Lenten bible study for adults

Bread & Broth by Cynthia E. Cowen

Again, I was hoping to share about this wonderful study before lent began. Our Christcare group is doing this study and it has been such a joy. It is food, fellowship and biblical study all rolled up into one. We have just so enjoyed it. The study is done very well.

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There are 6 sessions. For each session a soup or stew is suggested to serve along with studying about the lives Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Elisha, John the Baptist and Jesus. We normally meet at 7:00 but for this study are meeting earlier at dinner time. We do change it up and serve the dinner first as most of us can't wait that long. We wouldn't be able to focus on God's word as we would be too hungry to think straight. So we have changed up the order listed in the study. We discuss why that particular meal was served after we have eaten it but we all get the concept. It has been working very well and is such a wonderful way to share God's word. We are nourishing ourselves with God's word and with bread & broth! Nourishing our spirit and our bodies.

I was in one of those moods and just decided to let the bible fall open to any page - and let God's word speak to me. I have actually been pondering a situation and trying to determine if I should speak up or not. Interesting that the bible fell open to this:

Psalm 141

O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.

Hear my voice when I call to you.

May my prayer be set before you like incense;

may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;

keep watch over the door of my lips.

Sometimes God just speaks to us in the most amazing of ways. I had stopped to pray earlier today to ask if something else I had read in another book was speaking to this issue and if I should speak up. Then when I got home I opened the bible and this is what page fell open. I am pretty sure I have my answer - in a very clear voice!

I also just love the part of the verse about setting a guard over the mouth. Don't you think that should also apply to emails --- they didn't have email when the bible was written - but I think that verse could also say 'set a guard over our typing fingers!'

Psalm 13

For anyone suffering from illness Psalm 13 is really wonderful. A friend of ours that is a pastor recommended reading it and when I opened it up - I realized that at one point I had studied it because I had notes in my bible.

Psalm 13 is a cry to the Lord. It was written by David during a serious illness. His death would have given his enemies victory. While reading it you can see that even David, someone chosen and well loved by God, felt that God's presence wasn't close at times. Isn't that something that we all feel at times - especially during times of illness or when we are struggling. We feel so distant, so apart from God. We want and need His closeness but can't seem to find it or feel His presence.

David cries out in the Psalm asking God how long will God hide from him? And how long will he struggle and suffer? As I read this to Tom every time I read one of the how long passages - he said "6 months"! "Six months!!"

Psalm 13 ends with this:

But I will trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your

salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

for he has been good to me.

CHRISTmas

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means 'God with us.'"

Remember that the reason for the season - is a celebration of HIS birth.

Merry CHRISTmas

Hearing God

I was reading my bible to be prepared for bible study tomorrow morning at church. We are reading 1 Samuel 3. The bible study guide asked us to reflect on 'when is it hard for you to hear God?' It talked about how busy our lives are and that sometimes we are so busy we find it hard to hear God. We read our bibles but 'struggle to be still and to receive a word from God.'

I realized as I tried to reflect on when is it hard to 'hear God', that I had the TV on and I was trying to do my bible study over the commercials. So do you think it is hard to 'hear God' if one is squeezing Him in on the commercials. (Yes, I did turn the TV off.)

And I realized that while technology is such a benefit to our lives, it gives us so much more free time because machines and technology have lightened our physical load. At least in comparison to the pioneers, we no longer have to grown the wheat, thresh it, grind it, then use it to mix the dough, to bake the bread. We can just buy a loaf of bread. Even if we make it fresh we now have bread machines that do much of the work for us. Think of the extra time saved!! Yet, do we view it that way? Do we view it as time saved for God?

I think many times, instead of it giving us more time for God, technology seems to also prevent us from 'hearing God'. If we are constantly surrounded by noise - the noise of the TV and/or the radio. The noise of the dishwasher. The noise of the washer and drier. It is hard to be still and be quiet. It is hard to stop and really listen for God's voice. If God spoke to us like he spoke to Samuel - would we hear him? Or would the noise of our daily lives drown Him out?

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

'Ah, sword of the Lord,' you cry, 'how long till you rest? Return to your scabbard; cease and be still.'

But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack...'

Jeremiah 47:6-7

Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Zechariah 2:13

The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve."

Nehemiah 8:11

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Mark 4:39

View from the Porch Swing

My son and I are currently doing a bible study together. One of the exercises was to fast-forward to when you are 75, or 85 or 95 ......... Imagine you're sitting on the porch swing looking back on your life. We were then to write all the things that we want to make sure we have done by age 75. These things if left undone, are the ones that would cause you to look back with regret.

The exercise reminded me a little of the movie "The Bucket List".

It was interesting though because my take on this was slightly different (of course).

For me, I was picturing myself in heaven waiting at the heavenly gate for other family members to show up. My regrets would center around that I haven't always felt comfortable talking about Jesus and telling HIS message to certain family members. My regret would be that I ran out of time and therefore I stand there - and they never show up.

My grandmother on my mom's side was an atheist. My husband and I have felt that we are changing the course in our family. My son and I talked about how what we do as a family centers around teaching our kids about Jesus so that they come to know him personally as their Lord and Savior. For both my husband and I will be standing at the gates of heaven waiting to welcome them. That would be our greatest joy.

So what is your view from the porch swing like --- or (since I changed the exercise slightly) what is your view from the gates of Heaven? What do you want to be sure to accomplish? What is your bucket list? Share with me.