Monday, November 11, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Bible Challenge 11/10 - 11/16
Greetings All!
This week we will finish up the first four books of the New Testament (the Gospels) and begin the first few chapters of Acts.
Gospel of John - John's Gospel, written by one of the disciples, is very different than the others and so it is NOT included as a synoptic or similar Gospel. While it does mention some of the same stories of people and healings and miracles, the timeline of Jesus' ministry is different than the others and John also includes large chunks of teaching (like chapters 6, 10, and 13-16) that explain who Jesus is that are not included in any of the other Gospels. John is clear though about his criteria for what is included within his Gospel: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But THESE are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)
Acts or Acts of the Apostles, is the second of Luke's major writings, showing how the disciples spread the goods news of the Gospel after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven. The key verse for this book is Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This verses sets the tone for all of the action in the book. The first major segment is chapters 1-7 where the actions centers around the Jews in Jerusalem and Peter is the main figure. The timeline here is about 2 years from Pentecost through the stoning of Stephen.
Here is the schedule:
10, Sunday: Luke 21 - 24
11, Monday: John 1 - 4
12, Tuesday: John 5-8
13, Wednesday: John 9-12
14, Thursday: John 13-16
15, Friday: John 17-20
16, Saturday: John 21 - Acts 3
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
This week we will finish up the first four books of the New Testament (the Gospels) and begin the first few chapters of Acts.
Gospel of John - John's Gospel, written by one of the disciples, is very different than the others and so it is NOT included as a synoptic or similar Gospel. While it does mention some of the same stories of people and healings and miracles, the timeline of Jesus' ministry is different than the others and John also includes large chunks of teaching (like chapters 6, 10, and 13-16) that explain who Jesus is that are not included in any of the other Gospels. John is clear though about his criteria for what is included within his Gospel: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But THESE are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)
Acts or Acts of the Apostles, is the second of Luke's major writings, showing how the disciples spread the goods news of the Gospel after Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven. The key verse for this book is Acts 1:8: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This verses sets the tone for all of the action in the book. The first major segment is chapters 1-7 where the actions centers around the Jews in Jerusalem and Peter is the main figure. The timeline here is about 2 years from Pentecost through the stoning of Stephen.
Here is the schedule:
10, Sunday: Luke 21 - 24
11, Monday: John 1 - 4
12, Tuesday: John 5-8
13, Wednesday: John 9-12
14, Thursday: John 13-16
15, Friday: John 17-20
16, Saturday: John 21 - Acts 3
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Friday Fives
2. Evangelism Study - We have started a study entitled, Just Walk Across the Room. This study, written by Bill Hybels, helps shed light on the nature, purpose, and necessity of evangelism. You will be introduced to what evangelism really means, as well as ways all of us can engage in its practice. If evangelism terrifies you, this study is for you. It evangelism confuses you, this study is for you. If evangelism is right up your alley and you have that spiritual gift, this study is for you. So as you can see, this study is for you. We will meet for our last session this Wednesday. Even if you have missed a session or two, or even all of them, it is never too late to come. The class will be offered twice a day at 11 A.M. and 7 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall. I hope to see you there.
4. New Member Class - On Sunday, November 17th at 12:45 P.M., I will host a new member class in my office. If you have been attending Druid Hills for at least three months and would like to take that next step in becoming a member of this church, this class is for you! To register for this class, either call the church office at 629-5688, or email me by clicking here. This is a one time session where we get together to discuss what it means to be a United Methodist, what it means to be a member of Druid Hills UMC, and offer you a little background on the history of this church. If this interests you, I hope you will make plans to attend.
5. Upcoming Events - There are a couple of upcoming events in the life of this congregation that I want you all to be aware of so you can be a part of them.- On December 15th, we will once again host our Blue Christmas service. This time of year is intended to be full of hope and joy. It is intended to be a time to celebrate and experience the love of Christ and family. However; for those that have lost someone to death, it can be a time of great sorrow and grief. On Sunday, December 15th, at 12:15pm, we are going to gather for a Blue Christmas service in our Sanctuary. This service is one of remembrance and hope where we will acknowledge our grief, but also the hope that comes from God’s constant presence. I pray you will join us for this time of worship and that you will benefit from the bond it will provide.
- We will also once again participate in the Hanging of the Greens service. You can sign up to help by filling out the insert in your bulletin. This is a wonderful time to see our Sanctuary go from bare to completely decorated in the span of one service. We will decorate together, sing together, and share the significance of each of our decorations. I hope you will sign up to help and be a part of this wonderful time.
Advent Conspiracy Update - WE ARE HALF WAY THERE!! The first half of our challenge has been met and we have a little over seven weeks left to raise the rest. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in helping to truly change the life of another. If you would like more information about this challenge and the charities that will be supported with the proceeds, please visit our website by clicking here.
Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Midweek Moment
This past Monday we had our annual Charge Conference. This was a wonderful time of worship and community building. We were gathered with our sister churches and just enjoying the richness of each other’s presence. I want to thank all of you that were able to come and represent Druid Hills so proudly.
I so enjoy the aspect of worship that is now built into our Charge Conferences. On Monday night our new District Superintendent, Sue Haupert-Johnson, spoke about the need for all churches to evaluate their ministries and missions. She spoke about the need to make sure we are all being everything we can be to the neighborhoods where we are located. Churches are not meant to be closed societies, benefiting only their members, but communities of faith eager to reach out to those around them. Over the last several weeks this has been the emphasis of my sermons.
We have so many wonderful things to celebrate here at Druid Hills. We are involved in numerous outreach ministries around Ocala, partnering with various agencies to help those in need. We have many people in our family that know and understand that type of involvement is part of what Christ calls all of us to do. But the other side of that coin, is not to rest on our laurels. I want us to always keep asking ourselves, are we everything God is calling us to be? Are we doing everything we can to reach the people around us?
I want to encourage you to join me in constantly praying for God’s wisdom in this area. I want to ask you all to join me in consistently praying for God to open doors that we can walk through to share the love of Christ with those people that live around this church. We have a calling to be Christ’s ambassadors to this world, a calling that we have been equipped to carry out.
But in order for us to carry this out, we have to be all in. We have to be willing to turn all that we have and all that we are over to God. We have to be willing to give of our time, of ourselves, and of our gifts and finances. We have to completely turn ourselves over to God so that the Holy Spirit will flow through us with nothing to diminish its strength. And we all have to be a part of this, working together.
I am so excited about what we can do as Christ’s ambassadors to this part of Ocala! I am so anxious to see what we can do as the body of Druid Hills! I hope you will join me this year and be all in as we work to build the Kingdom of God together.
Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!
I so enjoy the aspect of worship that is now built into our Charge Conferences. On Monday night our new District Superintendent, Sue Haupert-Johnson, spoke about the need for all churches to evaluate their ministries and missions. She spoke about the need to make sure we are all being everything we can be to the neighborhoods where we are located. Churches are not meant to be closed societies, benefiting only their members, but communities of faith eager to reach out to those around them. Over the last several weeks this has been the emphasis of my sermons.
We have so many wonderful things to celebrate here at Druid Hills. We are involved in numerous outreach ministries around Ocala, partnering with various agencies to help those in need. We have many people in our family that know and understand that type of involvement is part of what Christ calls all of us to do. But the other side of that coin, is not to rest on our laurels. I want us to always keep asking ourselves, are we everything God is calling us to be? Are we doing everything we can to reach the people around us?
I want to encourage you to join me in constantly praying for God’s wisdom in this area. I want to ask you all to join me in consistently praying for God to open doors that we can walk through to share the love of Christ with those people that live around this church. We have a calling to be Christ’s ambassadors to this world, a calling that we have been equipped to carry out.
But in order for us to carry this out, we have to be all in. We have to be willing to turn all that we have and all that we are over to God. We have to be willing to give of our time, of ourselves, and of our gifts and finances. We have to completely turn ourselves over to God so that the Holy Spirit will flow through us with nothing to diminish its strength. And we all have to be a part of this, working together.
I am so excited about what we can do as Christ’s ambassadors to this part of Ocala! I am so anxious to see what we can do as the body of Druid Hills! I hope you will join me this year and be all in as we work to build the Kingdom of God together.
Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Bible Challenge 11/03 - 11/09
Greetings All!
We will be over almost 75% of the way through the Gospels after this week, with Mark done and all but four chapters read in Luke.
The Gospel of Luke is the first part of a two-part book written by the same author. The first part is an account of Jesus' life; the second part, the book of Acts, is an account of the early life of the church. The author Luke was a physician who was a traveling companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He addresses the books of Luke and Acts to Theophilus, probably a Gentile that was either a new believer or someone who wanted to know more about Jesus. Luke elaborates on a lot of the information from Matthew and Mark, including more parables and more stories about Jesus' interactions with people which show his interest in the non-Jewish world and the poor.
Here is the schedule:
03, Sunday: Mark 9-12
04, Monday: Mark 13-16
05, Tuesday: Luke 1-4
06, Wednesday: Luke 5-8
07, Thursday: Luke 9-12
08, Friday: Luke 13-16
09, Saturday: Luke 17-20
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
We will be over almost 75% of the way through the Gospels after this week, with Mark done and all but four chapters read in Luke.
The Gospel of Luke is the first part of a two-part book written by the same author. The first part is an account of Jesus' life; the second part, the book of Acts, is an account of the early life of the church. The author Luke was a physician who was a traveling companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He addresses the books of Luke and Acts to Theophilus, probably a Gentile that was either a new believer or someone who wanted to know more about Jesus. Luke elaborates on a lot of the information from Matthew and Mark, including more parables and more stories about Jesus' interactions with people which show his interest in the non-Jewish world and the poor.
Here is the schedule:
03, Sunday: Mark 9-12
04, Monday: Mark 13-16
05, Tuesday: Luke 1-4
06, Wednesday: Luke 5-8
07, Thursday: Luke 9-12
08, Friday: Luke 13-16
09, Saturday: Luke 17-20
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His Holy Word. Amen.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Friday Fives
1. Preaching Series - This Sunday we will continue our preaching series centering on our understanding of the Incarnation of God. The Incarnation is so much more than an event or a definition. The Incarnation influences who we are, what we believe, and how we act. It helps us begin to understand the depth of God's love and the nature of God's character. It points us towards a whole new life and set of goals and priorities. Over the next few weeks we will look at the Incarnation as we unpack what it means to us as Disciples of Jesus Christ. So invite a friend and come be a part of the celebration!
2. Change Your Clocks! - Do not forget to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night. This is that blessed time of year where you gain an hour of sleep, so do not miss it.
3. Charge Conference - Monday, November 4th, from 6:30pm - 7:30pm you are invited to be part of our Cluster Charge Conference at First UMC, Ocala. We will gather in their Family Life Center for a time of Communion, worshipful work, and Spirit-filled music. I hope you will make plans to attend and come be a part of this time of fellowship and worship.
4. Nursery Help - I know I have had this plea on the Friday Fives for a while, but we still need volunteers. Once we get enough I can take this one down. Therefore, we are looking for people to help us staff our nursery on Sunday mornings. The number of young people we have in the nursery is growing and needless to say, that is a good thing! If you are interested in helping Ms. Joy care for and teach our kids during worship, please let the church office know. You can email by clicking here, or call 629-5688. Thus far, we have had five people sign up and we are looking for at least eight. Remember the old adage, many hands make light work. I hope you will consider volunteering to help support this ministry.
5. Evangelism Study - We have started a new study entitled, Just Walk Across the Room. This study, written by Bill Hybels, helps shed light on the nature, purpose, and necessity of evangelism. You will be introduced to what evangelism really means, as well as ways all of us can engage in its practice. If evangelism terrifies you, this study is for you. It evangelism confuses you, this study is for you. If evangelism is right up your alley and you have that spiritual gift, this study is for you. So as you can see, this study is for you. We will meet for two more sessions, November 6th, and November 13th, all Wednesdays. The class will be offered twice a day at 11 A.M. and 7 P.M. For more information please visit our website by clicking here.
Advent Conspiracy Update - WE ARE HALF WAY THERE!! The first half of our challenge has been met and we have a little over seven weeks left to raise the rest. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in helping to truly change the life of another. If you would like more information about this challenge and the charities that will be supported with the proceeds, please visit our website by clicking here.
Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday!
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