Bible Challenge 11/30 - 12/06

Greetings All!

This week we will finish up Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, read through II Corinthians as well as Galatians and begin Ephesians.

II Corinthians - In between I and II Corinthians, Paul visited Corinth another time (a painful visit) and wrote at least one other letter that is now lost. It would seem that the situation in Corinth was still complicated and Paul felt attacked. He defends himself with some of his important teachings - forgiving others, God's new agreement that comes from the Spirit of the living God, the importance of being a person of Christ and giving generously to God's people in Jerusalem and finally ends with his own experience of how God changed his life.

Galatians -The book of Galatians is thought to be Paul's earliest letter, corresponding with the events of Acts 11:30. Here he addresses a group of churches in a Roman province known as Galatia, now in modern-day Turkey. This letter mainly addresses the question of whether the Mosaic law is binding on Gentiles.

Ephesians - Here Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus (now Selcuk, Turkey) while he is imprisoned in Rome (about 62AD) to address the unity of the church between its many Jewish and Gentile believers. Ephesus was the second largest city in the Roman empire in Paul's day and home to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world (temple of Artemis). Paul started the church in Ephesus as recorded in Acts 18 and eventually he would send his young protege Timothy to serve as their pastor.

Here is the schedule:

30 - I Corinthians 11-14

01 - I Corinthians 15-16; II Corinthians 1-2

02 - II Corinthians 3-6

03 - II Corinthians 7-10

04 - II Corinthians 11-13; Galatians 1

05 - Galatians 2-5

06 - Galatians 6; Ephesians 1-3

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 Fives

1. Sunday Worship - This Sunday, November 30th, we will celebrate Hanging of the Greens during worship. Come and watch as we take an empty and bare sanctuary, and with your help, transform it into a beautiful Advent wonderland. We will place greenery, wreaths, Christmas trees, chrismons, and all sorts of other decorations. We will read Scripture, sing hymns, and offer prayers as we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child. I hope you will make plans to attend. Invite a friend and we hope to see you all there.




2. FAD Night - Just a reminder that due to the Thanksgiving holiday there will be no FAD Night this week. We will resume on December 4th and we hope to see you all there!





3. Prayer Workshop - Prayer is that blessed connection between us and our Creator. Prayer is the way we share our lives and our emotions with God, and one way we understand God's will for our lives. This Advent we are blessed to have Marge Grieves lead us in a prayer workshop entitled, "Come Let Us Adore Him." It will incorporate the power of prayer into the Advent Season as we prepare our hearts and souls for the coming of the Christ child.

One of Marge's spiritual gifts is that of prayer. If you have ever had the privilege of listening to her as she ushers you into the presence of God through prayer, you know it is a tremendous moment. The workshop will run December 4th, 11th, and 18th and it will be offered at 10am and again as part of FAD Night. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to deepen your faith walk.





4. Advent Challenge - We are less than $1,000 away this year to our goal of $5,000! This year the monies raised will be split between a local and global charity. Of our goal, $2,900 will go to our global charity, Stop Hunger Now, as we strive to host another meal packaging event to help those children around the world that are suffering from malnourishment. The other $2,100 will go to our local mission, a Church Has Left the Building event, scheduled for early 2015.

Please prayerfully consider how you might give, above and beyond your normal giving, to support this challenge so we may reach out and share the love of Christ with other people. If you want more information about this challenge, including updates for how much you have raised, please click here.





5. Upcoming Dates - We have some fun and wonderful outreach opportunities, as well as a few very important events coming up that I want you all to know about so you can mark your calendars.

• UMW Advent Breakfast - Saturday, December 6th at 9:30am in Fellowship Hall 

•  Christmas Caroling - Sunday, December 13th at 3pm in Fellowship Hall 

•  Blue Christmas Service - Sunday, December 14th at 12:30pm in the Sanctuary 

Have a great Thanksgiving and I will see you Sunday!

Midweek Moment

I want to say thank you so very much for my birthday card. I was so surprised to open my mail this week and see my card that so many of you signed. As I looked over those names I thought of each of you, prayed for each you, and thanked God you are all a part of my life.

Your support, encouragement, participation, and dedication are what make this community of believers so special. The fact that you are all willing to walk by faith, try new things, as well as grow with one another make this place unique and special.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and I will see you Sunday!

Bible Challenge 11/23 - 11/29

Greetings All!

This week we will finish up the book of Acts and start into the Epistles (letters). First up is Paul's letter to the church at Rome, followed by his first letter to the church at Corinth.

Romans - Most scholars believe that this book was written in Corinth at the end of Paul's second missionary journey there, dating it somewhere around 55-56AD. The book of Romans is Paul's greatest theological legacy to the church. The longest by far of his letters, it's intent is to explain that salvation is offered through the Gospel (or good news) of Jesus Christ. Since Paul has not been to Rome at this point, he outlines the good news of Jesus thoroughly so that Paul's teaching will not be confused with other false teachers. Paul' argument regarding God and Jesus is as follows: 1) God's wrath revealed against the unrighteous (1:18-3:20); 2) God credits righteousness to all (3:21-5:21); 3) The gift of God's righteousness results in righteous living (6:1-8:39); 4) God's righteousness in the case of Israel (9:1-11:36); 5) God's righteousness reflected in the righteous lives of believers (12:1-15:13); and 6) God's righteousness shared by Paul as minister to the Gentiles (15:14-33).

I Corinthians - I Corinthians was written from Ephesus (16:8), a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about 180 miles by sea from Corinth. According to Acts, Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:17), then spent approximately three years in Ephesus. The letter is thought to have been written during this time in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of 53-57 AD.

Corinth was the meeting point of many nationalities because the main current of the trade between Asia and western Europe passed through its harbors. Paul's first visit lasted nearly two years and his converts were mainly Greeks. In his first epistle, he mainly concentrates on addressing some divisions in the church, some problems with immorality and teaching about marriage, Christian liberty, worship and resurrection.

Here is the schedule:

23 - Acts 27-28; Romans 1-2

24 - Romans 3-6

25 - Romans 7-10

26 - Romans 11-14

27 - Romans 15-16; I Corinthians 1-2

28 - I Corinthians 3-6

29 - I Corinthians 7-10

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.

Midweek Moment

As I sit here and write this piece today, my mind is racing. I am thinking about the end of Parker’s and Wesley’s baseball seasons. I am thinking about the members of my family that I will see at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am thinking about the members of my family that I have lost this year that I will not see at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am thinking about when I have to be where and at what time. And none of this takes into consideration the many activities and opportunities that are taking place here at Druid Hills and those I will participate in to support Debbie and Belleview UMC.

I tell you all of this because I know all of you are dealing with the same thoughts in your own lives. We all have invitations we have accepted, places that we want to be and often times are wondering how we will get it all done with only 24 hours in a day. When I read or hear someone say there are only so many days or weeks before Christmas, I do not know about you but my heart rate picks up a tick.

Therefore, I want to encourage all of us to take a break. Not a long break mind you, but a break. Every day I want to encourage you to take a few moments in the morning before you get started with your day or in the evening just before you lay down to rest and I want you to thank God. No phones, no computers, no books, no disruptions; just you and God. Thank God for all God has done for you that day. Thank God for all the opportunities you have to share love and life with those closest to you. Thank God for being God and walking with you through the joyous times and the sad times. This is not the same as your daily prayer time. This is different. This is separate.

We are all busy; we all have demands placed on our time. But my hope for you is that as you engage in this practice any anxiety you are harboring may ease up; any stress that is building may dissipate a bit; and the focus of your day may shift from “have to” to “excited to”. You see it can be in that “excited to” mentality that you might notice God, feel Christ, and be empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is in that anticipatory state of mind that the meaning of Christ’s birth can come alive. It is in that type of childlike hopefulness that we can feel the excitement that comes with remembering that all those years ago, when Christ gave up his place in Heaven to walk across the cosmos and meet us as we were, where we were, to show us how much we are loved, that our lives will be forever changed.

May you each feel that assurance and hope this Advent season. May you each have your faith strengthened and may you all feel yourselves drawn closer to God. The gift of Jesus is one that reminds us that not only are we loved by our Creator, but that our Creator loves each and every one of us here. Share that love with another, do not get lost in the hustle and bustle, and may you all have a wonderful and Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

State of the Church Address: November 16, 2014Jeremiah 29:11-14

I am pleased to announce that we now the capability to record our entire worship service with video. I hope this will help you create a closer connection to the service as you will now have the opportunity to see and hear the music, liturgy, and the sermon from our times together.

Bible Challenge 11/16 - 11/22

Greetings All!

This week we will finish up the Gospel of John and come within a few chapter of finishing the entire book of Acts as well, the history book of the New Testament.

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.

In Acts, the second major segment is chapters 8-12 and shows the spread of the Gospel out from Jerusalem into the regions of Judea and Samaria. Here the central figure is Philip and his main audience is the Samaritans. The timeline here is 13 years from Stephen's stoning to Paul's missionary journeys. Finally the last segment of the book in chapters 13-28 details the spread of the Gospel past the known areas of Jesus and the disciples out to the uttermost parts of the earth as Paul travels all around the Roman world preaching to the Gentiles. This covers about 14 years from his first missionary journey through to his release from the Romans.

Here is the schedule:

16 - John 20-21; Acts 1-2

17 - Acts 3-6

18 - Acts 7-10

19 - Acts 11-14

20 - Acts 15-18

21 - Acts 19-22

22 - Acts 23-26

May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.