Weekly Challenge

                                           

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Life Group will be back in session this coming Saturday, can't wait to see everyone again!  Over the next 5 months we will be studying the book of Colossians.  Taking this much time to go through one of Paul's letters together is going to be awesome so buckle up and get ready for a great ride!

The Challenge:
Read Colossians

The Bonus Challenge:
Read it again, ponder it, talk about it with others

In Him,
Aaron

January Family Devotionals

We are picking back up with the "Mealtime Moments" from Focus on the Family this month! Once again, I encourage you to find one night, each week, for your family to sit at the table and enjoy a meal together. This month we are going to choose from the "Wisdom from the Bible" category. There are eight different devotionals for this category. Look through these devotionals in advance and choose the five you would like to do with your family through out the month. A few of them require  preparation. If you find time to do more than one a week, even better! We will work our way through all the categories during 2013.
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual_growth_for_kids/family_mealtime_devotionals/wisdom_from_the_bible.aspx
Here's a reminder on how these mealtime devotionals work:
After announcing the title, read the Mealtime Prayer suggestion and have one of your children pray. Then read the Appetizer. The Appetizer is just that, something to wet your appetite for more.
Follow it with the Main Course. This contains the "meat" of the section. Once you've given your family something to chew on, it's time for Table Talk. These challenging questions will make your kids think about what they have just learned and explain how to apply it to their daily lives. Finally, end with Vitamins and Minerals, a Bible verse that relates to the day's reading and discussion. You can even memorize the verse as a family each week.



 

Most of all enjoy your time together as a family, while being intentional about training them in the ways of the Lord.

Crystal (:

Weekly Challenge

HOPE THROUGH MARY

What a finale!  I hope you have enjoyed this enlightening mini-series on the stories of these five amazing women found in the genealogy of Jesus.

Mary displayed unparalleled faith in a God who asked her to undertake a most heavy task.  However, in prophetic fashion she knew that God's commands were not burdensome as we learned in 1 John 5:3-4.  Mary trusted in God's promises...promises that were given hundreds of years before her time.  We also can have this faith, we need only immerse ourselves in His promises.  In Christ we have victory.

THE CHALLENGE:
Today we light the 3rd candle of Advent, the candle of joy.  As you light your candles this week, talk about the promises of God for which we anxiously await.  Talk about how holding on to His promises can give us joy in our day to day lives.

In Him,
Aaron

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

HOPE THROUGH BATHSHEBA
Once again, great discussion last night.  And a shout out to Priscilla, Jennifer H., Kim, Bridgette, Amie, and Cortney for reading our texts last night.  I believe it was Bridgette who pointed out that this episode in Bathsheba's life goes to show just how much the sin someone else can so greatly affect our lives.  Even God's punishment of David was something Bathsheba had to endure.

During this time in David's life he committed the sins of irresponsibility, lust, adultery, deceit, murder, etc.  As a result Bathsheba, who is scarcely mentioned throughout all of this, suffered sexual assault, being used as pawn at the hands of a power-drunk king, the murder of her husband, having to marry her husband's murderer, the loss of her first child, and the untold mental and emotional anguish that must have accompanied these things.

But God is good and began the restoration process of Bathsheba by giving her a son (Solomon), who God named Jedidiah, which means "loved by the Lord."

The Challenge:
The 2nd candle of Advent is the candle of Preparation which represents Love.  Let's prepare our hearts this week by asking  and acting on the following questions:
1) Is there any sin in my life that has affected someone else for which I need to seek forgiveness?
2) Are there any sins of others that have affected my life for which I need to offer forgiveness?
3) In what ways has God restored me for which I need to offer up thanks, praise, and adoration?

In Him,
Aaron

LG Christmas at The Pier

What fun!  Dinner, games, and wrapping Christmas presents.

Weekly Challenge

HOPE THROUGH RUTH

What a great night of study Saturday, a special thanks to all the ladies who read through the book of Ruth for us as well as who shared the wisdom they have gleaned from studying the book.

We saw in Ruth that even through all her dire circumstances God ALWAYS had a plan.  And although He eventually redeemed her God never fully revealed to her how He was using her life in such an amazing way.  Nevertheless, Ruth remained faithful through her loyalty, strength, work ethic, obedience, love, and the list goes on and on.

THE CHALLENGE - Over dinner with your family this week:
1) Share a time in your life that was particularly difficult and how God redeemed it.  Contemplate over and share how having that experience can give you hope the next time you face trials and hardships.
2) Share the character trait you admire most about Ruth and discuss how you can apply that trait to your life.
BONUS:
3) The Advent candle for the week is the candle of hope.  Add the story of Ruth into your Advent rituals this week.

In Him,
Aaron