all of the musical scenes!
How many Christians, though, actually cut worship and prayer out of their lives in order to accommodate their own lifestyle? Seems to us that they have the same distorted priorities that the theater owner had.
PURITY IN RELATIONSHIPS
So may teens have the idea that God is mean when He says that we should wait until marriage to pursue sexual relationships. Here's a good way to illustrate the power of waiting: Pretend you were 12 years old and a PRIZE PATROL came to your home, called for YOU and gave you $1000...with an option: You could take the $1000 now or, if you waited until you were 21, you would receive a million dollars. Wouldn't the wait be worth it...?
TESTIMONY
It's one thing to TALK about Jesus, but another thing to show him. I am told a reporter actually saw this following incident occur, and wrote about it in a New York newspaper:
It was on a cold day in December when a little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the street, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?"
"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"
As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words: "Are you God's wife?"
People may hear us chatting about God and what good things we OUGHT to do, but when we actually SHOW the love of the Lord, that's when people will identify us with the family of God. When is the last time you showed the love of God to someone?
SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS
MAYBE THESE ILLUSTRATIONS COULD HELP YOU AS YOU PREPARE A MESSAGE.
It's always nice to get a little assistance whenever you're doing something as serious as putting together a Bible message for your youth group, Bible study or camp gathering. Perhaps a story or two could help you out. Peruse the list below and add one to your presentation.
ANGER
Ever wonder where we get the phrase "flying off the handle?" In the pioneer days in America, axes were often hand-made. Men on the frontier would carve down their own handles to fit into an axe-head they had bought before moving out West. Usually they were fitted rather crudely and this made for a bad bond. Many times while chopping, the axe-head flew off, sometimes injuring nearby people. Because it was a sudden act of quick danger, it became known as 'flying off the handle' when one would have a sudden unpredictable burst of uncontrolled anger. It was in a moment yet it was dangerous to those nearby.
ANGER
"Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath; neither give place to the devil."
- Ephesians 4:26,27
A woman came to the late evangelist Billy Sunday and told of her very bad temper, yet didn't seem ready to confess it as sin. It appeared she was trying to justify it.
"After all, Mr. Sunday," she said, "although I blow up over the least little thing, it's all over in a minute."
Billy Sunday looked her straight in the eye and said, "So is a shotgun blast! It's over in seconds too, but look at the terrible damage it can do!"
A QUOTE ON ANGER
"Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you."
- Frederick Buechner, 1973.
APATHY
Warren Wiersbe brought up a great point that you can quote to your apathetic teens. In his book "God Isn't in a Hurry," Wiersbe states,
"Emerson said that if the stars came out only once a year, everyone would stay up all night to behold them. We have seen the stars so often that we don't bother to look at them anymore. We have grown accustomed to our blessings." Is this true with your teens? Are they getting "bored of God?"
ADDICTIONS
1 Corinthians 6:19 - "...your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit..."
Good Housekeeping Magazine reported an offer made by a Detroit newspaper concerning addictions. However, the addictions were not based on drugs or cigarettes or overeating. The addiction was on TV watching.
The newspaper made an offer to 120 city families with a reward of $500 as the incentive. The challenge was to go for 30 days without watching TV. Immediately 93 said no! Of the remaining 27 families, the newspaper researched 5 of them to see the results. The families had been watching TV from 40 to 70 hours a week - an average of over 5 and a half to 10 hours a day! The five families made it and admitted four things:
1. They became closer.
2. Personal contact between parent and child was much more abundant.
3. The members became more patient.
4. Creativity abounded.
Oh, one more thing...all five families went right back to the same amount of TV watching. Some added even more hours to their TV watching schedule.
BIBLE, MEANING OF
A father was approached by his small son, who told him proudly, "I know
what the Bible means!" His father smiled and replied, "So, Son, what does
the Bible mean?"
"That's easy, Daddy. It stands for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth!"
BRAVERY
A fire started on some grassland near a farm. The county fire department was called to put out the fire. The fire was more than the county fire department could handle, and someone suggested that a nearby volunteer bunch be called. Despite some doubt that the volunteer outfit would be of any assistance, the call was made. The volunteers arrived in a dilapidated old fire truck.
They rumbled straight towards the fire, drove right into the middle of the flames and stopped! The firemen jumped off the truck and frantically started spraying water in all directions. Soon they had snuffed out the center of the fire, breaking the blaze into two easily controlled parts. Watching all this, the farmer was so impressed with the volunteer fire department's work and was so grateful that his farm had been spared, that right there on the spot he presented the volunteers with a check for $1,000. A local news reporter asked the volunteer fire captain what the department planned to do with the funds.
"That ought to be obvious," he responded, wiping ashes off his coat. "The first thing we're gonna do is get the brakes fixed on our fire truck!"
BIBLE
A gentlemanly old pastor was walking down the street one day when one of his church members came strutting up to him with a self-satisfied smile. The pastor knew this young man had been quite proud of his own Scriptural accomplishments, and pride was beginning to be a danger in his life.
The teen boasted, "Say, Pastor, did you know that I have now read the Bible all the way through three times this year!"
To which the kind pastor quietly replied, "Todd, the important thing is not how many times you have been through the Bible, but whether the Bible has been through you."
The young man stood and pondered this a moment, thanked the pastor, and went on his way, promising himself to live the Bible he was learning.
BOLDNESS FOR CHRIST
There are many times when we might be intimidated by the crowds who are against our Christian stand. Let's find a good example in the Wichita pastor Joe Wright of Central Christian Church, the guest chaplain's opening prayer that angered legislators in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Here is, word by word, his prayer:
"We confess we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem." ...As one legislator walked out and another sat down, Wright continued. "We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbors' possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment."
Rep. Delbert Gross actually refused to stand during the prayer. He called it "divisive, sanctimonious, self-serving, and overbearing."
How would you react if you were given the opportunity to pray?
BOLDNESS
Peter Cartwright was a 19th century circuit riding preacher whose convictions were as tough as the man himself. Nobody could or would accuse Cartwright of compromise. As a matter of fact, history tells us that one Sunday morning just before he was to preach, Cartwright was told that President Andrew Jackson was in the congregation. He was warned to be careful of what he said in light of the President in the place.
Cartwright stood up. "I understand President Jackson is here. I have been requested to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to hell if he doesn't repent."
Needless to say, the church people were shocked. However, Jackson was delighted at the boldness of the man. After the service, he shook hands with Cartwright and said, "Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world."
C.S. LEWIS
At one time a hardened atheist, writer C.S. Lewis learned of a benevolent and loving God who cared about him. Lewsi was able to overcome his terrible childhood memories and come to Jesus. he said, "In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed . . . . The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation." Then Lewis made a specific step to accept Jesus as the God/man, the Savior. "I was now approaching the source from which those arrows of Joy had been shot at me ever since childhood. . . . No slightest hint was vouchsafed me that there ever had been or ever would be any connection between God and Joy. If anything, it was the reverse. I had hoped that the heart of reality might be of such a kind that we can best symbolize it as a place; instead, I found it to be a Person."
CHANGE
The old legend tells us about two brothers who were convicted of stealing sheep in an Old World country. For their punishment, they each were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, for "sheep thief." One brother, bitter tot he core, ran away to another land to build a new life . Even there, people continually asked him about the strange letters on his forehead. He agitated so much about the stigma, that he took his own life.
The other brother thought his predicament out. "I can't run away from the fact that I stole sheep, he said, "But I will stay here and win back the respect of my neighbors and myself." As the years went by, he earned a reputation of honesty, respect, and love. One day a stranger saw the old man with the letters branded on his forehead. He asked a citizen of the town what the letters stood for. The townsman replied, "It happened a great while ago. I've forgotten the details, but I think the letters are an abbreviation for Saint."
We can never really make up for the past sins in life, but we can always start fresh now by living a life of integrity and kindness.
CHEATING
In what is probably one of the most open admissions to work alongside dishonest college students, numerous web sites and e-companies have made it a business to cheat. From places like AcademicTermPapers.com to Papaermasters.com, you can buy term papers already done. On each pay site there are disclaimers that you should not to pass off these papers as your own work, but the articles I have read from others who have used the service laugh and admit that there is little other reason for the sites' existence.
AcademicTermPapers.com charges $7 per page ,PaperStore.net charges about $10 per page, and A1Termpaper.com charges a flat rate plus a fee for scanning all the pages. PaperMasters.com even makes a custom-made paper written to specifications for between $17 and $20 per page. Claiming all the writers in their employ have at least one Master's Degree, customers type requests into the Web order form stating their deadlines. The company will then create the paper, doing the student's assignment - for a price. Isn't this a sorry way fo a student to learn how to enter the career world?
COMMUNICATION
And then there's the story of the supervisor who was working in a huge corporation. He was called in by the big-wigs and told that a new project was underway. The supervisor's department would be given the responsibility of overseeing the project if they could get it down on blueprint plans. If the job was successful, the big-wigs said, the supervisor could be assured of a hefty increase in pay and a promotion as well.
The supervisor gathered his people together and with great enthusiasm, started to roll out the information needed to get the blueprints started. His staff, however, couldn't grasp the idea. He tried from another angle. No luck. His patience grew thin, but he just couldn't get his point across because he wasnt being clear. Finally, in exasperation, the supervisor yelled at them: "Dont listen to what I say. Listen to what I mean!"
Many times we get frustrated as we give the Gospel to others because we aren't clear about salvation. It may not be the resistance of the listener. We might try to yell out for them to understand what we mean. Let's check our presentation of the Word. Are we saying what we mean?
COMPASSION
If you are dealing with teens who seem callous or unfeeling, use this illustration that is found in Steven Covey's book "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People." Covey relates a personal experience while on the New York subway. The passengers were sitting quietly in the subway car, when a man entered with children who were extremely noisy and active. To Covey's surprise, the man (who was obviously the father) sat down and closed his eyes, ignoring the loud and rambunctious children. He sat as though he were oblivious to them! The subway car was ringing with chaotic noise. The children's behavior was way out of line, and everyone was getting agitated - except the father.
Finally, Covey leaned over and spoke to the man about his children. The father opened his eyes and seemed to finally grasp the situation.
"Oh, you're right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don't know what to think, and I guess they don't know how to handle it either."
Covey learned that often we leave compassion out of our daily ministry. Oftentimes we would do best if we looked past the initial appearance.
FACING HARDSHIPS
Here's a fantastic story about a person who wouldn't let obstacles overcome his life:
Charles Steinmetz was born with severe limitations - he was a cripple, as people of his day would say. He was dwarfish in appearance and suffered from a severe hunchback deformity. His mother died before he was one year old, but his poverty-stricken father decided to give his child the best love and care he could. With little money, his father made ends meet and helped his grwoing child learn. Charles could not run and play but he could read and learn, and he found an interest in science. Making up his mind to make his discoveries for the benefit of mankind, he studied hard and then immigrated to the U.S.
Talk about more difficulties! He knew not a word of English and has such a deformed appearance that the port authorities were tempted to return him to his native Switzerland. With defective sight and torn clothes, Charles found a job that paid him twelve dollars a week. Working for the small fledgling company General Electric, Charles Steinmetz quickly showed himself to be one of the greatest experts in the world in the field of electricity. His career was a stunning series of ground-breaking research and development. As his death in 1923, Charles Steinmez was honored as one of the founding fathers of the powerful General Electric. I hope you will remember this story whenever you face hardship and obstacles.
HUMILITY
No matter how high you attain great heights and do mighty things, there are always some people or something that will be quick to bring you down. Take this story printed in "Today in the Word," on March 7, 1993:
Shortly after the 1912 presidential election, Woodrow Wilson visited an aged aunt whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"What are you doing these days, Woodrow?" she asked.
"I've just been elected president," replied Wilson.
"Oh, yes? President of what?" inquired the aunt.
"Of the United States."
"Don't be silly!" she snorted impatiently.
HEAVEN
As you talk about Heaven, show two identical balloons ...however, one has helium and one has NO helium in it. Tell the teens you want them to guess which balloon they think will hit the ceiling first when you release them. Let the teens cheer and make predictions.
let the crowd count down from five and release the balloons. Of course, one rises while the other will fall down.
You then pretend you are shocked but continue to explain that when it comes to your future in Heaven, outward appearance is not what God is seeking. It is what is INSIDE the person that counts, and salvation by Jesus Christ is the "lift"!
HONESTY
You might stop is a store and see the meat section display saying "Fresh Turkey" or "This Turkey Never Frozen" and you assume it's fresh. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that the FDA states that to be called fresh, a turkey has to be stored at above 26°F, the freezing point for poultry. However, the label still doesn't have to say frozen unless it was stored at 0°F or less. You know what this means? A company can legally say a turkey was never frozen, even if it was stored at 1°F.
INFLUENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN
Years ago, a much-loved Senate Chaplain gave a story to the many audiences across the country. The man's name was Peter Marshall, and he is still considered one of the most influential Christians in Washington D.C.'s history. He liked to give a little talk about an old man who lived next to a spring in an Austrian village in the Alps:
The little town gave a small sum to the old man to watch over a local spring. The old man loved the spring and took good care of it. He would pull weeds and remove branches from it. He would feed the ducks and swans, and he would skim the surface of the spring. Soon the spring was clean, the wildlife was abundant, and the place was picture-pretty. People came to see the spring and enjoy the scenery, and word got around. Tourists started to visit. Crowds grew, and the little town had a good business going. In fact, it got so good that every business in town benefited from the beautiful spring.
The town leaders were in a meeting, discussing what to do with this new profit coming their way. As they discussed their plans, it was mentioned that the town was paying a stipend to the old man to keep the spring tidy. "What! We could use that money elsewhere. The guy's an old coot, and doesn't need to be messing around with our spring. Let's cut his pay," blasted some of the leaders. So they did.
In fact, they dropped his pay altogether. The man was no longer around to do cleaning, and scum began to grow on the surface. Swans and ducks left, and branches clogged up the spring. People didn't come any more. Businesses lost income. Desperately, the leaders saw their mistake and hired the old man again. After careful cleaning, the town again prospered when the spring was cleaned up. The leaders learned their lesson.
Peter Marshall used this story to talk about the influence of Christians in their local surroundings. He emphasized that people may think you strange and even unlikeable. But what a difference and influence you have! He mentioned that a society without a Godly representative is a sorry society indeed. So, let's take his story to heart; we are an influence on the area around us. Don't lose hope - you are making an influence as you follow the Lord!
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES
Race officials said was the slowest time in marathon history: four days, two hours, 48 minutes, 17 seconds. Bob Wieland started the 1986 New York marathon at 8:23 a.m. - more than two hours before the main body of runners. When he at last crossed the finish line on Thursday, November 6, 1986, he was the Marathon's 19,413th and final finisher. Why was he so slow?
He was the first to run a marathon with his arms instead of his legs! Wieland is a 40-year old Californian whose legs were blown off in a Vietnam battlefield 17 years ago, but he ran the race partly to display to his born-again Christian faith. Wieland runs in a sitting position on a 15 pound saddle, using his muscular arms like crutches to lift his torso and swing forward at a pace of one mile per hour. He covers his clenched fists with pads to protect them in the grueling race. Race director Fred Lebow personally came to congratulate him in his finish and present his finisher's medal.
PRIORITIES
A report came out about an unusual business move by the owner of a South Korean movie house. It seems that the theater owner decided that the movie "The Sound of Music" was too long. He decided to take care of the problem by shortening the movie. How did he do it? By cutting out all of the musical scenes!
How many Christians, though, actually cut worship and prayer out of their lives in order to accommodate their own lifestyle? Seems to us that they have the same distorted priorities that the theater owner had.
PURITY IN RELATIONSHIPS
So may teens have the idea that God is mean when He says that we should wait until marriage to pursue sexual relationships. Here's a good way to illustrate the power of waiting: Pretend you were 12 years old and a PRIZE PATROL came to your home, called for YOU and gave you $1000...with an option: You could take the $1000 now or, if you waited until you were 21, you would receive a million dollars. Wouldn't the wait be worth it...?
TESTIMONY
It's one thing to TALK about Jesus, but another thing to show him. I am told a reporter actually saw this following incident occur, and wrote about it in a New York newspaper:
It was on a cold day in December when a little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on the street, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?"
"I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand and went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought to her. She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"
As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words: "Are you God's wife?"
People may hear us chatting about God and what good things we OUGHT to do, but when we actually SHOW the love of the Lord, that's when people will identify us with the family of God. When is the last time you showed the love of God to someone?
CITYWIDE RELIGIOUS SURVEY
MARCH 6 - 10TH
DURING THE WEEK OF MARCH 6TH WE WILL BE HEADING ACROSS THE CITY TO INTERVIEW DIFFERENT FAITHS ABOUT THEIR VALUES, DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES. we will be on the road the whole week, taking a lot of notes and meeting a lot of people. Are you ready?
SOME OF THE PLACES WE WILL VISIT INCLUDE THE
MORMON CHURCH OF FARRAGUT
HINDU COMMUNITY CENTER
BAHAI FAITH CENTER
METROPOLITAN CHURCH OF KNOXVILLE
TEMPLE BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH
UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CHURCH
We will be making a video upon receiving permission from each faith group. It will be in an interview style.
You are to wear your GCA uniform for proper identification.
Bring your notebook and pen/pencil.
This is part of the letter I wrote to each group.
"...We would respectfully ask if we might have fifteen minutes of your time as the students take notes in response to some questions about your faith. We are not seeking to debate; this is an information-gathering assignment. These will be pre-arranged questions such as:
1. When did your place of worship start here in Knoxville?
2. How many times a week do you meet?
3. What is your source of authority, both on the Earth and beyond the Earth?
4. Do you believe in an afterlife?
If you permit, the students may also ask such respectful questions as “When did you – personally - decide to first enter this ministry?” “From what institutions did you get your training?” “What type of music do you use in your services?”
If you might take a moment and show us your place of worship we would greatly appreciate it. We will be respectful and quiet. I will have the proper identification to show and all students will be in uniform."
Meet me in my classroom on Monday the 6th and be ready to roll!
MORMON CHURCH OF FARRAGUT
HINDU COMMUNITY CENTER
BAHAI FAITH CENTER
METROPOLITAN CHURCH OF KNOXVILLE
TEMPLE BETH EL SYNAGOGUE
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH
UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CHURCH
We will be making a video upon receiving permission from each faith group. It will be in an interview style.
You are to wear your GCA uniform for proper identification.
Bring your notebook and pen/pencil.
This is part of the letter I wrote to each group.
"...We would respectfully ask if we might have fifteen minutes of your time as the students take notes in response to some questions about your faith. We are not seeking to debate; this is an information-gathering assignment. These will be pre-arranged questions such as:
1. When did your place of worship start here in Knoxville?
2. How many times a week do you meet?
3. What is your source of authority, both on the Earth and beyond the Earth?
4. Do you believe in an afterlife?
If you permit, the students may also ask such respectful questions as “When did you – personally - decide to first enter this ministry?” “From what institutions did you get your training?” “What type of music do you use in your services?”
If you might take a moment and show us your place of worship we would greatly appreciate it. We will be respectful and quiet. I will have the proper identification to show and all students will be in uniform."
Meet me in my classroom on Monday the 6th and be ready to roll!
QUIZ
