CURRENT EVENT – MAY 27, 2012

It’s an old sailor’s cliché: the moment you stop respecting the sea is the moment it kills you. A similar sentiment might apply to a lot of the things we do. Driving a car, for instance. Or crossing the street.

REFERENCE SHELF – MAY 27, 2012

12.1–12 (Mt 21.33–46; Lk 20.9–19): The parable of the vineyard. In Isa 5.1–7 the vineyard represents Israel. 6: Beloved son echoes the baptism (1.11) and transfiguration (9.7). 7: A reference to the cross is unavoidable.

MINISTRY WITH YOUTH – MAY 27, 2012

Some adults give up on certain teens, believing they are incapable of developing a character based on solid values. In God’s eyes, however, there are no “lost causes.” The Bible is filled with numerous stories of transformed persons who accomplished great feats for the kingdom of God.

CURRENT EVENT – MAY 20, 2012

A few years back, I read a book called The Irresistible Revolution: Living as Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne. It’s a book I recommend–because it’s about someone trying to figure out what it means to live as a Christian in today’s world.

REFERENCE SHELF – MAY 20, 2012

2.1-12 (Mt 9.1-8; Lk 5.17-26): The paralytic. 5: Granting forgiveness of sins was a divine prerogative. 9: The saying appears in a different context in Jn 5.8. 10: The title Son of Man has both human (”mortal”) (Ezek 37.3) and superhuman (Dan 7.13-14, 1 Enoch 37-71) connotations. Enigmatic like the parables, the title requires hearers to determine the meaning for themselves.

MINISTRY WITH YOUTH – MAY 20, 2012

Some adults give up on certain teens, believing they are incapable of developing a character based on solid values. In God’s eyes, however, there are no “lost causes.” The Bible is filled with numerous stories of transformed persons who accomplished great feats for the kingdom of God.

CURRENT EVENT – MAY 13, 2012

After I read this week’s Scripture passage–Ephesians 5:1-10–it didn’t take me long to find a blog post that seemed to cover some of the same ground. The post’s title? “Kingdom and Cross.”

REFERENCE SHELF – MAY 13, 2012

1-2: Imitators of God, never used by Paul, though he speaks of imitating Christ (1 Cor 11.1), himself (1 Thess 1.6; Phil 3.17) or others (Phil 3.17).

MINISTRY WITH YOUTH – MAY 13, 2012

Some adults give up on certain teens, believing they are incapable of developing a character based on solid values. In God’s eyes, however, there are no “lost causes.” The Bible is filled with numerous stories of transformed persons who accomplished great feats for the kingdom of God.

CURRENT EVENT – MAY 6, 2012

As I looked over this week’s session, I found myself thinking about C.S. Lewis’ argument that people, for the most part, instinctively know right from wrong. He makes this argument in his book, Mere Christianity: