This Month's Bible Study Plan

We our going to start out our group Bible study with this month-long unit. It includes a scripture and response questions for every day of the week. We'll be discussing it at Friday Night Supper Club as well as Sunday Night dinners. These are the times that the class is currently meeting (alternating days each week). I'll be posting a month-long schedule on Facebook soon. In the meantime, start here for your daily studies:

http://www.268generation.com/thirsty/thirsty_journal_frameset.htm

-Patrick

Legitimacy of God's Word

The major subject that we began to discuss at our Friday night meeting was the foundation for our beliefs. As people desiring to be strong, knowledgable believers, how can we be certain of the reasons for our beliefs? If our principles and beliefs are based on what we have been fed by others, then they are not really "our" beliefs; they are the beliefs of the people that spoke them (and said we should believe what they say). The only way to form true principles based on God's word is to find them in his word. This raises and interesting question. How do we know that the Bible is real? It isn't a sound arguement to say that the Bible is real because the Bible says it is real; that's circular reasoning. This is a good link that gives us a strong foundation for recognizing the Bible as God's word from cover to cover:

http://www.gotquestions.org/proof-inspiration-Bible.html

-Patrick

Francis Chan talk on Total Commitment

Getting in the word

On the way home from church tonight, Alisha and I were discussing several points of biblical debate. We both had lots of questions (and few answers) on some very important topics. As we discussed, we noticed that we were both citing several sources on opposite sides of issues, but most of those sources were other people (Pastors, Sunday School teachers, respected elders, etc). We later both agreed that while what other people have to say on a subject is interesting and can give some insight into God's word, we want it from the horse's mouth. This is something that we discussed in depth last weekend (for those who went on the trip). We have been fed layers upon layers of doctrine and theology for our entire lives, but if we really want to find out what God's word says, there's one pretty obvious way...we read it. Our generation needs to get centered on the fact that it is our responsiblility to delve into the Bible and find sustenance for our souls. Try putting this to action in your next devotional time. Pick a topic that you don't clearly understand, and find all the relevant scriptures you can. Use a concordance or the internet to search for scriptures on a topic. Then draw your own conclusions from God's word. You may learn something contrary to what you've always been told.

LOGO

You may have noticed that I have pulled the logo from the blog. This is due to the fact that I have received some constructive criticism on the quality. Something new is in the works, but I can't handle the humiliation of having an inferior logo in the meantime. See Jason Durant for details...

Everything will be Alright

One thing has been on my mind since last Sunday morning. I have been reflecting back on the Sunday School lesson and an important point that Ken brought up. The lesson was about Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac. It's a story we've all heard several times, and every time we marvel at how disciplined Abraham is to follow God's command, even if it is to sacrifice his son. That's where my perspective of this story changed. I had always viewed Abraham as someone who believed in God, and believed in following his commands without question. The important point that I missed was that the reason Abraham was able to follow God so willingly was that he knew that EVERYTHING WOULD BE OKAY. Abraham not only trusted that God knew best, but he trusted that God loved him and would not command him to follow a path that was detrimental to his future. Keep this in mind the next time your question whether or not God's path is really the best for your life.

-Patrick

Spiritual High

As humans, our relationships to others vary on a daily basis. Between our friends, our parents, and even our spouses, feelings change with time. Relationships cycle between closeness and ambivalence in all walks of life. Our relationship with Jesus is no different. If you have been a believer for any length of time, you probably look back with fondness on the time that you first accepted Christ. When I was saved at the age of 13, I was on a spiritual high, and felt very close to the lord.

As time goes on, we can grow distant from God, to a point sometimes that we question whether or not we are really among the redeemed! We reason that if we are, in fact saved, why do we not feel the same as the time that it first happened. The fact of the matter, and what we can take comfort in, is that we are not saved by feelings. We're saved by faith.

I say all that, because right now I'm thanking Jesus that I'm on the mountain. Through the events of the past several weeks, I feel that He's been drawing me closer to him, and I also feel that way about the church. I feel that God is preparing our church for something big, and I encourage everybody to be prayerful about it.

I have a lot of things on my mind that I want to post, but I'll save some for later (I know you'll be waiting with baited breath). I'll be updating daily, so keep an eye out.

-Patrick

Passion Report

I wanted to give an update to all those that weren't able to join us for the Passion Conference in Atlanta last weekend. We had a great time, and I felt like it was an awesome experience for all of us. Since returning, I've been trying to find every talk I can from past conferences, and this one is especially cool. Wait until the end, you'll be impressed.
Patrick