family Bible study

I have seen Bible studies for men, studies for women, and studies for small groups, but it is rare to find a Bible study written for families.


This study on the book of Hebrews from Simply Charlotte Mason looks to be an excellent guide for a family wanting to tackle this amazing New Testament book together, and really does include something for every age especially from early (with some creativity) to middle elementary on up.  We are hoping to work through it in our family this summer!

If you visit the SCM website, be sure to check out the GOAL study, also written for families.  And please leave a comment if you have found other family-friendly Bible study resources.

The Tale of Three Trees

How Genesis 1-3 points us to the Savior...

E100 Reading Challenge

This fall, our women's ministry team has encouraged us to take the E100 Reading Challenge: to read through 100 essential passages that give an overview of the message of the Bible.  I'd like to encourage you to come along with us!  If you're a reader of this blog, but not a member of our church, you are still welcome to join the challenge.  You can download a brochure here.   To be a part of EWO conversation, be sure to come and check out our blog: http://www.ewowomenoftheword.com/.  We will be finished by November 30. 

new blog

I've started a new blog with an emphasis on Bible study.  You're welcome to come and check it out!

www.miningtheword.blogspot.com

halting the trend

For the past few years, I've had the privilege of leading women who are farther along life's journey than I am.  At first this role scared me to death, as I felt ill-equipped to handle a different season in life--one I haven't experienced yet.  However, as I've listened to their wisdom, walked along with them through trials, and peeked into heartaches, it has been an experience I treasure.  I'm so grateful to all these women who have given me a glimpse of their lives and hearts as they have walked trusting Christ in places I have not yet trod.

One particular area of heartache has gripped me as a mom of young children: hearing mothers of grown children expressing concern over one, two, or more of their offspring who were raised in the church and active in youth group, then went their own way in their young adult years.  We pray often for each other on these issues.   These are godly women and often their kids have attended solid churches.  What went wrong? 

It was with that concern in mind I recently picked up Ken Ham's book Already Gone.  With the help of a poll conducted by Britt Beemer, Ken carefully looks at the epidemic proportion of young adults who are leaving the church.  According to statistics, if you look around your church youth group on a Sunday morning, it is not unreasonable to fully expect two-thirds of those young people to leave the church when they leave home.  Some of them will return when they have their own children, but most will never come back. 

What Ken discovered is intriguing and alarming: many young adults who seem to leave the church after high school were "already gone" before they left high school, or even jr. high.  When asked when they began to question and even reject Christian teaching, these young adults cited these years as the ones in which they made their ultimate decisions about Christianity.  Shockingly, it was not their college years or experience that tipped the scales in either direction.  Furthermore, those who had grown up attending Sunday School were actually more likely to question their beliefs, embrace the world's values, and exit the church doors.  The reason for the abandonment of faith given was a disconnect in church to what they are experiencing in their daily lives.  They have no answers to provide a solid Biblical foundation which will counter the things they are learning at school about evolution, moral issues, and the things that matter most to them in life.

According to their poll, those who have attended Sunday School are actually:

1. More likely NOT to believe that all the accounts/stories in the Bible are true/accurate.


2. more likely to doubt the Bible because it was written by men.


3. more likely to defend premarital sex.


4. more likely to accept that gay marriage and abortion should be legal.


5. much more likely to believe that God used evolution to change one kind of animal into another.


6. more likely to doubt the Bible because of the secular dates of billions of years for the age of the earth.


7. much more likely to have become anti-church over the years.

Thankfully, Ken Ham does not suggest that we quickly pull our children out of the Sunday School program.  He does, however, call into question some of the ways we teach our children and suggests ideas to help remedy the problem.

First, we need to equip children with Biblical information on creation to help counter the evolutionary theories that are so prevalent in our culture.  This means we need to start teaching apologetics, even in preschool.  Whether in lessons to children or to adults, our congregations need help in understanding how things like dinosaurs, the fossil record, and Noah's flood fit in with scientific discoveries and the biblical account of God's creation of the world.

Second, we must teach Biblical authority, starting with the first book of the Bible.  It is there that we learn about the creation of the world in 7 days, the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, the problem of sin, the creation of races, and other issues that shape a Biblical Christian worldview.  Perhaps one mistake we are making is in teaching Bible stories, interpreted as a narrative that may or may not be true but from which a good, moral lesson can be learned.  The Bible instead must be taught as historical fact, including details on how/where/why such events took place.  Use this teaching to ask important life questions, using the text to make connections to the questions of our day and to defend matters of faith.

Where is the message of salvation in the remedies Ken Ham suggests?  Actually, a correct understanding of Genesis issues IS the basis for our knowledge of salvation.  Evolution supposes a world that started from nothing and gradually becomes more sophisticated over time.  Because of the assumption of millions of years before man arrived on the scene, we have death (of lower animals) occurring before the fall of man, which if true leaves the Bible inaccurate and irrelevant for any man.  Evolution supposes we have a world that given time, creativity, and the right solutions, can save itself.  Why would the message of the gospel be relevant to those who would believe such things?

From a Biblical standpoint, we live in a world that God orginally created as perfect.  Man's sin and its curse brought with it far-reaching consequences including physical and eternal death which, left to ourselves, we will never escape.  God took it upon Himself to provide a means of escape by sending His Son, Jesus Christ.  He lived a perfect life and died in our place to satisfy the wrath of a holy God and take sin's curse upon Himself.  He was raised to life, showing that the power of death and sin's curse has been broken, and proving that those who believe upon Him will one day receive eternal life as their reward.

Moms, dads, Sunday School teachers, youth workers, pastors...are you helping those in your care to have a Biblical worldview that is strong enough to counter the culture?  There is much food for thought in this book and I'd highly recommend it.  Another great resource is the Answers in Genesis website at http://www.answersingenesis.org/.

My oldest son has always been fascinated with dragons and dinosaurs.  When he was a preschooler, we happened onto a book about dinosaurs that was written from a Creationist perspective.  When we read about dinosaurs in other books together, we always discussed the words "millions of years ago" to be misleading and instead gave the Biblical perspective.  He is now reading Answers magazine with a thirst for how Biblical knowledge lends us clues about dinosaurs and is considering a career along these lines someday.  I'm thankful to see how God is at work in his life in these areas even as I soberly understand there is much yet to be done to equip him with a solid Biblical worldview.

Our kids can be equipped!  And by God's grace, in answer to much prayer and careful teaching, may they be among those who remain in His church because they know without a doubt they are in need of salvation and want to build their lives on the authority of God's word.  Perhaps they will even be empowered by the Holy Spirit to help others rediscover that the Bible does have answers to life's toughest questions and is necessary for salvation.

picture Him

Like most moms, I love to take pictures of my kids. I love to take them, but even more than that I love to look at them again and again. Why is this? And why would a mom spend an otherwise free evening and even a good deal of money on all kinds of little scrapbooking tools in order to preserve them?

I think the reason is this: each and every picture we take of our children gives us a unique glimpse into their personality in a way it has never been captured before and perhaps never will be captured again. The grin at a beloved pet, the joy of a moment at play, the disgust of that first bite of birthday cake all reveal a little more of who that child is. The parent of that child leans in closely to capture just a little bit more of the miracle God has given in this precious bundle of life.

 

I have begun to find reading the Bible to be a lot like looking at snapshots of my children. As God reveals Himself in Scripture, I have begun to lean in for better glimpses of who He is.   In the book of Isaiah alone, we have been given glimpses of many pictures of God.

The Father: a righteous judge, contrasted with that of a heartbroken parent (Ch. 1), full of wrath against His rebellious creation yet pleading with any who will listen to turn and repent, (umm...chapters 1-39?), Rock (Ch. 17), a refuge, shelter, and shade (Ch. 25), Holy One of Israel and Lord Almighty (so many times I've lost count), Upright One (Ch. 26), and the glorious crown and beautiful wreath of His people (Ch. 28).  Isaiah depicts God's wrath against sin as I've seen it nowhere else in the Bible, but I'm going to keep looking because every book reveals it in a little different light.

The Son: Messiah and the coming King, the Branch of the Lord (ch. 4 and 11), a Canopy (Ch. 4), Immanuel (Ch. 7), Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Ch. 9), the Banner (Ch. 11), and so many more!!!  It is no wonder we go to this book time and again as we celebrate Christmas.  His coming was promised and anticipated as the only hope for man, revealed in every chapter.

The attributes of God, pieced together throughout Scripture, make for a pictoral scrapbook unlike any other.  All it takes is some time, prayer, study, and meditation...and the God of the Bible is revealed in glimpses that are breath-taking and life-changing.

The next time you open your Bible, I hope you find some aspect of His character you've never noticed before, and see Him a little better.

what difference does Bible study make?

This month marks the 10-year-anniversary of joining a community Bible study. When I got the call from my leader that a space had opened for me to come, I was a young mom 7 months pregnant with my second child, and had my hands delightfully full with a toddler. I thought I knew pretty much everything I needed to know about God, about parenting, and about how life works.

I remember the way this Bible study was first explained in an introduction class, and thought for sure the woman leading it was talking to people who didn't take the Bible very seriously. What I didn't realize at that time is I was one of those people. God had some humbling to do in my soul, a humbling that did not come easily but was necessary if I truly wanted to know Him like I said. In fact, when I began to discover the holiness of the God of the Bible, I nearly gave up on Christianity altogether. This from someone who thought she took the Bible seriously!

Thankfully, the Lord pursues His own and kept me securely in His hands. I almost wept later when I read John 6: 67-69, "You do not want to leave, too, do you?" Jesus asked the twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." There is a preciousness in knowing my Savior that will never fade, no matter how long my life will last.

However, it is a love that is constantly fanned into a flame through the careful study of the word of God. This month I have been reflecting on this question: what difference has it made to spend 10 years in systematic Bible study, which has spanned such books as the Pentateuch, two of the gospels, all of the minor prophets, part of a major prophet, many of Paul's letters, and other books I have delved into on my own to study and share with others? What lessons have I learned along the way?

1. We really are no greater than our view of God.
A small view of God translates to small living--often for selfish pursuits. A high and lofty view of God gives way to a life that manifests Christ--for God's glory and the good of others.

2. The best way to study the Bible I have found is to first look for what it says and reveals about God, and then how He would have me respond.
The Bible is not primarily a rule book for life. It is primarily about God and His activity in human history culminating in the redemption of man. The more I understand God and His character, the more my rebellious heart is exposed to be dealt with before a holy God. And the more I see my need for a Savior, and my love for Jesus grows.

3. The Bible has one message, and every part rests on the whole.
It is impossible to understand the gospel without seeing God's wrath on sin. The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New. God is pictured both as a broken-hearted parent and a holy Judge. Everything points to Christ. We must contend with every part of Scripture to truly grasp the character of God and His purposes in dealing with man.

4. Daily prayer and Bible study is the key to growing in my relationship with God.
There are no shortcuts, and I need a steady intake of God's word and time with Him more than I need daily sustenance. In ten years of practice, it has become an unbreakable daily habit, but it is so much more than that. It is communion with God. How can intimacy grow without it?

5. The Holy Spirit is a person of the Godhead, and not an "it."
We can go through our Christian lives completely oblivious to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. However, if we miss His work, we miss much.

6. God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
When I started studying God's word, I was so shy I could hardly look a stranger in the eyes. I rarely started conversations and had no idea how to draw people out in them, nor did I care to do so. However, my weakness is the perfect showcase for God's strength to be manifest. Inexplicably, God has given me the privilege of sharing the gospel with complete strangers and see them come to Christ. He has also allowed me to shepherd around 200 women in the past 8 years through various Bible studies, and to witness lives being changed through belief in His word. Yet I feel like I am only beginning to learn the skills it takes to truly love, speak with, and disciple other believers. Truly nothing is impossible with God, and it is all about Him!! There is no greater joy than to be His instrument and see glimpses of His work.

7. The greatest threat to Satan's schemes is one saint on her knees.
Not because of what she is doing, but because God has chosen to work through prayer. He hears and answers. Christ triumphs over evil--is there any greater spectator sport than seeing answers to prayer?

8. Hell is a real place and I deserve to go there.
The more I know God, the more I see myself for who I really am. As the Holy Spirit makes me aware of my thoughts, attitudes, and actions, sin still has a hold. Truly I am an object of the grace of God.

9. The best gift I can give my spouse and children is my relationship with Jesus Christ.
They are not the center of my world--He is. I pray that He would be the center of their world as well.

10. Joy is not dependent on circumstances.
It is an attitude of my heart no matter the circumstance, because the Lord Jesus Himself IS my circumstance. My heart bows to Him no matter what may come, and I know that He can be trusted.

So much yet to learn, to forsake for my Savior, and I still don't take the Bible as seriously as I should...but I can't imagine where I would be without the Lord intervening in my life through the study of His word.

Luke 13:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."