Special Challenge for November 30th

Life Group Family:

We have decided to do something different during our Life Group time on Saturday, November 30^th.  We will NOT meet for LG on the 30^th.  Instead of meeting together, I have a challenge that you can accomplish during our normal Life Group hour. 

After the Lake Pointe church service on Saturday, I want you to choose either a date night or a family night.  During this time together, review the material below that is related to our Exodus study.   The main title is “No Other Gods”.

1.    Read Exodus 32: 1-8

2.    Read Exodus 34: 10-17

3.    Identify actual idols and gods that we place in front of the one true God.

a.    Examples: Family, work, money, kid’s activities or sports, golf, your iphone, TV, or other time related issues that do not leave room for God.

b.    Get real and relevant.  Don’t just tap the brakes and do a drive-by. 

c.    Talk about Hollywood making golden statues as awards that are worshipped.

d.    What fights for bandwidth or space in your mind/heart?

e.    When you make up your daily schedule, where does time with your creator rank in importance (this is my biggest struggle).

4.    If you are using this hour as family time, watch this clip on your smart phone: http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Downloadable_Video_Illustrations/5711/God_at_the_Center

a.    What were Kallie’s idols? 

b.    What are some steps that you can take to remove the idols make God the central figure in your life?

5.    If you are using this hour as date night, watch this clip on your smart phone: 

http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/fireproof/no-more-addictions

Caleb and Catherine have been married for seven years, but their marriage has spiraled down to the place where it seems divorce is inevitable. Caleb’s father, John, brought Caleb a 40 Day Marriage Restoration book that Caleb used, at first reluctantly, to restore his marriage.  In this scene Caleb confronts a destructive idol in his life – internet pornography – and decides “no more addictions!”

a.    Is this too extreme? 

b.    Read Exodus 32: 27-29.  Was Moses too extreme?

c.    Why do we fight God and then try to replace Him with other Gods?

d.    What extreme, radical steps can you do to eradicate idols/gods in your life?

e.    How could these radical steps make a lasting memory for your children and affect your legacy?

Be Intentional.
Travis

Weekly Challenge

Life Group Community:
Our passage in Exodus was 31:1-11.  We learned that God chose Bezalel and equipped him with skills, with understanding, and with knowledge.
Then we read several passages to see how we are equipped.  Every Christ follower...:
Created for ministry, to humbly serve and bless others, we are provided tools and gifts for our job, we are authorized for ministry, required to serve others, and we are needed as part of the team or body.

My challenge to you this week is to go over the handout from class with your spouse, or walk through it during a family meal.  (the material is also provided below).  I am very proud of Clay since he took the pink copy when he left!  Don't use this handout as a checklist as a Christian, but use it as a way to thank God.  Find joy in serving.

Be intentional this week.
Travis

Exercising Your Gifts and Skills

My Personal Plan for Service

 

1. Life Group involvement: “All to service; some to leadership”:

If God has gifted and called you to be a leader, where are you leading?

If God has gifted and called you to be a servant, where are you serving?

 

       Action Steps                                                                                                            

 

2. Participate in another church ministry:

 What is a need in your church that is important to you?

How can you passionately invest your time, energy, talents, resources, skills, personality, spiritual gifts, etc. to help meet this need?

 

 

        Action Steps                                                                                                            

 

3. Participate in a community service project:

What is a need in your community that is important to you?

How can you passionately invest your time, energy, talents, resources, skills, personality, spiritual gifts, etc. to help meet this need?

 

 

        Action Steps                                                                                                            

4. Participate in a mission trip:

What is an area of your world that is important to you (local, national or international)?
How can you passionately invest your time, energy, talents, resources, skills, personality, spiritual gifts, etc. to help meet this need?

       Action Steps                                                                                                            

5. Do an anonymous, random act of kindness for someone:

What can you do for someone in your family?
What can you do for someone in your neighborhood?
What can you do for someone in your workplace?
What can you do for someone in your church?

        Action Steps                                                                                                            

2013 Family Advent Devotionals

Option 1: Advent begins on Sunday, December 1st this year. Follow or download this link for daily devotionals to go along with lighting your family Advent wreath each night at dinner. There are verse(s) and discussion questions for each day.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/182146871/2013-Advent-Devotional

Option 2: Prepare for Christmas with Thriving Family's 2013 ADVENTures in Odyssey Activity Calendar. You will get an activity and simple faith tie for 25 days in December. The calendar is free. Simply provide your name and email address to access it. Continue to the registration page.

Option 3: Look under the "Advent" label to the right and choose one of our previous Advent Family devotionals to follow. Note that the dates will be different.

Option 4: If you prefer not to do an Advent wreath, consider reading through the book of Luke several times a week with your child(ren) from December to Easter Sunday. Last year we read through the book of  John with our daughter. Our intent was to have her hear the Gospel several nights a week during bedtime; leading up to Holy Week. The three of us curled up in her bed, read from her Bible and had a discussion over what we had read. Lauren has requested that we do it again this year, so I've made a Reading Guide for us to follow over the next four months. This can be done anytime of day, and adjust the dates to days that work best for your family.

Book of Luke Family Reading Guide

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
DEC.15) 1:1-25	16)	17) 1:26-38	18)	19) 1:39-56	20)	21)
22) 1:57-75	23)	24)	25) 2:1-21	26) 2:22-40	27)	28)
29) 2:41-52	30) 3:1-20	31) 3:21-37	JAN.1)	2) 4:1-13	3)	4)
5) 4:14-30	6) 4:31-37	7) 4:38-44	8)	9) 5:1-11	10)	11)
12) 5:12-26	13) 5:27-39	14) 6:1-11	15)	16) 6:12-26	17)	18)
19) 6:27-36	20) 6:37-42	21) 6:43-49	22)	23) 7:1-10	24)	25)
26) 7:11-17	27) 7:18-35	28) 7:36-50	29)	30) 8:1-15	31)	FEB. 1)
2) 8:16-25	3) 8:26-39	4) 8:40-56	5)	6) 9:1-9	7)	8)
9) 9:10-20	10) 9:21-36	11) 9:37-43	12)	13) 9:43-50	14)	15)
16) 9:51-62	17) 10:1-24	18) 10:25-42	19)	20) 11:1-13	21)	22)
23) 11:14-28	24) 11:29-36	25) 11:37-54	26)	27) 12:1-12	28)	MAR. 1)
2) 12:13-21	3) 12:22-34	4) 12:35-48	5)	6) 12:49-59	7)	8)
9) 13:1-21	10) 13:22-35	11) 14:1-14	12)	13) 14:15-24	14)	15)
16) 14:25-35	17) 15:1-10	18) 15:11-32	19)	20) 16:1-18	21)	22)
23) 16:19-31	24) 17:1-19	25) 17:20-37	26)	27) 18:1-17	28)	29)
30) 18:18-34	31) 18:35-19:10	APR.1) 19:11-27	2)	3) 19:28-44	4)	5)
6) 19:45-20:8	7) 20:9-26	8) 20:27-47	9)	10) 21	11)	12)
13) 22:1-38	14) 22:39-46	15) 22:47-53	16)	17) 22:59-65	18) 22:66-23:56	19)
20) 24

 Christmas Day

Easter Sunday

Whatever option(s) you choose, remember it's the intentionality that is important. Every time won't be a miraculous experience with our children. But our hope is that it will bear fruit if we are persistent and ask for His help and guidance. So let's continue living out our faith with our children by sharing His Word and talking about what it means in our lives.