The House You're Building

Who is a news watcher?  We haven’t had cable in my house since I got married so going on 19 years…When 9/11 happened and everyone was glued to the set I had no idea it was happening until my husband called me from work.  To this day I have still gladly not seen images of that tragic part of American history.    With all the current events we are exposed to daily via the media, we are often overwhelmed with sorrow. From current headlines about the pandemic and racial unrest, phases, new regulations, and rioting, our hearts can tend to feel on a rollercoaster. Even myself, who is often sheltered from the latest reports, feels the anxiety and tension.  John Eldridge says this about the cumulative effect on our hearts in his latest book  Get Your Life Back:    You’ve got to release the world, you’ve got to release people, crises, trauma, intrigue, all of it.  There has to be sometime in your day where you just let it all ...

A few weeks ago I met with my ministry team (don’t get excited, over Zoom of course) and collectively we were at a crossroads.  How do we minister to people we can’t be with?  A lot of our talk was focused on methodology—in a virtual world, how to we make the greatest impact.  Worried about the spiritual strength of those we were shepherding, how to we intervene and encourage their faith?  If you are in ministry right now, you may be wrestling with the same questions and problems.  Though you may not consider yourself “in ministry,” meaning a church body has designated you in a pastoral role over others, you have connections with other believers.  There are some farther along the road of faith than you, and some further behind.  Paul compares the spiritual journey to a race in 1 Corinthians 1:24, a single-minded focus on where we are headed that must be approached with intention.  If you’ve been runn...

Sisters and Seekers, Glad to have you back for the final installment of our study on Titus.  Looking at this letter in detail and breaking down the study for you has renewed my passion for God's word.  I love logging on to see how many are accessing this resource.  I hope it has been an encouragement and brought many new insights in how God is changing us to your life. As typical of Paul's style in writing, he closes this letter to Titus mentioning travel plans and ministry partners.  Yet there is something deeper for us if we follow our study process of comprehension, interpretation, and application. Titus 3:12-15 Comprehension -seek to understand exactly what the passage is saying without adding any interpretation to it Define words you may have circled in the overview because you didn't know their meaning.  Look them up in a dictionary, then reread the verse.  After getting the context, write a definition in the margin or above the word you c...

Sisters and Seekers, Welcome to week 4 of our study on Titus.  So far we have done on over view of the book and studied three other sections of the text.  We are halfway there!  If you are just joining us, look back a few posts to begin the study there, looking at the entire book before diving into sections.  As we study Titus we are using a method that repeats each time so you can learn to apply this to any book of the Bible! Last week we looked at empty talkers , those that were in the church  and teaching a mixed up message.  These were men that say they knew God but denied faith by what they did.  Paul is now shifting in his letter to Titus by giving him instruction for those in the church, contrasting the behavior of the members staring up trouble with what life should look like in every season of life.  As you study, I pray that God will speak to you right where you are at and give you practical next steps in your transformation to be mo...

Welcome back to the third installment of our study on Titus.  I hope so far God has been opening your eyes to the truth He wants to you to see, to be transformed more and more each day to be like Jesus. Our work this week will be much like last time in that we will follow similar steps during the comprehension  and interpretation stages.  Remember this study is based on Women of the Word  by Jen Wilkin.  The process is repetitive intentionally.  My hope for the end of this study is not only do you glean many truths for your life from Titus but you receive a model to follow on how to study any book of the Bible.  Because I won't go into as much depth, please refer to the second week of the study for more details on each step if needed. In our very first week studying Titus, the book overview, you were to outline the book.  Today's passage will be the second "section" in the overview I made: qualifications of leadership.    In Titus 1:...

KeyVerse:  Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 Opening Reflection: Who in life do you admire so much that you imitate their qualities and choices?  Study Questions: This section speaks about the role of leaders in the faith.  What are their responsibilities to us? What are our responsibilities to them?  Consider letting them know how much they encourage you.   What warnings are in this chapter?  What truths and safeguards does God provide to protect the believer from being led astray?  Verses 10-12 describe the Levitical system.  Read Leviticus 7: 15-18 and Exodus 29:14 for more about the sacrifices the readers of this letter would be familiar with.  What is the writer saying in these verses about the sacrifice of Christ that he spoke previously about in Hebrews 10:1-18?  What commands are given in vers...