The Place No One Wants to Go (From the Christ in Every Place Series)

There are 260 chapters in the New Testament.  There are 234 warnings about Hell.  Heaven and Hell are real places.  We are all going to one or the other for all of eternity.

Our Scripture passage for today is Luke 16:19-31.

¹⁹ “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. ²⁰ And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, ²¹ and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. ²² Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” - Luke 16:19-31

This post is based on my notes taken during my pastor's sermon.  You are invited to watch and listen to the entire sermon here.

Every Place - The Place No One Wants To Go - February 24, 2019 (Message) from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.

 The Place No One Wants to Go

For so many people to not believe in Hell, they sure throw the word around a lot.  There are many ways people use the word, usually in a cursing or joking sense.  The word has become trivial but it is not a trivial word.  It is serious and the devil is serious about wanting everyone to go there.

Image Credit:  Intographics - CCO Public Domain Image via Pixabay

To not believe in Hell is to not believe in Jesus.

Jesus is THE way to Heaven.  

If you believe there is no Hell, are you willing to risk your eternity on your opinion?

We cannot understand the fullness of the love of God without understanding Hell.  Hell is a terrible place and we don't want anyone to go there.

In the passage above, Jesus was not saying that you will go to Hell if you are wealthy.   He was explaining that the rich man was going to Hell because he worshiped his money, not God.    Both men died, but the poor man was carried by the angels.  Both men died but they both kept on living - the poor man in Heaven and the rich man in Hell.

1.  Hell is a literal place.  When we die without Jesus, we go directly and immediately to Hell.

2.  Hell is a horrifying place.  The rich man was in horrifying pain.  According to verse 23, he was tormented. 

²³ In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. - Luke 16:23

I have migraines every now and then.  I can personally tell you that it is the worst kind of pain.  No matter what I do here at home, I can't relieve the pain.  The past few migraines ended only after a trip to the hospital for IV medications.  In the video above, my pastor compares Hell to a migraine that never ends.

There is feeling, sight, and hearing in Hell.  There is desire in Hell.  The tormented man desired water.  

If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, ⁴⁸ where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. - Mark 9:47-48

Some say the "worm" in the passage above refers to a nagging conscience or a nagging desire that does not go away.

There is memory in Hell - a memory of eternal regrets and ignored opportunities.  There is isolation in Hell.  There is the absence of God in Hell.

I often hear people ask the question, "Why would a loving God send a person to Hell?"  We must ask, "How can anyone reject a loving God?"

3.  Hell is an eternal place.  No one leaves it. 

²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ - Luke 16:26

 4.  Hell is an avoidable place.  

No one will go to Heaven deservedly.  No one will go to Hell unwillingly.  - C.S. Lewis

Why do good people go to Hell?  There are no good people, but there are people living without Jesus.

 If you are saved, you cannot go to Hell.  If you are saved, why would you let others go to Hell?

The rich man desired for his brothers to go to Heaven.

²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” - Luke 16:27-31

Lazarus did not go to the rich man's brothers.  God told the rich man that if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, then they won't listen to Lazarus either.

We have God's Word to share with the lost so we need to share it.

Are you worried about going to Hell?  You are not here by mistake.  You are here so that you will have the opportunity to receive Jesus and His gift of eternal life.

You'll find all my posts in this series here. 

Image Credit:  Eye of Ebony - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

This week in our ladies Bible study on Jonah by Priscilla Shirer, we are talking about second chances.  God is a God of second chances. We learn this truth by reading about several familiar Bible characters.

God is a God of Second Chances

Aaron was chosen by God to serve as His priest.  Aaron messed up when he lead the Israelites to build a golden calf to worship.  Aaron was still allowed to serve as God's priest.  God gave Aaron a second chance.

God promised Sarah that she would have a baby and that she would be the mother of a great nation.  Sarah's trust in God to fulfill His promise to her weakened so much that she took matters into her own hands and gave over her maid, Hagar, to her husband to conceive instead.  Sarah still gave birth to Isaac and God fulfilled His promise to Sarah.  God gave Sarah a second chance.

Peter, one of Jesus' faithful disciples, denied knowing Jesus three times. Yet Peter remained a great disciple of Jesus until his own death.  God gave Peter a second chance.

God can and will give you and me a second chance too.

Priscilla brings us to the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers.  She helps us see, in this lesson, how Joseph's story of forgiveness foreshadows the story of Jesus and His forgiveness.

Joseph could have had his brothers killed or severely punished for the injustice done to him, but in a breathtaking act of mercy, he "kissed all his brothers" and invited them to live under his provision and protection.  In the true picture of the merciful Savior to come, Joseph refrained from anger, abstained from vengeance, and offered that which is not deserved. - Priscilla Shirer

When we are given a second chance, we must submit to the will of God fully, not halfway or halfheartedly.  There are no shortcuts.

God promised to tell Jonah what to say when he got to Nineveh.  Now, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us.

The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will tech you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. - John 14:26

This week you've explored your second chance.  I hope you've committed yourself to complete and full obedience.  Yield to the Father your list of details awaiting clarity.  Ask Him to answer in His timing and to give you the measure of faith required to move forward despite not knowing.  - Priscilla Shirer

  To summarize 5 main points I pulled out of this weeks lessons:

1.  God gives second chances.
2.  God forgives.
3.  Obey God fully.  There are no short cuts.
4.  The Holy Spirit guides us to the truth.
5.  Respond in complete obedience.

As always, I remind you that in order to benefit from this entire study on Jonah, you'll need to complete the study with a group or in your home using all the materials available in the leader kit.

This item is available here.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study here.

One of the things I enjoy doing to pass the time during my son's deployment is to decorate the inside of his care packages.  So far, I've only done two but they were so much fun and I'm looking forward to the next one.

 Military Care Package Box Decorating Ideas

The first one I decorated was his Valentine's Day care package.  I'm using the USPS large flat rate boxes.  You can get those for free at your local post office.  You can order military flat rate box kits at USPS.com.  Those kits come with several different sized boxes, labels, and packaging tape and are also free.  I believe you can order up to 5 kits per day.  This is helpful if you plan to send multiple packages to multiple people.

Since I'm a military mom this time rather than a wife, this is not a romantically themed box.  I wanted my son's box to represent Valentine's Day but also seem a little more masculine.

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

  

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

  

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

The final result:

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

Some of the things I put in the Valentine's Day box included Pringles potato chips, Twix candy bars, Snickers bars, Rice Krispy treats, baby wipes, and hand warmers. 

The second box I decorated was his birthday box. I used wrapping paper, gift bag cutouts, and images I printed from my computer. 

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

Image Credit:  Tina Truelove (Abundant Family Living)

I filled his birthday box with similar items but I added brain teaser games.  My son shared with me that the guys have enjoyed the brain teaser games so if you're thinking about sending a fun box for your military family member, you might want to add a few of those into your box.  My daughter created the cute birthday banner which stretches across the box when the box is opened up.

Pin Me!

If you don't want to decorate a box yourself or you don't have the time to decorate and stuff a box, you can order complete care packages on Amazon.com.  You can actually have the pre-made care packages shipped directly to your Soldier from your Amazon account.  Shipping is free with Amazon Prime.

Read other posts about living through deployment here.

We are now in week three of our ladies Bible study series.  If you are just joining me on this journey, we are studying through Jonah:  Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.  To protect her copyright, I don't do the entire study here on the blog.  I only give short weekly summaries of a few of the things I learn as I go through the study with a group of ladies at my church.  You'll get a taste of Priscilla's wisdom as she teaches truth straight from the Bible.  I highly recommend that you go through this study with a group, but you can do it on your own at home if that is best for you.  You'll find it here.

Image Credit:  Azgan Mjeshtri - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

Admitting Our Mistakes, Accepting Our Discipline, and Turning Back to God

A few highlights from this week:

We easily become paralyzed by fear or guilt when our lives seem to whirl out of control.  A glimpse at our lives with all their spinning parts can make us dizzy with disgust at the mess we may have made.  It is easier to just sit, soak, and be sour.  That's what the enemy would like.  He'd prefer we get lazy, complacent, and apathetic with distance between ourselves and God's best.  But if, like the sailors, we see the connection between our chaotic circumstances and our own decisions, we must ask, now what? - Priscilla Shirer

When things go wrong, it's easy to blame others and make excuses for our actions.  It is important that we admit our sin and take responsibility for our mistakes.

Once we have admitted our sin, we need to be prepared to accept our discipline.  

God allows reproof and correction as a sign of His love for us and His intention to use us.  Divine discipline, reproof, and correction indicate that we have a relationship with Him.  Make no mistake about it.  His discipline has a method and specific design. His goal is to revive us so that He can realign.  - Priscilla Shirer

The discipline God allowed was not meant to punish Jonah.  It was meant to prepare him. - Priscilla Shirer

 On this particular day in this study, I learned something new.  I've been reading about Jonah since I was a toddler, but here is something I've never thought about before.  I always thought of Jonah's predicament inside the big fish was God's punishment for Jonah's disobedience.  Here, Priscilla brings to our attention that God did not allow the fish to swallow Jonah as a punishment for him.  Instead, the fish was sent to protect Jonah from the raging waters where he would have otherwise perished.

God's discipline is not meant to harm us but to protect us.

We have talked about admitting our sin and accepting our discipline.  Now we must turn back to God. 

Men, why are you doing these things?  We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, Who made the Heaven and the Earth and the sea and all that is in them. - Acts 14:15

Here is some great news.  God can and will completely forgive you.  He is a God of second chances and I, for one, and so very thankful for this truth.

First John 1:9 says that our God is faithful and and He will forgive, no matter how far off track you may have gone, how far you may have run, or how much time you may have lost.  He's willing to take the old and replace it with the grand newness of life in Him. We don't have to go one more day or even take one more step with the shame of yesterday's choices and unwise decisions weighing us down.  He was willing to honor Jonah's desire to yield despite past failure, and He is willing to honor ours as well. - Priscilla Shirer

Our God is a faithful God.

One last thing I want to highlight in this section before I leave you for today is Jonah's attitude inside the belly of the big fish.  I imagine that Jonah had no way of knowing just yet how all this would turn out for him.  Yet, he was praying the scriptures in his darkest hours.  

Friend, no prayer is more effective than the one that finds its roots in the pages of God's Word. - Priscilla Shirer

Next week we are talking about those second chances so stay tuned.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study here.

You will find all you need to complete this study on Jonah by Priscilla Shirer here.

This item is available here.

Image Credit:  Joshua Earle - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

This post is based on my pastor's sermon title "Neighbors in Every Place."

Neighbors in Every Place

You are invited to watch and listen to this message in its entirety here.

Every Place - Neighbors In Every Place - February 17, 2019 (Message) from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.

Our neighbors are not just the people who live next door to us, but also people who are around us often.

Our focal passage for today is Luke 10:25-37.

And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Good Samaritan

³⁰ Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. ³¹ And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, ³⁴ and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ ³⁶ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” ³⁷ And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

1.  Our neighbors are the people we go to church with.  People in church are broken too and they need building up.

2.  Our neighbors are in our communities.  They are in the coffee shops we often visit - ballparks, restaurants - any place we frequently visit.

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” - Galatians 5:14

 Get to know the people around you.

Establish a routine so that it is easier for you to make introductions.

Practice the Golden Rule.

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12 (The Golden Rule)

 Ask them for help.

Ask how you can pray for them.

Invite them to church.

Tell them your personal story as a Christ-follower.

3. Our neighbors in the culture.

Don't throw rocks at people who are not just like us.  Throw ropes.

What keeps us from being good neighbors?

*Prejudices
*Busyness
*Lack of Generosity
*Absence of Christ-likeness

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2

We look like Jesus when we serve and love others.

You can't reach people who don't know Jesus if you don't know people who don't know Jesus.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here.

Running from God's Calling (Jonah Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer)

Image Credit:  Free-Photos - Public Domain Image via Pixabay

 Running from God's Calling

Our second week in our Bible study on Jonah by Priscilla Shirer focuses on running from God's calling.  Here are a few highlights from the week:

Delayed obedience is disobedience.

There is no gray area in obeying God's will either, you know.  When God speaks or allows you to see His hand, giving you the opportunity to participate in His purposes, you don't have an array of options to choose from on how you will respond.  It's clear-cut, plain and simple . . . black and white.  You can either choose to obey or choose to disobey.  No neutral ground.  Choosing to "do nothing" is really a decision to delay obedience - and the word for delayed obedience?  Disobedience. - Priscilla Shirer

Something else Priscilla brought to my attention this week is how easy it is to get away with disobedience when it is internal.  It's not as easy to disobey when others can see our calling and can see our response.  When we "run away" in our hearts where others can't see open disobedience, it is easier for us to justify our actions and pretend that we are living in obedience.

Sometimes we justify our response to run away or ignore a calling because it seems to be in direct conflict with an area in our lives where we have pledged our worldly allegiance.  This is when we must ask ourselves whether our true allegiance lies with God or with something else.

A way to determine where our allegiance lies is to consider how we respond to a divine intervention.  Will we go with God even when He is calling us to our Nineveh, even if Nineveh goes against everything we thought we'd be doing?  Sometimes heeding divine intervention requires breaking with that to which we have pledged our allegiance. - Priscilla Shirer

Stepping further and further away from God's calling on our lives only takes us further and further from him.  In the same way that a lie ends up entangling us in another lie and another and another, so running from God's calling takes us further and further away from His blessing on our lives.

The decisions you are making today will impact your tomorrows.  How you choose to respond to God's leading right now will determine how your future unfolds.  Every "David" will end up in a web of deception.   Every prodigal will find himself in a pigsty, and every "Jonah" will look up and see storm clouds gathering.  It's only a matter of time. - Priscilla Shirer

It is interesting how we can be asleep spiritually in the middle of a storm and not even realize it (like Jonah on the ship) until we are awakened by a storm.  Thank God for the storm.

We can make a big mess out of our lives, but there is good news.  God can take our mess and make something beautiful from it.  Our lives might not have been what God had originally intended, but God can take the messed up, broken pieces and put them together into a beautiful tapestry that will bless others.  It is never too late to step back into the realm of obedience and allow God to use you in mighty ways. 

God's good at taking our messes, our leftovers, and doing something good with them.  Parts of all of our lives we'd just as soon forget, yet in the hands of a Master, our mess can become the greatest miracle of all.  He has a way of chopping, dicing, and reconfiguring the parts that we thought were of no use.  He's got a knack for pouring on His Spirit and sprinkling on a bit of grace and mercy.  Then, voila!  Fresh out of the oven of a trial or two, there's something delicious from you life that you never thought possible. - Priscilla Shirer

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study here.

 You can get Jonah:  Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer here.

This item is available here.

 

Focusing on a Vision for Your Christian Walk? Don't Make it Complicated.

Image Credit:  Benjamin Davies - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

Focusing on a Vision:  Don't Make it Complicated

Our focal passage for today is Luke 5:27-32.

After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.  And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.  The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” - Luke 5:27-32

 Focusing on a vision:
*causes us to pray more.
*takes our eyes off of ourselves.

Two Main Points for Today:

1.  We need to make Jesus first place.
2.  We need to take Jesus to every place.

You are invited to watch and listen to my pastor's entire sermon on this topic here.

Every Place - Don't Make It Complicated - February 10, 2019 (Message) from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.

We are all sick.  We are all sinners.  We need to make Jesus first in our lives.  We need to take our eyes off of everything that will distract us and keep our eyes on Jesus.

We must follow Jesus completely!

We cannot pick and choose what we like and what we don't like.  We must make Jesus first.

Then, we must take Jesus every where we go.

The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. - Luke 5:30-31

Matthew wanted his "rowdy" friends to know Jesus.

I am not afraid of failure.  I'm afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.  - William Carey

Don't make it complicated.  Just love people like Jesus loved them.

1.  Move closer to those who don't follow Jesus.

2.  Try new ways of taking Jesus to new places.

Remember:  It's not about me.  It's about taking Jesus to others.

Build relationships.

B - Begin with prayer.
L - Listen, Learn, Love
E - Eat (The fork is an effective evangelical tool.)  :)
S - Serve (Serve THEM, Serve WITH them.)
S - Share

Sin is complicated.  You can't manage it.  You can only be redeemed out of it.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here.

Abundant Family Living Newsletter - February 8, 2019

Good Friday Evening! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.  Here's the latest from Abundant Family Living.

Check out some of my latest blog posts.  Then, check out a couple of posts from the archives - from way back when my original blog started.  We have new title releases from Usborne Books that your kids will love.  I only featured two in this newsletter, but you can find all of those here.  Finally, there are some great Valentine's Day specials from my affiliates. 

The Latest on the Blog

 

Polar Bear Books and Activities for Kids

I know it's almost February but it is soooo cold outside.  Here in North Georgia, the weather is as unpredictable as it gets.  One day, we're breaking out our warmest winter clothes and the next day, we're pulling out our shorts and t-shirts.  I remember one year way back, we had an ice storm.  The next day, my mother and I were laying out in the sun in swimsuits while we watched the ice melt off the house.  It was late March.  (Please don't lay in the sun.  My skin cancer scar is now a daily reminder to be smarter.)

Anyway, the brutal cold reminds me of some of our Polar Bear books.  Let's take a quick look at those because I know your kids will love them.  Then, scroll on down and find several great polar bear activities to enrich the reading experience for your kids. [Read more here.]

Life Interruptions Don't Always Make Sense

Life interruptions don't always make sense.  Sometimes the things we feel God is calling us to do make no sense to us at all.  If it doesn't make sense, then I don't want to do it.  I'd much rather stay in a place that makes sense - a place where I'm comfortable.

Jonah faced a situation that made no sense.  He was being asked to leave his homeland where he had been comfortable.  He was being asked to give up everything he had always known to travel to a far away land that inhabited his enemies - a corrupt land.  He had been perfectly happy and comfortable fulfilling his God-given role right where he was.  Why would God call him to give all that up for such a corrupt people?  It made no sense. [Read more here.]

Are You in the Right Place?

Christ must do something in me before He can do something through me.  I can never embrace a greater vision until I am in the right place spiritually.

I like my places of comfort.  I'm a pretty shy person so stepping out of my comfort zone is not easy for me to do.  If you're like me, it's easy to stay in one place in life too long.  It's easy to get used to a regular routine, staying just comfortable enough to be comfortable where I am.   Jesus said, "Go deeper."

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” - Luke 5:4

When we resolve to "go deeper" in obedience to God - to reach out beyond our comfort zone, obedience yields amazing results. [Read more here.]

 From the Archives

Chocolate Cobbler Recipe

Volcanoes by Stephanie Turnbull (An Usborne Book) 

Includes a Free Printable to Supplement the Book

New Titles from Usborne Books

100 Things to Know About Numbers,  Computers, and Coding

An eye-catching information book filled with one hundred interesting facts to learn about numbers, computers and coding.

Big Book of ABC

Take a whistle-stop tour through the alphabet from amazing aardvarks, big brown bears and crazy cats, via dancing ducks, invisible imps and naughty narwhals to yawning yaks and zooming zeppelins.

You'll find Usborne Books current customer specials here.  You can purchase 1 customer special item with every $40 you spend.

  Affiliate Specials

Surprise your little valentine with hands-on activities delivered every month from Little Passports! Save 15% from now until 8/14 with code LOVE.  

Sale Details:
Sale: Save 15% on ANY subscription
Sale Valid: through 2/14
Promo Code: LOVE

This promotion is valid online only at www.littlepassports.com. To redeem enter code LOVE at checkout. 15% discount is valid on new subscription products only and cannot be combined with any other offers and/or applied retroactively to previously placed orders. Offer applies only to the first month on a Monthly Plan. Offer not valid on non-subscription items. Offer excludes shipping and taxes. Offer valid from February 8, 2019 at 12:00AM EST to February 14, 2019 at 11:59PM EST.

Celebrate the Month of Love with 30% off Green Kid Crafts 

You can now take 30% off the first month of a Junior Discovery Box STEAM Subscription (ages 2-4) or a Discovery Box STEAM Subscription (ages 5-10+). Green Kid Crafts' award-winning Discovery Boxes pack a lot of fun and learning into convenient and affordable packages. Each monthly box contains up to 6 STEAM Science and Art Kits including a free 12-page kids magazine and bonus extension activities. Sibling add-on options are available, too! Offer expires midnight February, 18, 2019. Go here to start shopping!

What Is This Month's Theme For Groovy Lab in a Box?

Keep On Turning: Engineering Design Challenge - A Lesson in Hydropower : You live near a river where a lot of trash accumulates when it rains. Inside your Groovy Lab in a Box are the materials to design and build a river trash collecting machine. Can you collect and deposit trash into a dumpster using only your Groovy Lab in a Box materials?!

Emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)

Extended learning through our exclusive online portal

For children ages 8 and up

 

 

As always, the "Keep On Turning" box will have a groovy Lab Notebook where your kids can read about the investigations and Engineering Design Challenge. Plus, all subscribers get access to the Beyond...in a Box web portal for additional groovy learning and STEM fun.

Be sure to start your subscription today so you can receive your "Keep On Turning" box before it ships the end of February.

Dayspring has NEW Studio 71 Cards!  Check them out here.

Check out the Dayspring Sale:

183 Clearance Items

61 Calendars and Planners

53 Home Decor Clearance Items

35 Cards and Stationery Clearance Items

36 Buy More and Save Items

32 Clearance Bulk Discounted Items

Image Credit:  Ben White - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

The following is a short summary of week one of our ladies' Bible study, Jonah:  Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.

Life Interruptions Don't Always Make Sense

Life interruptions don't always make sense.  Sometimes the things we feel God is calling us to do make no sense to us at all.  If it doesn't make sense, then I don't want to do it.  I'd much rather stay in a place that makes sense - a place where I'm comfortable.

Jonah faced a situation that made no sense.  He was being asked to leave his homeland where he had been comfortable.  He was being asked to give up everything he had always known to travel to a far away land that inhabited his enemies - a corrupt land.  He had been perfectly happy and comfortable fulfilling his God-given role right where he was.  Why would God call him to give all that up for such a corrupt people?  It made no sense. 

In our journeys with God, we will likely come across our personal Ninevehs.  For some, this might actually be a place; for others, Nineveh is a task or a relationship and just the mention of that mission or person sends us into an emotional tailspin.  We'd just rather not go.  And, like Jonah, we can point to many reasons that would keep us at home. - Priscilla Shirer

However, we are not to trust our own heart.

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.  Who can understand it?  - Jeremiah 17:9

 Here are several key points I took away from this first week:

1.  A life interrupted by a holy God is a privilege.

2.  When God calls us and allows us to see His hand in our lives, we have to realize the significance of being asked to participate in His divine purpose and plan for His kingdom. It is a high honor.

He's purposefully given you the high honor of being the one He deemed suited for a task that has Heavenly implications - a task of divine partnership that will yield magnificent results for you and for His kingdom. - Priscilla Shirer

 3.  It was not until Jonah received a life interruption that he developed a life story that made a stamp on history.  A life interruption offers us an opportunity to write a life story of eternal significance.

Make sure your life writes a story worth reading. - Priscilla Shirer

4.  A life interruption will make us question our sincerity about our willingness to yield to God's will.

5.  It is not our legacy or lack of legacy that makes us significant.  What makes us significant is our willingness to obey.

6.  God's call on our lives do not always make sense but those who respond in obedience will enjoy the benefit of God's protection.

In order to benefit from the entire Bible study, I encourage you to complete the study with a group either at your church in a home with friends.   The leader kit below includes the DVDs and all the materials you'll need to complete the study.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study here.

This item is available here.

Are You in the Right Place?

Our pastor is continuing his series titled Christ in Every Place.  Today's sermon was titled "Are You in the Right Place?  The following are my Bible study notes based on my pastor's sermon.

Image Credit:  Ben White - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

Christ in Every Place

 Our scripture passage is Luke 5:1-11.

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; ² and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³ And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. ⁴ When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” ⁶ When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; ⁷ so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. - Luke 5:1-11

Are You in the Right Place? 

 You are invited to watch the entire sermon here.

Every Place - Are You In The Right Place? from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.


Christ must do something in me before He can do something through me.  I can never embrace a greater vision until I am in the right place spiritually.

 

I like my places of comfort.  I'm a pretty shy person so stepping out of my comfort zone is not easy for me to do.  If you're like me, it's easy to stay in one place in life too long.  It's easy to get used to a regular routine, staying just comfortable enough to be comfortable where I am.   Jesus said, "Go deeper."

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” - Luke 5:4

When we resolve to "go deeper" in obedience to God - to reach out beyond our comfort zone, obedience yields amazing results.

When Peter, James, and John responded in obedience and went into deeper waters, they caught so much fish that their nets began to break and their boat began to sink.

When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. - Luke 5:6-7

When we respond in obedience to go into the right places, then we will "catch men."

And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” - Luke 5:10

Then, they left everything and followed Jesus.

When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. - Luke 5:11

Saved people want to see people saved.  

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. - Luke 19:10

 Ask Jesus:  Am I in the right place spiritually?

 1.  Jesus invites us to join His mission.  

(Does this sound familiar?  This is the theme from our current ladies' Bible study.)

Jesus can do ministry alone but He doesn't.  He invites us to participate in His perfect plan.

 2.  Jesus uses our places to show us "our place."

If we are believers, then we all have a ministry of some sort.  Jesus meets us where we are.

3.  He calls us from out of our safe places into places of trust, obedience, and risks.

We catch bigger fish (more fish) by going into deeper waters.

God blesses us in places of obedience.

4.  Jesus brings us into places we never anticipated and it is awesome.

5.  Jesus wants us to get to the place where we are more like Him.

2019 Challenge

In order to help get us into "deeper waters," our pastor is encouraging us to focus on 5 people/families in 2019.  Do you know 5 people - 5 families - who don't know Jesus?  Perhaps you cn focus on them this year.  Build relationships with them.  Share Jesus with them.

I'd love to hear how you are "going deeper" this year.  If you feel comfortable doing so, encourage our blog community by sharing your stories in the comments below.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here.