Weekly Challenge -Study God's Word

Life Group Community:

Fantastic discussion on Saturday about the need for studying the bible and the things which keep us from a consistent craving of God’s word.

Romans12:1-2 teaches us to be living sacrifices and to be different from the world.  Trust that God’s will is perfect and pleasing. 

I Peter 2:2 challenges us to crave and desire the word of God so that we might grow.

The challenge for the week is to spend 15 to 30 minutes daily, Monday – Friday, of this week in the bible.   We hope for 100% participation.

At the beginning of Life Group, we made a list of advice we give our children on how to study: schedule the time and place, be consistent, have your resources ready, remove distractions, don’t wait till the last minute, etc.

Use this same advice to accomplish the challenge this week.  Ask God to teach you how to train (John Ortberg reference to book Training vs. Trying) in the spiritual discipline of study.  Ask Him what is keeping you from craving and desiring His word.  Then we can spend time at the beginning of Life Group sharing what we learned.

Be intentional.

Travis

Weekly Challenge -Living on Mission

Life Group Community:

Our discussion on Saturday covered the following points:
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
We are servants (under rower) of God as believers.
We are stewards, entrusted with the oversight of the household and have received a signet ring from the master of the house.  We don't own the resources.  We need to be faithful and use the master's resources the way the master wants them used.

Mark 10:42-45
Jesus summarizes his teaching on servanthood.  Tells us to look at Him as the example.  We are here to serve, not to be served.

1 Corinthians 12:1-7
The trinity equips and empowers believers for service in the church and the world.
We need to use our gifts and resources to better the church and the world.

My challenge to you this week is to ask God to show you how to use your God-given gift(s).  And ask your spouse to help you identify your gifts.
You can take a spiritual gifts survey at http://www.churchgrowth.org/analysis/intro.php

Be intentional.
Travis

Weekly Challenge -Community

Life Group Family & Friends:

Our lesson on Saturday focused on how to be a community of unity.  We spent time reading and discussing Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:32-35, and Ephesians 4.

We made a list of words and phrases which described community.  We are unified and have all things in common because of the grace of God.  When I read the descriptive words, it fills my heart with joy.  It is a beautiful picture of Christ's love through relationships.

Don't go it alone.  Relationships can be messy, so "bear with one another in love".  Focus on using your gifts to lift up and encourage the body.  Keep your eyes open for unmet needs.  There is security in the unified community.  Satan wants you out of the community.

My challenge to you this week is to pray for our LG community every day.  Read the description of community and ask God the Spirit for His power to fulfill your role in our community.  When you read the words above, don't you want to be a part of that community?  So do I!

Be intentional.
Travis

Weekly Challenge -Focused Fasting

Crossfit week 6 - Fasting

Thanks to everyone for participating in the class discussion on fasting and letting me learn from your experiences.

A few reminders of what we went over for the challenge this week-

-  The purpose of fasting is ultimately God himself. We are looking to align our heart directly to Him.

- Some of the reasons we might fast are:  to seek God's guidance, to strengthen prayer, to express grief, to seek deliverance, to express repentance, to humble ourselves, to minister to the needs of others, to overcome temptation, to express love and worship to God

- In fasting we:  pray more intently, become more receptive, lean more on scripture, demonstrate repentance, physically declare we need God to survive, sense the spiritual more than the physical, and prepare to love others more than ourselves.

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Question-  If you haven't ever fasted, would you consider trying now?  If you've previously fasted, would you look at it differently or do anything different?

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Challenge-  Focused Fasting

Develop a strategy for fasting in the next several weeks.

Step 1- Determine what is the focus of your fast (food, tv, computer, internet, etc)

Step 2- Develop a plan for how you will focus on God (scripture, journal, worship, etc)

Step 3- Decide how you will keep this between you and God (schedule, routine, timing)

Step 4- Deploy your plan (how long, when, where, why)

Thanks and have a great week,

Michael

"Fasting helps us remember the true source of our utmost joy.  Most people would agree that food is a good thing. All good things come from God, but the human heart is inclined to worship God's gifts rather than God himself. Fasting helps our hearts to look past the good gifts to the Good God, who blesses us despite ourselves."  Mars Hill

"Food is life-giving, life-sustaining, essential for our survival. Is it any wonder that the giving up of this earthly essential ultimately declares our complete dependence on God the Father, our heavenly essential".  MC