The House You're Building

[1] Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. [3] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  Hebrews 1:1-4 One of my favorite people is a coworker.   I’ve been so lucky in my professional life to have to have people I can share life with.   They say adults usually make a lot of friends at work because adult friendships are more about proximity and it can take 200 hours spent together to make a consider someone a fried, so it makes a lot of sense that you will “go there” with coworkers as you often spend more time w...

I’m in a whole new phase of life, the empty nester.  Many have debated this term, if it’s the right way to describe what happens when your a parent who no longer have children at home.  I have learned that though the kids aren’t living with you, they need you just as much.  What’s really going on is they are learning to fly, they take off and flap there wings, but in reaching out for advice and money, there presence is still really felt.  In the teen years, they were doing their developmental work of creating their own identity.  As a parent this seems to rip out your heart as you see them experiment with things that you didn’t “raise” them to become.  And, you start to see that this transformation begins when they stop listening to you.  It’s an odd, and deeply rewarding feeling, that even when they don’t live at home, that they still call for advice.  The father away they physically are, the more independent they have to be, the more they real...

        Orient  John 7:1-52 After the Passover and the feeding of the 5,000, time passes and another Jewish festival is held, the Feast of Booths.  Jesus initially goes privately then openly teaches in the temple.  Escalating conflict with the Jewish leaders arises, especially after He declares, during the water drawing ceremony, that He is the living water.  The Pharisees finally take steps to arrest Him but the offers tasked with this mission fail to do so, as they are amazed by His words.  As we’ve come to expect in this greater section within the book of John, his words are often misunderstood and the miracles He performs are debated among the people as proof of his identity as Messiah.     Introduction Between high school and college, I did some traveling through Europe.  Growing up in a small town, I was amazed to be at places I’d only read about in books like the Colosseum, the Eifel Tower, ...

Colossians Chapter 1 God’s Will, His Truth, and What He Has Done For You   False teachers were denying Jesus was the son of God in the city of Colossae.   When Paul heard about it, he wrote to this small church (that he had never been to) to counter the lies and arm the church with knowledge about Christ so that they could counterattack.   By studying his letter, you too can equip yourself with knowledge of God and fight any lies spread about Him.   For the only protection we have against such lies is knowing the truth about Him.     Key Verse:   “To them [God’s saints], God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”   Col. 1:27   Read Colossians 1:1-14 ·          From this section, what do you learn about the church in Colossae?   What is Paul’s relationship to the church? ...

  Do you follow a religion, or are you enjoying real life—an intimate relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ?   Are you sure you know the difference?-Kay Arthur Who is Jesus? This is the question.   If we call ourselves Christian, then our whole life is about knowing Him and becoming like Him-- telling others about Him.   In Him we find our life.   Without Him we are dead, lost in darkness. Today I'm going to be starting a new study co-written by my friend and co-study leader Callie!  She has been gracious enough to allow me to post her work here as well so the followers of my blog get to study the entire book with our ladies group.  Here is our first installment.  As I am posting this study on-line at the same pace my group completes them, I will have weekly posts. ·          Read John 1:1-18. ·          Find all the words that des...