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Questions Asked In Confirmation

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

We have been blessed with a staggering number (34!) of students signed up for confirmation this year (between first and second year students.) I thought I’d periodically share some questions/ponderings they ask/share as we move through our over-view of the bible.

Here are some from our first night together:

Why did people in early bible times live so long and people today don’t live as long?
(Looking at the *big picture* of God before the creation, planning not only Creation but Salvation) “So, did God know all the tragedies that would happen before he made the world?”
(considering how God knows the future) “Does God cause the bad things that happen, or just know they will happen?”
If God loves everyone, why, in Noah’s day, did he wipe out the world with a flood?
God created everything. So God made Satan. But then did evil come from God?

My question back to them after several of these was the following:

So. God knew in advance all the pain that would be experienced. All the grief and sadness he himself would experience. God knew in advance that he, himself, would have to suffer and die to make things right again. God didn’t need us. He is completely full and sufficient in himself. Why, then, would he go through with his plan to make this world, knowing in advance all the pain and suffering that would come, that he himself would have to endure?

One girl answered: “Because he loves us.”

Posted in Bible Study and Meditation, Church Events, Confirmation, Jesus, Suffering, The Problem of Evil | No Comments »

Confirmation!

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Tonight we start another season of Confirmation–with over 20 kids! This year we do an overview of God’s work throughout history as recorded in the bible. His great plan of salvation through Jesus is the key, the central theme of the whole book. It is the central work of God in human history. What a privilege to be able to lead these students into a study of God’s plan and love for them. Please keep us all in your prayers that we may all grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Posted in Bible Study and Meditation, Church Events | No Comments »

Parenting in the Books of Kings

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

I’ve been reading through the books of Kings. I notice some crazy patterns in terms of the character and faith of the different generations. One King will do “evil in the eyes of the LORD.”

Here’s a sample:

Ahaz: Wicked. Idolatry. Child Sacrifice. Etc. His son was:

Hezekiah. “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.” He removed idolatrous practices from Israel and demonstrated his own trust in the One True God. But his own son was:

Manasseh. Manasseh was about as wicked a king as Judah had. He was fully into idolatry and child sacrifice and all sorts of abominations. It was because of Manasseh’s reign, that God sentenced His people to exile in Babylon. His son was:

Amon. His reign was short, but he too did evil in the eyes of the LORD. But his son was:

Josiah who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and led great reforms in Israel.

The author of Kings doesn’t tell us what kind of father these men were. We don’t know (from scripture) if they were actively involved in the raising of the next generation or if that was left to officials, or other family. In some cases, the next son was very young when throne was passed on. (Josiah was EIGHT when he became king) so there might not have been much influence at all from Father to child.

So what do you make of this?

Tags: the generations.
Posted in Bible Study and Meditation, Parenting | No Comments »

Confirmation

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

In seventh and eighth grade, middle schoolers embark on a two year journey to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus through extra study experiences we call “confirmation.” Typically, we’ve had 7th and 8th graders together in one class. One year, we study the basic teachings of the faith through Luther’s Small Catechism. The alternate year, we study the bible, looking at an overview of God’s working in human history.

This year, we are preparing to have 27(!) kids in the process. That is a LOT of kids! I’m trying to figure out how to create the best environment for growth and learning. I’m not sure that one class with 27 kids is the way to do that.

Posted in Being A Pastor, Bible Study and Meditation, Learning | No Comments »

Rainbow

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

My kids came running the other night telling me to come look at the rainbow that appeared after a brief shower. Nice. The rainbow continues to remind us of God’s promise not to flood the whole earth again. When we see the rainbow, we are reminded of judgment and grace. We are reminded of the reality that we are broken because of sin. (Remember how God was grieved because people’s hearts were only evil all the time?) We are reminded that God is justly angry because of sin. (Remember how and why God flooded the earth to begin with?) We are reminded that God, in the midst of judgment is a God of great mercy. (Remember how he spared Noah and his family?) We are reminded that God will bring about a new creation in the end of days. (Remember the “new creation” the fresh start for Noah, the animals and the planet when they stepped off the ark?) Check out Genesis 6-9. See another application for the flood experience in 1 Peter 3:18-22

Posted in Bible Study and Meditation, The Creation/Nature | No Comments »

Summer Studies

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

OK. Here’s some of the summer study schedule:

Sunday’s at 9:15am

June 20th: finishing Exodus

June 27th: finishing Exodus

July 4th: Church and State: Luther on the “Two Kingdoms”

July 11-August 8th: Jonah

August 15: TBA

August 22: The Sign of Jonah

August 29–OSL On the Move!

September 5th (Labor day weekend) Luther on “Vocation”

Tuesday Evenings

July 6th- August 10th: Darwin On Trial (book discussion)

August 17th: “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” (documentary with discussion)

Posted in Bible Study and Meditation, Books, Church Events, Creation/Evolution, Movies, The Creation/Nature, The First Article | 1 Comment »

Whoever Does God’s Will….

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Reading in Mark 3:

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus says that whoever does God’s will is his mother, brother and sister (those close to him). To “Do God’s will” requires that we KNOW what God’s will is. Then, knowing his will, we DO what he desires. So this involves two things. Knowing and Doing. Knowing what God desires is not sufficient.

As James says:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Posted in Bible Study and Meditation, Biblical Wisdom | No Comments »