BEGIN:VCALENDAR METHOD:PUBLISH VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:StudioMinistries PRODID:-//Apple Inc.//iCal 4.0//EN X-WR-RELCALID:0B9C7367-DD10-4CDF-A402-6EF1A9DB5329 X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Chicago CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;UNTIL=20061029T070000Z;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU DTSTART:19551030T020000 TZNAME:CST TZOFFSETTO:-0600 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU DTSTART:20070311T020000 TZNAME:CDT TZOFFSETTO:-0500 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU DTSTART:20071104T020000 TZNAME:CST TZOFFSETTO:-0600 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:US/Central BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;UNTIL=20061029T070000Z;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU DTSTART:19551030T020000 TZNAME:CST TZOFFSETTO:-0600 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU DTSTART:20070311T020000 TZNAME:CDT TZOFFSETTO:-0500 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU DTSTART:20071104T020000 TZNAME:CST TZOFFSETTO:-0600 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081202T203741Z UID:26A6B529-29EC-460E-BF6F-C929CC2195FE DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081203T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Band DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081203T183000 DTSTAMP:20081202T203820Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:Jeff- Lead / Acoustic\nNick L -Drums\nTrent -Elec\nSunshine -Elec\nKarli -Keys END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090601T061700Z UID:9D6460DB-AF6B-4A57-9E00-34A83644B5CE DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090530T160000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Elsie and keyanna party DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090530T150000 DTSTAMP:20090601T061659Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T212220Z UID:F5E7BF31-0499-46AE-A363-DA0D3E1980FA DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090420 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 19:28-44 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090419 DTSTAMP:20090220T212315Z SEQUENCE:6 DESCRIPTION:Can you picture the celebration going on here? Jesus rides i nto Jerusalem during Passover week and multitudes of people are lining t he streets to see Him\, shouting praises to God and laying their cloaks before Him! Jesus ministry has been going on for about 3 years to this p oint and had become extremely well known throughout the area. The crowd was going wild in anticipation that Jesus had come to proclaim his Kings hip and relieve the Israelites from Roman oppression once and for all. T hey expected a public and political figure like Caesar\, but that was no t Jesus' mission at all. When they discovered that He was not who they w anted Him to be\, many of the people who were passionately praising Him would then turn against Him. I can’t help but think of how many times we do this! We dance and sing praises to Jesus at the top of our lungs jus t like the people in this story but as soon as Jesus doesn’t meet our ne eds the way we think He should we are quick to turn our backs on Him. Re ad Zechariah 9:9 to see the prophecy Jesus was fulfilling in this story. \n\n\nDiscussion Questions:\n\n1. Why did Jesus specifically ride the c olt?\n2. Why did Jesus choose to do this during Passover?\n3. What was Jesus’ true mission on earth?\n4. Why do you praise Jesus as King?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:3090BD55-ACFD-4128-99EB-BC1B3CFD9F9D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090108 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Kings 2:1-14\, 2 Tim 2:2 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090107 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:It is very interesting that all these guys seem to know what is about to happen. Rarely do we know when God is going to call us home \, but Elijah did. Obviously there is an extra special bond between God and Elijah. God gave him the same power he gave Moses (parting the sea\, for instance) and Elisha longed to follow closely in his footsteps. Eli sha would not leave his side for any reason\, and as we see when he asks for a double portion of his spirit\, Elisha cannot take his eyes away f rom Elijah at all or he will lose the opportunity for that portion. I th ink when we read this passage we are witnessing a model for spiritual me ntoring or coaching. We need to have someone who helps mold us and shape us to look more like Christ everyday. Do you have a spiritual mentor in your life? Maybe a pastor\, a friend\, a relative who you are learning from to mold yourself more into Christ’s image? This is the way God has designed his Gospel to be passed from generation to generation.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:0EF68F71-08B4-4A86-BC7D-D35628BBD9AD DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081219T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081219T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FF03E817-A237-4274-BA4F-A1D4983BF9B8 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090131 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 1:6-9\, Ephesians 6:19-20 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090130 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:WOW! These are two passages that are extremely exciting beca use it is God saying to you that you aren’t to young. He is saying I ha ve words that I want you to say to others. He is giving you a message t hat needs to be taken to the world. So why don’t we? FEAR! A couple o f days ago we talked about fearing the Lord and that is good\, but not s haring your faith because you are afraid is bad. You have to be bold. Re-read Ephesians 6:19-20. Even Paul was afraid at times\, but it didn’ t keep him from sharing. Instead he prayed\, and asked for prayer\, tha t he would proclaim it “FEARLESSLY”. Follow Paul’s example and pray tha t “WHENEVER you open your mouth the GOSPEL comes out.” Close by reading Romans 1:16 and Colossians 4:3-6 and commit to pray for yourself\, the y outh group\, and the youth staff that we may all proclaim the word of Go d FEARLESSLY.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B630B517-8597-456E-8FF7-6129D1813544 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090111 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Chronicles 29:10-20 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090110 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Soak: Find a quiet time in your home and put on a CD of wors hip music. Lay face down or “prostrate” before the Lord and just soak in his presence for a few minutes.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:89F5DDD9-C211-41BD-9583-30BDCF9EE0CD DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090110T060000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jr. High Insomnia at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090109T210000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Insomnia is a yearly overnighter we do for your jr. high tee ns. It is an awesome night with a cool program\, games\, bowling\, skat ing\, and much more. Cost $20 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:55F2FABD-8EDB-4DE9-BE0A-836EA857D57C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090222 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 104 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090221 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Read Psalm 104. Meditate on the description of God and His g reatness\, and express your feelings in whatever way comes to you (you h ave experienced many at this point: painting\, sculpting\, meditation\, etc). Talk to a friend today about your experience during this session.\ n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:5F41AA1E-53D9-4EB5-8FDE-038B1A39084C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090224 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Zechariah 3:1-4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090223 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In a vision from Zechariah we find Satan accusing the high p riest Joshua\, who represents the nation of Israel. The accusations were accurate- Joshua stood in “filthy clothes” meaning sin. Yet we see God revealing his mercy\, choosing to save His people despite their sins. Go d had punished Judah through the fire of great trials\, but rescued the nation before it was completely destroyed “a burning stick snatched from the fire”. The vision portrays how we receive God’s mercy! We do nothin g. God removes our filthy clothes and provides us with new ones (the rig hteousness and holiness of God). We just need to repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness. Read Matthew 22:1-14. At first I thought it was unf air that the man was thrown out just because he didn’t have the proper w edding attire\, but in their culture it was customary for wedding guests to be given clothing to wear to the banquet. It was unthinkable to refu se wearing them. It was considered insulting to the host who would assum e the guest either thought he was to good for them or that he didn’t wan t to take part in the celebration. In both passages the clothing represe nts the righteousness needed to enter God’s kingdom- total acceptance in God’s eyes that only Christ gives. Jesus has provided this outfit for e veryone\, but we must choose to put it on. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:702F4096-AEF2-4ED0-AD1A-A9E211D03E0F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090116 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jonah 4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090115 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This chapter is a painfully piercing chapter\, because somet imes\, maybe a lot of the time\; we want bad things to happen to bad peo ple like Jonah. We have a hard time extending forgiveness\, grace\, & r estoring relationships. In this story we just read\, Jonah didn’t like the people from Nineveh. He didn’t want to preach to them because he kn ew that God would gracious\, compassionate\, slow to anger & abounding i n love. While we have trouble on giving out grace\, on the flip side we have no problem receiving it. The reason for this is that we think tha t we are good people. Have you ever asked the question\, why do bad thi ngs happen to good people? The problem with that question is that it as sumes that there are good people. The portrait that the Bible paints th at we are all sinners (bad people) deserving death as a punishment\, but that Jesus pays the price for our sins. Jonah had that misunderstandin g that he was better than the people of Nineveh\, but God showed him tha t he was just as concerned about them as he was Jonah. Does that make y ou see the people that may have hurt you\, or live in ways that disgust or bother you\, differently. \n\nTake the time to find & listen to Brand on Heath’s song “give me your eyes.” \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:471ED164-7E9C-4649-B761-1895FB0BD64D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090103 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 18:46\; 19:1-9 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090102 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Elijah had just called down fire from Heaven. You would thin k King Ahab and the people of Israel would now choose to follow God? Eli jah had the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal put to death. So Eli jah goes running back to Jezreel to celebrate. He even outran the chario t of King Ahab. He came to the entrance of the palace. He must of though t he would be an honored guest. After all\, his God had won the contest of fire! \n\nHis dreams are soon to be crushed. Queen Jezebel was not a bout to repent. She wanted to kill Elijah\, and she wanted it done by th e end of the day. Elijah is up and running again. This time\, Elijah is running on fear.\n\nI think it’s safe to say that most of us have never been in Elijah’s sandals before-being chased by a crazy queen and her a rmy to kill you. But his story isn’t that much different than yours. The re has probably been a time in your life when you’ve been afraid\, anxio us\, depressed\, miserable or lonely. \n\nWhen all you wanted to do was crawl under a tree. But just like Elijah’s story God restores you with s piritual food\, rest\, support\, and motivation. Read Matthew 11:18…Toda y\, pray that even though there are times in your life when you feel dow n the in the dumps\, God can give you exactly what you need.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T213351Z UID:F4C30D00-B958-4615-A709-E84DC73DE32C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090425 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 23:50-56 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090424 DTSTAMP:20090220T213413Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy and honored member of the Jewish Council. He was also a secret disciple of Jesus. It’s interesting to see how the disciples who had publicly followed Him had fled when fa ced with possible persecution\, but this man who was in high position an d had much to lose took a bold stand to go and ask for the body of Jesus to give it a proper burial. Although he didn’t go with Jesus like the d isciples\, when the moment of true faith and commitment came he was the one that held true no matter what. \nA person’s true test of faith doesn ’t come when life is easy but when it’s tough and involves a cost of los ing something. Jesus says that those who try to save their lives will lo se it but those who die to themselves will gain eternal life. Are you tr ying to hold onto your life and the things you have by fleeing or puttin g it all on the line for the chance to follow Him who gives life? What g ood is it to gain the whole world but lose your relationship with God! T oday make that commitment to stand for Him no matter what! Read Matthew 16:24-26!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:705A88EB-4B6C-4261-8EC1-20112A3E713C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090112 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Kings 22:1-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090111 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:If you are around the Studio at all\, you know that we talk a lot about Connect\, Discover\, & Respond. Josiah was a good guy for a ll intensive purposes\, but when he connected with God after a routine c heck book balance he discovered that he\, as well as the nation of Israe l\, didn’t measure up. As he heard God’s law he realized his city too w as in danger because of their sinful ways. What you must see though is the complete picture of Josiah. He connected with God\, he discovered h is sin as well as his nation’s sin\, and he responded fiercely to the si n in his life. Josiah gets all Terminator-ey and goes into seek & destr oy mode towards his sin. As I reflect on this story\, I realize that hi s response to sin should be ours. It was one of true sorrow\, but one o f immediate action. If you have been caught up in sin then it is time t o take immediate & decisive action because God is holy. Out of your lov e and respect of God\, do what you have to today. If that is ending an immoral relationship\, flushing the drugs & getting help\, telling your parents to get the computer out of your house\, or whatever\, just do it . Close by reading Colossians 3:1-17 \n\nDiscussion Questions:\n\n1. How do you think the "book of the law" got lost originally?\n2. How d o we hide the "book of the law" (the Bible) today in our lives and in so ciety like the Israelites did?\n3. What is something you have discovere d lately (about God\, the bible\, your life) that you have had to immed iately respond to? How did you respond?\n4. How do you keep the book o f the law in the forefront of your mind and life?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B5897ACA-E07E-4E99-94FA-9BAAA57477C2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081228 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Genesis 8:20-22\; Revelation 5:1-14\; 8:1-4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081227 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Aroma of God: There are multiple places in the Bible that s peak of the “aroma of God”. Many priests would light incense or special oils that set the mood for worship. Find a special scented candle or buy some incense and burn them as you spend some quiet time today.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:D0DB3DAC-3456-4341-B195-82C41B26A0A2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090217 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ezra 9:6-15 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090216 DTSTAMP:20081121T160623Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This passage has the potential to have racist overtones or e ven blatant ones if read from the wrong perspective. First there is not hing wrong with inter-racial marriages\, there is no superior race. How ever\, God did choose the nation of Israel to be a holy (meaning separat e\, different) nation. And even then\, the nation of Israel was used t o bless all nations\, through the birth of Jesus. Second\, The reason h e did not want them to marry was not because of language\, or skin color \, but because other nations served other gods\, false gods. And the on e true God did want his people led astray by their spouses. The problem was that through the scattering of their people in the exile\, they had lost some of their strength in numbers\, their God given identity. And they decided to blend in (which resulted in intermarrying\, and adoptin g of sinful practices). Do give you an idea on how long they had been e xiled\; it was about 50 years between when they were conquered to when C yrus let them return. Something else to think about\, not everyone retu rned. To me that’s like telling someone their prison sentence is over\, only to find them two weeks later in their cell because they were more comfortable there. Which perfectly illustrates that fact that when we m arry\, unite\, whatever you want to call it with people (non-believers) & things God has told us not to\, then we grow comfortable with circumst ances that were designed to be uncomfortable. Which begs the question\, what sins in your life are you comfortable with? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T164729Z UID:03DD4C6D-8119-489E-AAD6-4D7B4FF90A51 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090303 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Mathew 1:1-17 (Luke 3:23-37) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090302 DTSTAMP:20090218T164759Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Ok Let’s be honest for a second-you didn’t read all those na mes… You opened your bible looked at all the names and said “NO! What am I ever going to get out of this?” Now that we got that out of the way l et me say this\; this isn’t just a list of names\; this is the genealogy of Jesus. Why is this important? Because these are normal people. Jesus didn’t come into the world through the rich or the famous\, he didn’t c ome into the world through lines of royalty\, he came through a bunch of “nobodies.” Lets just look at some of the stories of the women mentione d-Tamar was guilty of prostitution (Genesis 38:6-30). Rahab was a foreig n harlot (Joshua 2:1-3\; 6:17-25\; Hebrews 11:31). Ruth was a foreigner. And Bathsheba was and adulteress (2 Samuel 12:24) \n\nThis is who Jesus came into this world through… These are the people that God said\; “I w ant my son-the savior of the world to come into this world through peopl e that aren’t all that and a bag of chips… “ (that’s what he said-ok so maybe not those exact words) I don’t know about you-but that’s great new s to me because I’m a nobody just like this list of people-a nobody desp erately in need of a somebody to rescue me from my sins… Today thank God for not making a relationship with him only for the rich\, famous\, goo d looking\, smart\, got it all together\, but that its for everybody. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204209Z UID:AAAC103F-D043-4CD5-8ED9-1E6007AC6501 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090404 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 10:38-42 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090403 DTSTAMP:20090221T204225Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:This is such an amazing story of these two women who truly l ove Jesus Christ. First we have Martha who is diligently working for Chr ist and preparing the house because Jesus is coming over. Can you imagin e how we would act if Jesus was coming over for dinner? I would want eve rything to be perfect and look as nice as possible\, just as Martha want ed. But we also have Mary\, who also was a very serving\, humble woman w ho decided that night to sit at the feet of Jesus when He had arrived. C an you imagine what it would be like to sit face to face with Jesus and listen to Him talk? Martha was starting to get upset with Mary because s he wasn’t working as Martha was\, and asked Jesus to tell her to help. Martha had a great heart in wanting to serve Jesus\, but can you believe what she missed out on. She missed out on sitting in front of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Since our house is a dwelling place for God we get the same opportunity to either prepare and work for the Lord\, or le t him be the Lord and sit at his feet. Just as Jesus called Martha by he r name I believe that the Holy Spirit calls us by name in a lovely whisp er and reminds us of what is important. A lot of time we think we have t o come to the Lord and clean up our house\, whether it’s our body or our minds and pretend that we are perfect\, but we miss out! Jesus specific ally says that if we spend too much time preparing the house we miss out on the one thing needed. The one thing needed is to lay yourself at the feet of Jesus Christ and admit that you can’t do this alone. We have th at same opportunity every day. Now ask yourself\, will you be a Martha a nd be distracted from whom Jesus is? Or will you be a Mary and let Jesu s reign in your house and humbly sit at his feet? Micah 6:7-9 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:4AA4AF11-6C77-4B40-AB1A-737C0C489B83 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090102 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 5:1-4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090101 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Dagon was the false fish god or fertility god of the Philist ines. The image of Dagon was a torso of a man with the tail of a fish. D uring the night the image of Dagon fell over before the Ark of God. The Philistines propped Dagon up\, but the next night it fell over again and was broken. You gotta believe that God has a sense of humor here by hav ing it fall on its face broken\, but the Philistines didn’t learn…\nWhat did the philistines do when their idol fell over? They propped it up ag ain. Rather than acknowledge that their stone was being taken down by th e one true God\, they propped up their idol again. And if God hadn’t tak en the head and hands of the idol-they would have continued to prop up t heir idol. Are we guilty of that? Read 1 John 5:21. Idols are things tha t keep us from having God as our main priority in life. What kinds of th ings are keeping you from God? Do you have any idols that in the process of falling over? Don’t prop them back up! \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:8AB9B16F-5409-43EA-8337-187A094D8AEC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090225 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Zechariah 7:8-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090224 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:For 70 years the Israelites have been fasting and mourning i n remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem. Now that it was being reb uilt they decided to seek God and ask if it was necessary to continue th is practice. God answers their question but not in the way they expected . Instead of speaking about fasting God tells them their acts of Justice and Mercy were more important. He desired true justice and having compa ssion and mercy on those who were weak. They didn’t respond well to this . They turned their backs on God to the point that “their hearts were as hard as flint” Wow! They wanted an easy answer but when God called them to step up to the plate\, they walked off the field. This revealed that they had once again lost their desire for a personal relationship with God and their fasting was just an empty routine. God desires for justice and he wants to use us to bring it to others. Read James 2. We are not saved by deeds\; however\, right actions are the natural products of gen uine faith. Choose to take a stand for God and give Justice!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090504T033850Z UID:43EF5ABF-F0A7-46F2-A01B-E3176138BE00 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090625T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Jr. high Hangout at Upper Mormon Park (Putt - Putt) DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090625T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T033939Z SEQUENCE:5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190706Z UID:604390D0-944D-42C5-8BA9-A794C34EC65D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090428 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 24:13-35 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090427 DTSTAMP:20090221T190721Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Talk about trying to pick up the pieces. I mean imagine if you had been in Jerusalem that weekend. One day Jesus is coming in to t own like a king would and the next he dying like a criminal would. I wo nder sometimes how they couldn’t recognize Jesus\, but tears of sadness can blind sometimes. I hope this passage is an encouragement to you as you journey with Christ\, because sometimes the journey is difficult and confusing even when he is right next to you. However\, God has this am azing ability to take you from right where you are amongst your confusio n and bring you to a place of understanding. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says\, “Ask and it will be given to you\; seek and you will find\; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receive s\; he who seeks finds\; and to him who knocks\, the door will be opened .” James writes\, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial\, becau se when he has stood the test\, he will receive the crown of life that G od has promised to those who love him.” He rewards the diligent those se ek after Him. He rewards those who stand firm and continue walking with Him even when it’s difficult. Check out Philippians 2:12-16. It’s the Studio theme verse\, and if God is the artist and we are the art\, then it tells us to continually put ourselves in a position to be worked on\ , because God is still perfecting us. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:33FD32E2-5BBF-475D-AC2F-4A367CCDA838 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081205T210000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Bethlehem Experience DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081205T170000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:6F57935C-BBCD-4C4B-9200-67A222F556B4 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090208 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Job 38\, 39 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090207 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Nature Walk: That’s right\, a nature walk. Most likely there is snow on the ground and it is freezing cold out this time of year\, b ut there is a different kind of beauty and serenity in the crisp winter air. So bundle up\, go outside\, and find a local park or quiet area and take a walk through God’s creation. Shower Him with prayers of wonder a nd awe.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:87221C67-E425-40D5-A665-AEF6DC3EFBFD DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081212T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081212T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T215413Z UID:7491E80F-0438-4414-9374-274BB9E57AAA DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090705T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Studio Hangout at Upper Mormon (Putt - Putt) DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090705T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T033024Z SEQUENCE:10 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190541Z UID:36E8866D-A3E0-4122-9C49-7BD87C88114D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090427 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 24:1-12 – The resurrection DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090426 DTSTAMP:20090221T190638Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:I had a friend in bible college (Andy writing) who once surv eyed the campus asking why are you a Christian? What he was getting at\ , was when it comes down to it\, what’s the reason you believe what you believe? Was it because of family tradition? Was it because fulfilled prophecies? Did it just feel right\, an experience you had? While he h ad quite a few different responses to the question\, he said that number one reason people gave was the resurrection. Looking back I wish I cou ld have changed my answer because it is the resurrection that validates everything Jesus did and said. Colossians 1:22 says\, “But now he (God) has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present y ou holy in his sight\, without blemish and free from accusation.” 1 Pet er 3:18 also says\, “For Christ died for sins once for all\, the righteo us for the unrighteous\, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”_ It is also because of Christ’s res urrection & faith in Him we too as John 5:24 puts it\, will “cross over from death to life.”\n1. What would have you done if you found the tomb empty?\n2. Why is the resurrection so important?\n3. Would you be a Chri stian if Jesus didn’t raise from the dead?\n4. The women immediately tol d the disciples that the tomb was empty. Who have you told lately? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181448Z UID:A442FF8B-E35D-4D8A-972E-1C20B03E939C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090310 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 4:14-30\, Isaiah 61:1-3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090309 DTSTAMP:20090221T181546Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Up until this moment\, the gospel of Luke has been moving 10 0 miles an hour. The narrative jumps days\, weeks and even years at a ti me\, but this moment is that moment in the movie where everything slows down and almost goes into slow motion. Why? Because something HUGE is ab out to happen. We begin to walk with Jesus through some events that all seem to happen within the course of a couple of days\, and after 2000 ye ars of waiting\, Jesus says that the prophecies of a Messiah are now ful filled in him. Did you catch that? 2000 years of waiting just ended in v erse 20. Here’s the weird part\, though: They didn’t erupt in cheers of celebration. As a matter of fact\, they did quite the opposite. The chas ed him out of town and tried to kill him. You know what? I probably woul d have\, too. You see\, for those same 2000 years they had been hearing people claim to be the Messiah\, and then watching them proven wrong. No w they they stand looking at the carpenter’s son that they all have know n since birth claiming the same. We need to see something here. If simpl y claiming the words of Isaiah as fulfilled were not enough for Jesus Ch rist to be believed\, then simply claiming to be a Christian does nothin g for us. We must live out a life of love\, as Jesus did. I’m sure event ually many of these same people may have begged Jesus for forgiveness an d even became followers\, but certainly not till they actually saw God i n him. Do your friends see any glimpse of God in you? Are you living out what you claim? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:000A5A1C-916C-4513-BA10-E13EA6EACE8C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090223 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Nehemiah 1:3\,4\,11 4:16-23 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090222 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Nehemiah weeps when he gets word that the walls of Jerusalem have still not been rebuilt yet. Normally we would say “it’s just a wal l” but in those days it was the same as a police force. It offered safet y of the city and symbolized strength and peace! He didn’t just sit arou nd but looked for ways to improve the situation\, first by praying to Go d\, then taking action to help those in need. He takes on the task of re building the walls with the people but they soon become discouraged by t heir large task and threat of enemies around them. Nehemiah took wise an d practical steps to counter these issues by 1) stationing guards at the obvious week points of the wall 2) reminding the workers to keep weapon s close at hand to fight for God and their families 3) established rotat ions so that some men stood guard while others worked. Because of these strategic preparations the men gained back their encouragement and finis hed the wall in an extraordinary 52 days! In the same way we need be awa re and on guard of our week areas because they are the most vulnerable p laces of attack. We need to be prepared at all times for battle so that when we are attacked we can defend ourselves. We need to embrace communi ty with others because there is strength in numbers and when one person stumbles there are others to pick them back up! We need to be able to co mmunicate with one another about our lives and what we are going through honestly for this to effectively work. \n\nWho is our enemy and how doe s he attack us?\nWhat are some areas in your life that would be consider ed weak spots?\nHow can you be prepared for spiritual battle?\nDo you su rround yourself closely with others that support each other?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:19531E0F-CB82-4F68-8162-8152AA898ABA DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081101T230000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jr. High event at The Sudio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081101T150000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T195726Z UID:4C5A7280-475D-4254-88F5-9A1F26F57F5A DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090527 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 10:9-23 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090526 DTSTAMP:20090220T195756Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:As Cornelius was sending his men to go and find Peter\, the next day we see Peter up on the roof getting ready to pray to God. He’s put into a trance and also sees a vision from God with a sheet falling f rom heaven containing unclean animals. God tells him to eat but Peter re fuses. According to Jewish law\, certain foods were forbidden to be eate n (Lev. 11) To Jews\, the Gentiles like Cornelius were seen as “unclean” just like the foods. Peter’s vision meant that he shouldn’t look at the Gentiles as inferior people. Before this experience\, Peter would have written off any Gentile\, especially roman soldier\, from being able to become a follower of Christ. He soon left with the men to Cornelius’ hom e and shared the Gospel with his family and they accepted Christ. How aw esome is that! God worked through two different visions to bring salvati on to this God-fearing Gentile. There are times we may look at some peop le and think they are not capable of becoming a follower of Christ\, but as this story shows us\, God desires for all people to know Him! If the re is someone you have been holding out on sharing Christ with for any r eason make it a challenge to find opportunity to share with them! \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20080907T200000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090802T183000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090705T183000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090628T183000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090719T183000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090712T183000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090809T183000 EXDATE;TZID=America/Chicago:20090726T183000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090906T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20080907T183000 DTSTAMP:20090826T141453Z SEQUENCE:1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090621T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at Finklea's DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090621T183000 DTSTAMP:20090422T211538Z SEQUENCE:1 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090621T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090816T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at Finklea's DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090816T183000 DTSTAMP:20090422T223510Z SEQUENCE:1 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090816T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20081207T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B cancelled due to Bethlehem Experience DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20081207T183000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20081207T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090215T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - cancelled due to Encounter DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090215T183000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090215T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090201T210000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Superbowl Party - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090201T170000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090208T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090607T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at Sutton's DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090607T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T192046Z SEQUENCE:2 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090607T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090208T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090208T183000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090201T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090531T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at Fasano's DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090531T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T191947Z SEQUENCE:2 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090531T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:8DB13DAC-1158-49C5-8F79-11FC0F81A944 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090614T190000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:CIY MOVE Pool Party/Registration/Worship DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090614T173000 DTSTAMP:20090422T210649Z SEQUENCE:2 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090614T183000 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T203828Z UID:C0338898-CC4F-4468-AC74-4E37CF5EEB7B DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090401 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 9:57-62 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090331 DTSTAMP:20090221T203859Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Ouch! After reading that in the back of my mind it makes me wonder if I am ready and fit for service in the kingdom of God. As a res ult of us reading this and studying the Word we know that God is using u s and allowing us to draw near to him. By looking at this scripture we c an defiantly learn a lot about the men’s response to Jesus Christ and ap ply them to our lives. In verse 57 this man just boldly states that he w ill follow Jesus wherever He goes. I don’t know if the man knew what he was saying or even thought about what that would take\, but he followed. Then as Jesus was walking along he called out to a man to follow Him\, but His response was not the same. The man said he needed to first bury his father\, and in those times this was often used as a figure of spee ch for “let me wait until my father dies”. After that Jesus basically s ays to him that that isn’t important right now\, and we have a mission. Then\, here comes the last guy and he says to Jesus I will follow you BU T I need to say goodbye to my family. In our walk with Jesus Christ\, wh ether the first proclamation or hundredth\, we tell Him that we want and desire to follow Him and then there comes a big BUT. We get excited and in a spur of a moment our heart desires to follow God and His ways. But \, when reality hits us and fear creeps up because we need control\, we go back to the things in our past and say goodbye to them over and over. When Jesus called us into a relationship he said no more looking back b ut keep your eyes fixed on me. Don’t look back at the sin you once walke d in\, but with a new and refreshed Spirit\, let Jesus walk you in the r ight way. And remember… don’t look back. Proverbs 4:23-27 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204004Z UID:3F6431CE-2B6C-4092-AD57-196C5335A00C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090403 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 10:25-37 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090402 DTSTAMP:20090221T204019Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:This expert in the law had the opportunity to ask Jesus the question that we would all die to ask. It said that the man wanted to te st Jesus\, which could have meant he sincerely wanted to know the answer . The expert asked Jesus what he had to do to receive eternal life and J esus asked him what the Law says\, since this man would be following the Law. Eternal life during this time did not necessarily mean Heaven and life after death. In this context it means “What can I do to receive lif e to the full right now on earth through God?” The expert understood wha t it meant to love God\, but what he asked further was how to love his n eighbor. Wanting to measure himself up the expert asked Jesus specifical ly who his neighbor was. During this time the Jews did teach to love you r neighbor\, but they also taught to hate your enemy\, which made it kin d of difficult to understand. A neighbor in those times was definitely n ot a Samaritan or a Gentile. The Samaritans and Jews actually hated each other because of race and religion. This story would have been very con victing to the expert in the law because it wasn’t the religious Jews th at helped\, loved\, and cared for the man\, but an enemy of the Jews\, a Samaritan. In a sense we act the very same way when presenting question s do God. We ask is there anything that we can do to get into Heaven or to have a great life. Most of the time we already have an answer in our minds and then get upset with God when it’s not the answer we wanted. We must be madly in love with Jesus\, and love his people\, no matter the circumstances he puts us through. Throughout the Bible it shares with us that we must first love Jesus and then share His love with others. 1 Jo hn 4:8-11! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090506T193430Z UID:BA140F75-E73D-4469-903A-3ADE955F166D DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090522T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Bailey party DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090522T190000 DTSTAMP:20090506T193430Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:3EF5BCBA-36ED-4AF5-8495-C9ABB5CA485A DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081123 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 95 and 96 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081122 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Poetic Worship: Spend some time writing a poem or song of wo rship. Again\, training or talent is not a pre-requisite here. Remember\ , poetry doesn’t even necessarily have to rhyme. Just let your heart spi ll onto the paper. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:C9D87A64-A9F7-4B66-A49A-EFE8EDA0BFEF DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081227 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081226 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:As the book of Ecclesiastes comes to a close\, Solomon urges us while we are still in our youth to direct our efforts of everything we do to pursuing a relationship with God that pours out into the lives of those around us. A life that is centered on God is a fulfilling one a nd as we grow older we will possess the ability not to become despaired but excited for the hope of eternal life with God that is to follow! God desires for us to enjoy the blessings that He has given us\, but don’t allow yourself to put God on the backburner by being consumed with frivo lous things in this world. Learn from the life of Solomon who had everyt hing a man could ever fathom that a life not striving to know God person ally is not living at all. Also\, don’t think that just because you are young you can’t seek to grow close with God and help lead others as well ! Read 1 Timothy 4:12 and realize that even at a young age you possess t he ability to change this world by the example you live your life! There are literally hundreds of friends or family you encounter everyday that don’t know who God is and you have been entrusted by God to share that truth with them!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090408T195304Z UID:7557FC10-7378-481B-BCBB-AA5060F05673 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090518T193000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:6th Grade Parent Meeting DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090518T183000 DTSTAMP:20090408T195325Z SEQUENCE:3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:D57328F6-376E-4F1F-8DD8-3FD6043D09C2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090107 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Luke 9:23-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090106 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:We stray from our old testament story today to find a parall el passage to what we have been reading. The life left behind by Elisha is just a foreshadowing of the cost of following Jesus in the New Testam ent. In America\, this passage is possibly far more important than we ca n imagine. We are so drawn to our “stuff”. Whether it’s our money\, poss essions\, friends\, social status\, etc… we cling to that which “makes” us. But if that stuff is what truly makes us\, it is impossible to ever be happy. Only a foundation built on Christ and willing to shun all else for his glory is worth a dime. Take some time and ponder this: What is one thing that continually drives a wedge between you and Christ? What i s one thing that holds you back from going all out for Him? How can you leave it behind? Do you need to ask for help to do so? If so\, what’s st opping you?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T065355Z UID:9B09F97C-B41F-4AC3-81A8-FCE32BBFB66F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090525 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 9:19-31 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090524 DTSTAMP:20090220T070007Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:No person\, apart from Jesus himself\, shaped the history of Christianity like the apostle Paul. Even before he was a believer\, his actions were significant. His persecution of Christians following Steph en’s death got the church started in obeying Christ’s final command to t ake the gospel worldwide. Paul’s personal encounter with Jesus changed h is life and from then on\, he never lost his passionate desire to spread the Gospel. After his conversion\, Paul took no time to wait around for evangelizing. Paul was also a brilliant scholar which helped his abilit y to reach many but the biggest part to his testimony was his complete o pposite life change! Although this was true\, he had a hard time at firs t to change the mindset the disciples had of him. They feared that he wa s only playing the role to catch the Christians but Barnabas\, a Jewish convert\, brought them together. We all like Paul have the opportunity t o be able to reach the lost with passion for God! You don’t have to be a scholar like Paul but we’re to use whatever we have been blessed with.\ n\nDiscussion Questions:\n\n1. What did God tell Saul (Paul) to do afte r the encounter on the road to Damascus?\n2. What was Saul’s (Paul’s) p osition before he was converted?\n3. Why did the disciples have a hard time accepting Paul?\n4. How do you treat new Christians that you would n’t expect to be?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181613Z UID:D15154EF-D3C8-49BB-B14B-1E7310E214C0 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090311 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 4:31-44 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090310 DTSTAMP:20090221T181629Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:How do you respond to the word of God? Do you hear it with selective submission or with full faith and obedience? When Jesus taugh t he spoke with authority. He spoke the word of God as no one had spoken it before. When the Rabbis taught they supported their statements with quotes from other authorities. The prophets spoke with delegated autho rity -- Thus says the Lord. When Jesus spoke he needed no authorities t o back his statements. He was authority incarnate -- the Word of God ma de flesh. When he spoke\, God spoke. When he commanded even the demons obeyed. If demons\, the fallen angels\, have faith in the Son of God\, h ow much more should we believe the gospel with all of our minds and hear ts? If we approach God's word submissively\, with a longing to do everyt hing the Lord desires\, then we can truly learn to be like Him. Do you t ruly long to be taught by Jesus and become like Him?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A1FF0C1A-CB8B-40AD-B805-D2FBA4858C35 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090215 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Philippians 4:8-9 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090214 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Pure thoughts: On valentines week it seems only right to spe nd time in our worship thanking God for the gift he has given us in the opposite sex. Spend a few moments in thanks for them and the love and co mpanionship they can give. The opposite sex also can bring temptations t hat can ruin us at the same time. Worship isn’t always just singing or p raying\, it can be any action that draws us closer to God. Find (and do) one thing that needs to be changed to help you live a more pure life. M aybe it is moving your computer to a more public spot\, changing some da ting habits\, or talking to someone about being your accountability part ner. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:1765FDB4-3AAC-428E-B2E1-1613C041DE14 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090123 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 40:27-31 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090122 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Isaiah spends most of chapter 40 revealing the greatness and glory of God and then in verse 27 rebukes the people of Israel for acti ng as if this great and mighty God disregarded their cause. They knew th e power of God\, but began to complain that He didn’t care about them an d their needs. It is scary how easy it is to believe in the infinite pow er of God and at the same time to feel that He is unable to meet our per sonal needs. Isaiah uses the rest of the chapter refuting this idea. He explains that God cares greatly about the needs of His people! Matter of fact\, this great God who possesses such awesome power is actually will ing to give that strength to those who are tired or weary. It’s importan t to understand that this strength is reserved for those who know their weakness and in humility are willing to cast themselves at the feet of G od. If you hope in the Lord and wait on Him to act He will renew your st rength and refresh your spirit. Whatever it is that you are going throug h right now that has made you too discouraged to go on or fight for stre ngth\, know that God sees you and your weary heart. He will strengthen y ou\, it’s promised in His Word. All you have to do is be willing to give it to Jesus. Read Exodus 14:14 and remember that even though God is all glorious and all powerful\, He cares deeply for you and what is happeni ng in your life. He will fight for you and renew you! \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T141402Z UID:0572DEBC-4798-450A-A8C5-D9089C3B6C71 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20080907T101500 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090906T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jr. High Studio B - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20080907T093000 DTSTAMP:20090826T141524Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio B will help you become a disciple of Christ. It is a n in-depth Bible study that is held in a relational environment with an intentional leader. We spend 30 minutes hanging out\, 30 minutes in lar ge group teaching\, and 20 minutes in small groups. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:598E24C4-D927-4379-97A2-631D6D4490F3 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081116 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Matthew 5:13-16\, John 8:12 and 1 John 1:5-10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081115 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Candlelight: Find a candle and light it in a darkened room. Meditate on God’s calling to be a light unto the world\, and notice how much light the one small flame actually gives off when surrounded by da rkness. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20080903T204500 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20080903T183000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090805T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090805T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio This Week DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090805T183000 DTSTAMP:20090802T131740Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20081224T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20081224T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio 16 DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20081224T183000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090617T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090617T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio 16 - CIY MOVE DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090617T183000 DTSTAMP:20090422T210357Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090603T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090603T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 - Summer Celebration DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090603T183000 DTSTAMP:20090422T205906Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090812T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090812T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio This Week DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090812T183000 DTSTAMP:20090802T131752Z SEQUENCE:2 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090610T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090610T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio 16 - VBS DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090610T183000 DTSTAMP:20090422T205928Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20081231T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20081231T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20081231T183000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:With it being New Years Eve we are still thinking about gett ing together and doing something a little different than normal. Look f or more details to come. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:5F844349-8599-4169-9F59-135C29A1A65C DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090729T204500 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=America/Chicago:20090729T183000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio 16 - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090729T183000 DTSTAMP:20090422T223711Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for teens. It is designed to help you a nd your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that you can CONNECT with God \, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an opportunity to RESPOND. J r. High 16 (7th - 9th grade) is from 6:30 - 7:45. Sr. High 16 (9th - 12 th grade) is from 7:30 - 8:45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:F82B2E9A-829A-44AF-880D-4F9C9AF0C9B9 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090216 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ezra 3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090215 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Before you read Ezra chapter 3\, you really should have read 2nd Chronicles 36:15-23. If you have some time\, go back a few pages i n your bible and check it out. If you only have a few minutes let me ca tch you up. The Israelites believed that the City of Jerusalem\, and es pecially the Temple were invincible\, because it was God’s city & his dw elling place. They never imagined it could be conquered. But because o f their wickedness & disobedience it resembled sin city rather than the city of God. 2nd Chronicles says\, “they mocked God’s messengers & desp ised his words”\, so God brought up the king of Babylon against the Isra elites. Who destroyed their city\, temple\, and scattered them amongst his kingdom. Later\, king Cyrus of Persia would conquer Babylon and God would stir in him a desire to rebuild the temple. \n\nThere are severa l things you could glean from this passage but read Ezra 3:12 again beca use it is really important. I think it was at this moment that the trul y grasped the gravity of their sin. They had to be humbled by the reali ty they faced\, that “their” city looked like it did because of “their” sin. There are devastating consequences to sin. The beauty in all this brokenness is that God allowed for rebuilding. The temple was restored\ , and the city flourished again. The same is true for us\, when we real ize our own sinful nature\; God allows for the rebuilding. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T174607Z UID:1A7F9504-49AA-4EF3-8955-7A0EBAD1E88A DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090320 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 6: 46-49 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090319 DTSTAMP:20090221T174637Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:This passage is a great illustration of a person who hears t he word of God yet still doesn’t live their life for him. Whenever you hear a message at The Studio or read something in your Bible\, you shoul d be taking that information and applying it to your life. God doesn’t want it to go in one ear and out the other. Apply what his word says to every aspect of your life. When you are at a great point in your life\ , praise God. Even if you are at the lowest point in your life\, he wil l be there to pull you through the storm. A life without God will be to tal destruction and the torrent in your life will destroy you. Let God be the solid rock in your life and build your foundation on the Bible an d prayer. Don’t be afraid to tell your friends what you have learned ab out God and to focus and live your life for God. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:E9E80B54-55A9-42E6-B682-2FC96F77D3DF DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081024T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081024T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:53EFB3AD-3F12-4566-A17D-336E5006066A DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081204 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 3:1-14 & Proverbs 3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081203 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:I love the heart of Solomon here. He quickly realizes that in his position of king he is in over his head\, and the best thing for him and his kingdom in not a big payday or attention\, but wisdom. If w e were honest with ourselves we would all admit that even though we aren ’t kings we are all in over our heads. When we are in over out heads ou r usual course of action is to first throw money at it or make a bunch o f noise about it. How often do we seek God’s wisdom? Proverbs 3:5-6 sa ys\, “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own und erstanding\, in all your ways acknowledge him’ and he will make your pat hs straight.” If God gave you one wish\, what would it be? \n\nThe you th staff would like to echo Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11 for you today. Check it out!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T214925Z UID:8ECCAE9A-4123-4746-B3C7-53E40C0E708F DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090528T220000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Hangout - Buffalo Wild Wings 9:00pm DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090528T210000 DTSTAMP:20090422T214952Z SEQUENCE:3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FE4071EE-FE34-442A-9DCC-67CA2C0B9597 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081118 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 3:1-10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081117 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:As a young boy\, Samuel grew up in the Lord’s house and mini stered beneath the priest Eli. From the very beginning he stood out as h oly and pure against the backdrop of sinful ways that Eli’s sons practic ed. 1 Samuel 2:26 explains that as a boy Samuel continually grew in stat ure and in favor with the Lord and His people\, while Eli’s sons continu ed to sin. Eventually these sons had the priestly ministry taken from th em and given to Samuel. Samuel’s call came at a time in Israel’s history when the Word of the Lord was rare and there were few revelations from God. Verse 7 indicates that Samuel had not previously received any revel ation from the Lord. He knew and had worshipped the God of Israel\, but did not know Him as personally communicating a revelation of His will. W hen the Lord called Samuel in verse 9\, Samuel responded by saying\, “Sp eak\, for your servant is listening.” This was the usual way in which th e prophets spoke when they were aware that the Lord was about to make so me special revelation. The prophets of old were constantly tuned to the voice of God anxiously anticipating any Word they might receive from Him . Just like Samuel\, when they heard their call they responded with a wi lling heart. They spent their lives pursuing and confirming their callin g. Just like Samuel you are called by God to be a minister of His Word a nd a part of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Read 2 Peter 1:3-11 and m editate on what you should be doing to pursue and confirm your own calli ng.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:1702DEA4-6217-40BB-87DE-D47E071A3D89 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081221 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 42\, 43 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081220 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Letter of Worship: Tis the season to write a letter to Santa \, but when is the last time you wrote to God? Try writing a letter of w orship to God this week. It might seem weird at first\, but sometimes we get so sidetracked or flustered in the heat of a worshipful moment that we don’t say what we really mean. This not only allows you to make it c learer\, but it will let you look at a concrete representation of your f eelings for God.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:7890CB45-2766-4CB7-BD23-DBE638AFECFA DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081120 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 16:1-7 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081119 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Reread verse 7. The Lord always has been and always will be most concerned about the heart. God chose David\, a choice based not on human reason\, but on essential qualifications of the heart. Look at thr ee things David’s heart possessed: 1) Spirituality. David was known as a man after God’s own heart. This means living and walking daily in harmo ny with God\, obeying Him at all costs. David relentlessly pursued the h eart of God. Look Up 2 Chronicles 16:9. When God looks at you does He fi nd a heart fully committed to Him? 2) Humility. David learned humility w hile sifting through the muck of his father’s sheep pens. No one seemed to notice David’s faithfulness day in and day out humbly serving by tend ing to sheep\; yet\, God did. During those long days and nights caring f or smelly sheep\, David would have learned what it meant to have the hea rt of a servant. Servants are genuinely unaware of themselves\, and comp letely unconcerned with who gets the glory\, what image they are project ing or what people say about them. A servant’s heart wrapped in humility pleases Jesus to no end. 3) Integrity. Read Psalm 78:70-72. The Word of God states plainly that God chose David based on the integrity of his h eart. The word integrity in Hebrew means “completeness\,” “fullness\,” “ innocence\,” “sound\,” “wholesome\,” or “unimpaired.” Are you living a l ife “unimpaired” by the distractions around you? A life wholly devoted t o God? Right now\, would God choose you to shepherd His people based on the integrity of your heart?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:CD2E7BE7-3BF6-43E2-9362-A0CB6C39F9C9 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090106 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 19:19-21\, Luke 9:51-62 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090105 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:We see here that Elisha was a fairly wealthy farmer--plowing with twelve pairs of oxen. Elijah signals his call of Elisha by throwi ng his mantle on him. A little startled\, Elisha makes a seemingly reas onable request to say goodbye to his parents\, but Elijah wants single-m inded devotion. No time for goodbyes\, just follow. If you read Luke 9: 51-62\, it is very similar to the passage about Elisha. A would-be disc iple of Jesus wanted to bury his father before following Jesus. Another also wanted to say goodbye to those at home. Jesus puts proclamation o f the kingdom first. Let the dead bury the dead! No one who puts a han d to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom. How can we live ou t the radical nature of this calling? How does it apply to our list of o bligations?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T141930Z UID:8B472C3F-0C90-4DF4-A9A1-F210D2D81133 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090913T190000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20100517T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Small Group DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090913T180000 DTSTAMP:20090830T130147Z LOCATION:Shelby Tracy Quincy SEQUENCE:10 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T182745Z UID:55F6505A-B5C7-4988-B80B-1F7B2043FFAE DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090409 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 13: 22-30 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090408 DTSTAMP:20090221T182805Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:A great question was asked\, “How many will be saved?” Some say that the question was influenced by the few people that actually fol lowed Jesus compared to the multitude of people that listened to his wor ds. In present day\, that would be the equivalent of asking if every ind ividual in the church would be saved. What do you think? Attending chu rch will not grant you salvation or an eternity in heaven. But an intima te personal relationship with Jesus Christ certainly will. The all so po pular comment of American culture: I will live my life the way I choose and then I will confess God as my savior on my deathbed. Oh\, they will be saved correct? Or will it be too late? If you take a deeper look int o today’s scripture\, the stress on a narrow door and shortage of time i s evident. Jesus came to earth for the forgiveness of our sins and so we could have an intimate relationship with God. Jesus has made it possibl e for communication and relationship. Salvation is available at anytime in life. The door is narrow but man has no answer for who will be saved or not. We will never know for sure\, we can worry and stress but what w ill it gain us\, because God is the only one with the answers. God is ju st and God knows our hearts and our true intentions. Read Psalm 139: 1-4 .\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T182921Z UID:1E596E74-D2AA-48C2-9B06-0F9B3B087599 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090408 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 12: 22-34 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090407 DTSTAMP:20090221T182946Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Life can be a drag. It is common to have a routine that you are committed to\, and often that routine is not by choice and can be ha ted. Having school everyday\, attending practice after school\, or foll owing a work schedule are all routines that can become a drag. In today ’s text Jesus said\, “Life is more than food\, and the body more than cl othes.” Food is what energizes life and clothes are what portray the bo dy\, and life is more than the common standard or appearance. Do not wo rry about the world or what the world expects or encourages\, because as a Christian you follow God and live life to a different standard. If yo u live life in the light of God\, there is no need to worry\, because Go d will provide. Going back to the scripture from Sunday\, “Everyone who asks receives\, whoever knocks God will answer.” We are children of God \, and God’s love for us is immeasurable. As children\, God will provide and God will protect us. In verse 34\, Jesus says\, “For where your tre asure is\, there your heart will be.” Where do you seek your treasure? Where do you look for happiness? Where do you find fulfillment? God cal ls us not to seek or worry about the ways of the world. God calls us to seek his kingdom and to find fulfillment in relationship with Christ. O ften people put their mind and worries into the routine of life\, when r eally life is more than material items and careers. There is a Creator d eserving praise. There is a Father deserving love. There is a Savior des erving trust. Does your heart belong to God and does your life reflect t hat? If so\, then there is no need to worry because life in eternity is already complete. Close today with reading Ecclesiastes 3: 9-11.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:7CFAAD4A-C59F-4AC2-9747-D965D6939ACA DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081124 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 17:41-51 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081123 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This section of Scripture presents the famous and incredible battle between David and Goliath. Verse 42-43 reveals Goliath’s pridefu l heart that he would feel insulted that they had even sent a young boy. There was nothing - nothing - in David that struck fear or respect in G oliath's heart. When Goliath asked\, "Am I a dog?" it was worse than it sounds. The Hebrew word for dog (kaleb) is used in passages like Deutero nomy 23:18 for male prostitutes. It was a statement terribly degrading o f David which would have attacked his integrity. Yet David responds by s aying\, "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts" which would be the equivalent of saying\, "I come as a representative of the LORD of ho sts." The following list is some characteristics of those who truly batt le as representatives of God: Their motives are pure. Though David was a ccused of having evil motives\, his motives were in fact pure. He was mo tivated by a true love for the LORD\, and for the glory and honor of the LORD. He fought this battle because he wanted all the earth to know the re is a God in Israel. They are willing to let the LORD lead the battle. David did this at the prompting of God\, not his own flesh. They take n o counsel with the flesh. David would not wear Saul's armor. They are wi lling to stand alone. David was willing to fight all alone. David was ca reful to say the LORD will deliver you into my hand. David was bold\, bu t he was bold in God\, not in himself. He knew that the battle belonged to the LORD. In conclusion\, read Exodus 14:14 and remember Who the batt le belongs to. \n\n\nDiscussion Questions:\n1. Are your motives in servi ng God pure?\n2. What type of battles do you fight? Are you allowing th e Lord to lead your battles?\n3. What did God do to assure us of Satan’s defeat?\n4. Are you willing to stand alone if it comes down to it?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T215413Z UID:33E72AE7-6496-433B-9C37-42F1233993A2 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090712T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Studio Hangout at TCBY DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090712T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T033135Z SEQUENCE:2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:41B9C52E-FA9C-4558-9E29-DDA2A42227A6 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090122 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 6:1-8 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090121 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Isaiah was God’s man before he had this experience\, but it still had a profound effect on him. The reaction of Isaiah to such a vis ion was revolutionary. After this encounter with God Isaiah was never th e same. You see\, for the first time Isaiah saw himself as he really was in the presence of God-undone. It reveals to him his condition-ruined. When he had seen God\, he could really see himself. The problem with man y of us today is that we don’t walk in the light of the Word of God and therefore\, do not experience reality in the way that Isaiah did. If we would walk in the light of His Word then we would see what Isaiah saw-th at we are undone and men of unclean lips. Our humanity glares in light o f God’s holiness. It is when we encounter this greatness of God that we must surrender our lives to His lordship and become true servants of the Most High God. Once Isaiah came in contact with the holiness of God and surrendered to His presence\, then he was truly ready to serve. When th e call came\, Isaiah answered. What is God calling you to? Have you surr endered to His lordship yet? Read Job 42:4-6\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:32663B48-5914-45E1-807E-91065576FD6C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081114 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Judges 15:11-17 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081113 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:How does a man kill 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey? T his great battle baffles me to this day on how Samson took out so many p eople with such a pathetic weapon. I can’t help but wonder what guy numb er 999 and 1000 are thinking after they just watched the other 998 get o bliterated. Man they had to be dumb! Samson was able to do this because it says “the spirit of the Lord came upon him”. God can empower us to pe rform even the most insane of tasks. But notice after Samson has defeate d the Philistines how he sings a little song of praise. The problem is he sings it to himself. Have you ever been like Samson that God has help ed you through something you thought was impossible and when it’s over y ou rush to take the credit yourself? Look how in vs. 18 he then becomes thirsty and “cries out” to the Lord. After gloating in himself for this great victory he becomes aware that he is exhausted and needs God’s help . Sometimes I get ticked off at how Samson can be so arrogant\, but then I realize that I do the same. We cling to God in times of desperation b ut when we are on top we bring the glory to ourselves. God deserves to b e praised when we win great victories in our lives because without Him w e are so weak. Stop and take a moment to give God thanks for everything He has given you the power to accomplish!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:C8520B95-1E82-445E-8432-A75A52FFDD1D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090129 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 64:6-9 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090128 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Many people think they are “good enough” to get to heaven. This verse says loud and clear that we are unclean. Even our “good” dee ds are like filthy rags. The concept of filthy rags is much worse than what you read in the English. In the Hebrew the word filthy rags is “uk abeged ehdim” which means used menstrual napkins. Isaiah was saying you think you are doing good but your grading scale is off. When it comes to being good you are no better than used up tampons. Not a very pretty picture at all. That is the gross side of the passage. The beautiful side of the passage is that God hasn’t given up on us. We are the clay in his hands and he can turn us into a beautiful piece of art. This scr ipture helps us understand that we are dirty rags and broken\, yet beaut iful\, pots. Close by reading Romans 3:9-26 and 2 Corinthians 5:21.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:80ADC186-AA9F-41FC-9853-2EF8A63D9035 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090206 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 9:23-24 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090205 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Value seems to be the focus of today’s scripture. People ten d to value and admire the qualities listed in vs. 23: human wisdom\, str ength\, and wealth. In our culture today\, we’ve placed such an emphasis on how these things are the result of how much success we have. The mor e wealth the more success! What does God value? In vs. 24 it says that H e delights in those who seek to know Him and live a life that reflects o f His’ justice\, righteousness and love! In one translation it says that the Lord practices “steadfast love” towards us. This love that we see f rom God is one that is neither required of him nor earned through us. Th ere is nothing that we can attain in this life that possesses the abilit y to save us outside of our relationship with Christ! Therefore if we ar e to boast it should be in our dependency on Christ! God values humility ! Read Philippians 2:5-11. We should have an attitude like Christ and al ways remember that our value is found in Him! Today take some time to as k yourself\, what do you value and where do you find your value?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T175949Z UID:1A8C05BF-C0A7-4B8F-8348-C8510728A69D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090316 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 5:1-11 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090315 DTSTAMP:20090221T180111Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:This story is so crazy\, yet so amazing to me! We have (Simo n) Peter who just had a long\, hard night of work as a fisherman and cau ght nothing. Probably discouraged and tired we find him cleaning his net s. For those of you who are not fisherman\, after every use the nets had to be washed and stretched so that they would be ready for the next use . So\, right as Peter is cleaning up and getting ready to go home Jesus tells him “Put out into deep water\, and let down the nets for a catch.” I don’t know about you\, but if I was Peter I would have been annoyed a nd reluctant to do what Jesus said. I mean he had already been fishing a ll night and caught nothing. But Peter listens to Jesus and they catch s o many fish that the nets start to break. How faithful our Savior is to those who obey Him! If we will trust Him even when it seems hopeless and we’re tired He will always come through. \n\nIt doesn’t end there\, tho ugh. After that Jesus asks Peter to follow Him and be a fisher of men. L ook at what Peter’s response is: “So they pulled their boats up on shor e\, left EVERYTHING and followed Him.” If someone did that today\, left their job\, house\, and family to follow Jesus\, we would think they wer e crazy. But who are the crazy ones? Peter had witnessed one miracle tha t we know of and left everything to follow Jesus. We have the bible\, th e Holy Spirit\, and miracles today and yet we are so reluctant to give G od everything. When are we going to be “crazy” and give everything to th e God who has provided everything? Just as Jesus called Peter\, He calls every one of us to be his disciples and to be fishers of men. Read Matt hew 28:16-20 for more insight.\n\nDiscussion Questions:\n1. Think about this\, if you were Peter what would have been your reaction to Jesus as king you to go back out into the water?\n2. Do you trust God even when what He is asking you to do seems crazy?\n3. Think about some things th at God might be asking you to leave so you can follow Him.\n4. Are you discipling His people like Jesus called you to do? Who are some people you could disciple?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:8B761B33-1F6C-45DD-A32B-A0EF10057416 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090205 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 7:21-24\, 1 Samuel 15:22 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090204 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Have you ever been specifically told by someone like a paren t not to do something but instead of listening you end up going against what they said? What happens when you’re caught? I remember numerous tim es disobeying the rules that my parents set out for me and when I was ca ught\, would give a routine apology that usually wasn’t heartfelt but mo re out of just not wanting to be in trouble. Does that sound familiar? A s we look at the Israelites we see that they had grown accustomed to a f ew things: 1) sinning… a lot! and 2) practicing the command of making sa crifices to God. However they were missing one Major detail: a sincere h eart of forgiveness! God had set up this system to encourage the people to willingly obey Him. He required the people to perform these sacrifice s\, not because the sacrifices pleased him\, but because they caused the people to recognize the sins they were committing and draw back to livi ng for God! In 1 Samuel 15 he wasn’t saying that sacrifice was unimporta nt but that without the attitude of genuine obedience to God then you co uld sacrifice all day long and it would have no value! Read Psalm 40:6-8 ! David understands that what God truly desires is a heart after God! Th is relates to our faith today\; we can go to church\, take communion and even worship God all we want but if we don’t do it with a genuine heart that seeks to please God then they are empty rituals. God doesn’t want your rituals\, He wants your heart!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A385A3C3-B7D1-4207-B9F1-D070026ECD59 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090221 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Peter 3:1-5 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090220 DTSTAMP:20081121T160623Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Today’s journal entry might seem primarily for girls but guy s you need to pay attention too. Speaking to the girls first however\, this passage is not intended to discard physical beauty. That is someth ing God has created you with\, and wanted you to have. You need to unde rstand that you have an incredible amount of power as a result of your b eauty\, and you can either exploit it\, or employ a little something cal led modesty. There is no correlation between believer & vixen: someone who flaunts herself or reveals too much. Paul wrote to Timothy because of what women were wearing in church\, they were drawing attention to th emselves for all the wrong reasons. Matthew wrote\, “let your good deed s be seen before men\,” therefore make sure that it is your good deeds t hat attract men\, not something else. As godly men you have to reinforc e what God has deemed as beautiful. You have to turn your eyes from wom en who exploit their beauty\, because 99 percent of the time it leads to sin. Your eyes belong to your future wives\, so until then you have to treat the girls in your life as your sisters. Guys check out Proverbs 6:24-26 & Job 31:1. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T191246Z UID:CCA8AE19-58A8-4E63-B2F0-537245D32DE0 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090501 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Matthew 28:16-20 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090430 DTSTAMP:20090221T191305Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Most people who have been around church for any length of ti me know the great commission pretty well. It is a wonder why it gets in terpreted wrong all the time. If you had to guess\, what is the command God gives us in the passage what would you say? Did you say go? If yo u did then you were wrong. Actually in the Greek language the command i n the verse is “make disciples.” Now of course if we are going to reach all nations we obviously must go\, but the problem with word “go” are t wo things. First\, its pretty ambiguous but it somehow gets label of go ing equals foreign missions. There are people in your hometown who need Jesus too. The second that “go” is understood as evangelism & making d isciples is something like bible education. That’s why its necessary to understand “making disciples” as the command\, because it implies takin g the message of Christ\, as well as mentoring\, teaching\, correcting\, & following. Getting back to the task at hand. Jesus has called us to a big task\, the good thing is that we have a big God who promises to b e with us along the way. Two things to think about: one\, are you curr ently in a small group where someone is discipling you? Two\, are you d iscipling someone yourself? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181725Z UID:FF8FC6FC-3579-4A08-B0FA-D07ECFB9C927 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090312 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 4:1-13\, Matt 4:1-11 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090311 DTSTAMP:20090221T181743Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Lets really concentrate on one word here in Matthew for a se cond: Then. The passage says “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.” The word “then” connects us to the previous p assage which is the baptism of Jesus\, so what its telling us is that he was immediately tempted by Satan upon being baptized. This is no coinc idence. We are often most vulnerable to temptation when we first make a commitment or public announcement of our devotion to Christ. Not only ar e we not far removed from our old life\, but we may feel somewhat invinc ible at first. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit so that h e may experience this same test and show us how to defeat Satan. How did he do it? The Word. He knew the word of God and simply quoted it and st ood by it in the face of temptation. How well do you know the Word? Does it come to mind when you are tempted? If we don’t know the Word\, and t he Word is Jesus\, Hmmmmmmm. Not sure I want to hear that.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190210Z UID:5E7452F3-4BFC-439A-8ADD-16B34760E740 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090326 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 8:26-39 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090325 DTSTAMP:20090221T190234Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:If you were to read this same story in different Gospel acco unts you would notice that there are some notable differences between th em\; differences that bother people enough to discount the trustworthine ss of the bible. For instance\, Luke says that there is just one demon possed guy\, while the Matthew say there are two\, and the locations are different depending on which one you read. So what do you do with that ? Did the bible mess up? Keep this in mind. When two people give an e yewitness account\, the details are always a little different. Certain details are more important to certain people\, all the while painting a similar picture. This Andy writing\; when I tell people where I last l ived I tell them St. Louis because its familiar\, even though I actually lived 40 minutes away. Also\, each writer has a different writing appr oach\, Luke in chapter one says he wants to give a detailed account of w hat happened so that you might believe. Luke retelling of this story is way more detailed than Matthew’s. \n\nGuys\, often Christians are pick ed on (and maybe rightly so) because we only have an emotional context t o our walk with Christ\; in other words it’s all about feelings. It mak es for a difficult defense of our faith\, because it largely depends on our experience. I want to encourage you to use your brain too. It’s an incredible machine that God imparted to us. I think God definitely wan ts us to tell people about what He done for us (vs. 39). But he also wa nts us be able think\, speak\, and act wisely as we share the gospel. I f you have some free time in your week(s) to come\, then try reading “Th e Case for Christ\, or The Case for Faith” by Lee Strobel. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T212455Z UID:7595FD19-DB87-49DF-AD84-4FCC72164C88 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090421 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 19:45-48 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090420 DTSTAMP:20090220T212512Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:This is the second time that Jesus clears the temple (Jhn 2: 13-17). Merchants and moneychangers would set up their booths in the Cou rt of the Gentiles\, which was the designated area for Gentiles from all over the world to come and worship God. The fact that these people were selling sacrificial animals was not why Jesus was so upset (people from far away couldn’t bring their own so they needed to purchase at the tem ple). It was the fact that they were doing it at extorted prices and tak ing advantage of foreign travelers needs. Also it was so hectic in the C ourt from all the marketing that it became distracting for people to act ually worship God like they desired. Jesus became furious with these peo ple because this was causing a disturbance in other’s abilities to worsh ip God. This made the priests and leaders want to get rid of Jesus becau se He was damaging their business profits and also didn’t want to cause commotion that would catch Rome’s attention. This still holds true today \, people come to God’s place of worship (church) with only their own pr ofit in mind and can be distracting for others who are truly trying to w orship God! We must remember that the church is a place for us to seek G od and build one another up in love not tear each other down. Read Matth ew 21:12-17 and Mark 11:12-19 for more on this story.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FA383DD4-5FB2-4714-9620-B80BD53A95C1 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081210 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 63 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081209 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Recently\, I read through this psalm and underlined all the ways that I could worship God in the way that David wrote about. I made a list from this Psalm that I have used to worship God in my own time wi th Him: I will earnestly seek Him through His Word and prayer (V. 1). M y lips will glorify Him (V. 3). I will praise Him my entire life (V. 4). I will lift up my hands to Him (V. 4). I will use my lips to sing to Hi m (V. 5). I will remember Him when I wake up and when I go to bed (V. 6) . I will think about Him throughout the night (V. 6). I will sing in the shadow of His wings (V. 7). My soul will cling to Him no matter what my circumstances (V. 8). I will rejoice in Him at all times\, good or bad (V.11). Today I challenge you to pick a few things from this list and ju st worship God. Read Psalm 42 for more about deeply desiring the presenc e of God. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:4D5033A6-312C-4386-9E0A-2718656BBEC7 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081231 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Job 40:15-41:35 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081230 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In this text\, God describes two animals the Behemoth and th e Leviathon. Some scholars believe that the Behemoth was the brontosauru s dinosaur while others conclude it was a Hippo. The Leviathon has been identified as a whale\, a dragon\, a marine dinosaur\, or a crocodile. We could speculate for 2000 years like the scholars have or we could foc us on what God is saying to Job. \n\nGod is saying “Hey Job\, look at wh at I’m capable of creating. If you can control these creatures\, you can judge the world justly. But if you can’t control these animals who are you stand up to the one who created them?” \n \nWhen I read this I thin k of all the times I’ve questioned why God does something\; and I someti mes find myself in Romans 9:19-21. Read that text to remind yourself who the potter is\, and who is the clay. \n\nTheological Note: If there w as ever a section of scripture that dealt with dinosaurs this is it. As stated before that isn’t the main concept of the passage but it does po int us in the direction of dinosaurs. If the Behemoth and the Leviathon are dinosaurs then it points us to believe that they existed and that m an was on earth at the same time as dinosaurs. For further study on thi s go to www.creationmuseum.org or www.sixdaycreation.com \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T165316Z UID:172D5EEA-5527-42D0-8DBA-3F4EB2F4907E DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090306 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Matthew 2:1-23 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090305 DTSTAMP:20090218T165338Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Many people responded to the good news of Jesus in different ways. The magi came to see if the star out of the east really led to a king. Others responded with an honest search to see if Jesus really was who He claimed to be. Then there was Herod. The birth of Jesus disturbe d Herod. It angered Herod. Herod attempted to kill Jesus. \n\nFor over 2 000 years people have attempted to stop the spread of the message of Jes us. But it continues to spread. Lives continue to change. Some people ar e afraid that Jesus will take away their freedom if they trust him. Othe rs don’t want to surrender fully to him “How can he be the only way? I r efuse to give up control of my life to Jesus or to anyone for that matte r!” Today ask God to break your heart for the people who are afraid of what Jesus might want from them. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T212653Z UID:F86BFE84-0235-4BD5-9F53-29E754B84239 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090422 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 22:1-6 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090421 DTSTAMP:20090220T212713Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Has a very close friend or even family member ever betrayed you? Judas was one of the 12 disciples\, Jesus’ closest followers\, and he goes to the chief priests to discuss how they could kill Jesus! The d isciples shared a common misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission on earth and when Jesus continued to talk about dying\, I’m sure they possibly felt anger\, fear or disappointment. Some look at Judas’ actions and reason h e may have been trying to force Jesus into proving He was the Messiah wh ile others think he just no longer believed that Jesus was the Messiah a t all. It says that Satan entered Judas in vs. 23 before he goes to disc uss the matters\, however\, Satan’s part in the betrayal doesn’t remove any of the responsibility from Judas. His desires allowed him to be in a place were Satan could manipulate him. Later he realizes the evil in hi s betrayal and tries to stop it but is too late. Instead of seeking forg iveness and repentance though he ends up hanging himself. Like Judas we all have at one point or another chosen to betray Jesus and are given th e choice to accept despair and death\, or repentance and hope of eternal life. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:418B6133-2C15-4240-8A85-EF3DE094A69E DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081230 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Job 38 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081229 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:I like control. When someone is driving\, I’m usually the on e offering obnoxious advice\, because my survival instinct is to cry out for some kind of control. \n\nBut as you read this text you realize jus t how much control you don’t have. God’s sarcasm is just dripping as he lays into Job. If you’ve ever questioned why God did something-this tex t should speak right to your heart.\n\nWith God we have to surrender ove r and over and allow him to be control of our life. Read Romans 8:28-God is in control… Have you acknowledged that truth? Look through Matthew\, Mark\, Luke\, and John. God is in control-through Jesus\, God made blin d people see\, lame people walk\, lepers healed\, dead people breathe…Yo u are not in control\, you never have been. When we finally discover the one who is truly in control\, it’s an amazing comfort. God never panics . \n\nNever in history has God said “Wow I didn’t see that coming. Or “W hat in the galaxy am I going to do now?” Today surrender control over to him\, don’t make it a new years resolution-make it life altering change . \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:26675C9A-8D5A-4C02-B7B8-22690193194B DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081224 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes 4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081223 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:We are not meant to be alone! If you look at the characteris tics of who God is\, what stands out? God is relational! Notice the beau tiful portrayal of this within the Trinity. God the Father\, Son\, and H oly Spirit are three in one. They are individual\, yet are complete in o ne another. In Vs. 12 I can’t help but relate the illustration of the th ree strands making up the one cord with the Trinity. Our design is creat ed in that same image. God desires for us to not only be in relationship with Him but with others around us! We are made for companionship\, not isolation\, for intimacy\, not loneliness. This is apparent all through out the Bible starting back in the Garden when Adam and God are going ov er things\, God states that it is not good for man to be alone and he cr eates Eve. When we read today’s story we see that the man in Vs. 8 is no t following God’s example: he has isolated himself by his own works and if he is to fall\, there will be no one to pick him up. Community is not a luxury but a necessity to becoming spiritually\, emotionally\, and ev en physically healthy. Those who tend to fall into depression and push a way from God are often those who are not founded within close\, personal relationships. Sometimes we just need somebody to share in laughter and other times we need that shoulder to cry on. If you are feeling alone t oday 1) Seek to draw closer in your personal relationship with God and 2 ) Get plugged into a small group and allow yourself to create and mainta in relationships with those around you! \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:659502CE-AC21-4AF2-A50E-0CB29D1B1842 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090621 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:CIY MOVE DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090614 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A9EF8B4E-605D-4967-8575-E97EFE112BEE DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081214 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Matthew 7:7-12\; 18:19\,20\; Revelation 3:19-22 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081213 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Invite God to Dinner: As a family\, or with friends sit down for dinner. Before you eat\, take turns each raising your hands to heav en and completing this sentence: God\, you are…._________”. Repeat until everyone gets 2 or 3 chances. Finish with a prayer inviting God to shar e with you in fellowship at this meal. (It will be awkward at first\, bu t take it seriously.)\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090317T125709Z UID:2F0F47F7-5A81-43EB-AA71-94166E055DB0 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090828T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090828T213000 DTSTAMP:20090317T125737Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:0A16037C-D598-4366-9CFE-8200CF17C2A5 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090220T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jr. High Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090220T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181855Z UID:35AC2B1D-9486-4101-9476-27B5776183BB DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090314 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 5:17-26 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090313 DTSTAMP:20090221T181913Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Again\, Jesus has compassion on someone who is stricken by d isease. The paralytic man seems to have a disease that affects the nervo us system and completely incapacitates his body. Jesus sees his need for comfort and acting compassionately even calls him “son” or more literal ly “child”\, taking on the comforting persona of a father. As with many of his miracles\, Jesus not only heals out of compassion\, but parallels the true healing he brings to our hearts. Paralysis represents sin's cr ippling power and the sinner's sheer helplessness to do anything to reli eve his own suffering. Paul speaks of our initial lack of spiritual stre ngth in Romans 5:6 "For when we were still without strength\, in due tim e Christ died for the ungodly." With this miracle\, Jesus forgave the pe nalty that the man had incurred through sin and raised him from his mise rable state. Think about a sin in your past or even one that ails you no w and reflect on its crippling effects in your life. Are you still able to live a full life? Do you feel like you are only partially paralyzed? Much like nervous system disorders sin will eventually take away your ab ility to truly live. Spend some time in prayer and be honest with God. A dmit that you cannot overcome sin\, and that you need him. Only with his help can we ever truly be healed.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:6FE9074C-AA8E-4B42-B6C1-2B6E4939EA02 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090105 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 19:9-18\, Heb 4:16 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090104 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:God invites Elijah to come and see Him pass by. This is no s mall invitation\, as we see very few humans ever get to physically be th is close to God. As with most God moments\, however\, it happens exactly the opposite of what we would expect. God waits until all the Hollywood stuff (wind\, earthquakes\, fire) passes to actually show up. This shou ld tell us something about God. Although God is almighty and all-powerfu l and can bring fire\, earthquakes\, etc\, as he did for Moses and other s\, sometimes he just wants to quietly talk with us. He wants to meet us on our level. Sure\, we still need to be reverent to him (notice Elijah pulls his cloak over his face as he approaches)\, but we are invited to approach the throne with confidence. (Heb 4:16)\n\n\nDiscussion Questio ns:\n\n 1. Why do you think God allowed Elijah to see him pass by?\n 2. Have you ever looked for God in the wrong places? What did you find?\n 3 . Why do you think God always seems to do things the opposite of what we would expect?\n 4. When was the last time you just sat still and lis tened for / to God? Did you hear Him?\n 5. How do we approach God with both reverence and confidence?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090803T042826Z UID:2D324C38-4D42-4D53-98ED-C11CA3A2F5B1 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20100620 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:CIY MOVE DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20100614 DTSTAMP:20090803T042842Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:849B43BE-292B-46F8-A3B8-6E30A4CC55C0 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090104 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Luke 14:26-27\; 1 Chronicles 16:23-27 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090103 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Why Do We Worship?\n\nIn worship I as a believer look for a clearer sense of my relationship to God and my walk with God. I need to think differently\, maybe even feel differently\, but certainly behave d ifferently. Having been in the presence of God\, I cannot remain the sam e. Worship demands some new or renewed decision and/or commitment in my life concerning my obedience to God. So\, can you truly say all that hap pened in your worship last year? Are you different? If we want to see ch ange in our life (life is worship\, right?)\, then we need to look at wh ere we would like to be with God. Spend some time this week setting some goals for your next year of worship. How do you want to live? How do yo u want to praise God in your every breath? Sound weird? Worship\, especi ally life as worship\, doesn’t always just “happen”. If you have no targ et there is nothing to shoot for\, so take this seriously. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:7C0C1545-30C4-4E8F-A511-83E6404CF122 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081229 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Job 1 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081228 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Do you remember the American Idol vote off Song “Bad Day.” A ‘bad day’ is not getting kicked off a reality tv show. A ‘bad day’ is when your twin sister forgets your birthday. A ‘bad day’ is when you wa ke up and find your waterbed has sprung a leak\, and then realize that y ou don’t have a waterbed. When you read the 1st Chapter of Job-“Bad Day ” comes to mind. As you read Job 1\, make a note of everything that happ ens to him in one day. But notice Job's reaction in verse 20. \nJob didn ’t complain\, he didn’t blame God\, he didn’t get all angry and upset an d say\, "Why did this happen to me?” He didn’t write some country song a bout losing his kids\, his transportation\, and his pets. Job responds t o this great tragedy with thanksgiving. "Thanks God for the times when I did have these things.”\nJob teaches us a profound lesson. In unimagina ble circumstances\, Job worships God. By the end of the book\, Job ends up with twice as much as he had before. Now we must not misinterpret thi s story and conclude that every trial will end with problems solved and everybody living in happily ever after mode. It doesn’t always happen li ke that\, but what this story does assure us of is simply this: God alwa ys writes the last chapter. Read James 1:12-13\n\nDiscussion Questions\n 1. How many people do you know that fit Job’s description in verse 1?\n2 . Why do you think God allowed bad things to happen to Job?\n3. What was the worst day of your life? \n4. How do you think you would respond to a day like Job’s?\n5. How can the way Job responded in verse 20\, help y ou in the midst of ‘bad days?’ \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:371DB45B-404C-43EA-9712-62CA133393B5 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090211 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Daniel 3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090210 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Probably my favorite story in all of the bible! Because it’s some teenagers who in the midst of fear\; in the midst of intimidation\ ; in the midst of “hey everybody else is bowing down.” These three stood strong together. With the accountability of one another they influenced each other. \nThat’s why we put so much emphasis on accountability with one another because we know that you can influence each other in meanin gful ways. We’ll talk more about these three tomorrow but today I want t o focus on something else. \n\nI want to focus on the rest of the Babylo nians who bowed down out of fear of the fiery furnace. How they were int imidated by a pompous windbag of a king. How they bowed down because the y didn’t know what God was capable of. I think that speaks to our cultur e today-that we’ve got people-young and old who follow the crowd simply because they don’t know what God is capable of doing in their life. Who follow the rest of the crowd because they don’t have a group of friends who are their support system when life gets tough. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:7. Today chose not to be a Babylonian\, chose not to follow the crowd out of fear or intimidation… Instead find a group of friends who will de cide not to compromise in their integrity. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:2B795BEA-2AF4-426D-808C-F9EB4AF72C2E DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090218 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Esther 2:1-18 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090217 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Some people think that pretty girls have it made. They alwa ys get what they want because of their looks and they never have to do a nything but look good. While there maybe some truth to that thinking\, to think that all Esther did was look good would just be dead wrong. Pr overbs 31:30 says\, “Charm is deceptive\, and beauty is fleeting\; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Esther honored God\, and sh e had godly people to help guide her. And when she saw what needed to b e done she responded boldly to the injustice that was about to take plac e. I think she represents a classic case in underestimating people. Yo u might see a pretty girl and think ugh…she is really pretty\, but I bet she is dumb. When king David was chosen to be king he didn’t fit the l ook of a king\, but God revealed something so important about His charac ter. God said that man looks at the outward appearance\, but he looks a t the heart. Are you judging people based on their looks? Are you choo sing who your friends are simply by what they wear? Does their heart ev en matter? As a Christian you must be able to get past appearances\, y ou cannot be selective about you reach out to. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204234Z UID:6D82629F-2717-43A7-897C-6C4ABFCCC26C DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20080914T200000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090301T055959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 - at The Studio in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20080914T180000 DTSTAMP:20090221T204521Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for Jr. High and Sr. High teens. It is designed to help you and your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that yo u can CONNECT with God\, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an oppo rtunity to RESPOND. Doors open at 6:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204234Z UID:6D82629F-2717-43A7-897C-6C4ABFCCC26C DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090201T210000 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=US/Central:20090208T180000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 Superbowl Party - at The Studio in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090201T170000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for Jr. High and Sr. High teens. It is designed to help you and your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that yo u can CONNECT with God\, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an oppo rtunity to RESPOND. Doors open at 6:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204234Z UID:6D82629F-2717-43A7-897C-6C4ABFCCC26C DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090208T200000 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=US/Central:20090201T180000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 - at The Studio in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090208T180000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for Jr. High and Sr. High teens. It is designed to help you and your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that yo u can CONNECT with God\, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an oppo rtunity to RESPOND. Doors open at 6:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204234Z UID:6D82629F-2717-43A7-897C-6C4ABFCCC26C DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081228T200000 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=US/Central:20081228T180000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:No Studio 16 in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081228T180000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for Jr. High and Sr. High teens. It is designed to help you and your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that yo u can CONNECT with God\, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an oppo rtunity to RESPOND. Doors open at 6:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:5225A08C-4FA7-4DF0-84C1-2D5E3F9920EF DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090130 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 1:5 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090129 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:To be truly known is definitely a scary thing. No more secr ets\, no more inner thoughts\, hidden motives or desires. What if the n ext time you showed up to Studio 16\, all those things were broadcast as the introduction to the sermon? Some people would rather die than have that happen. We all have a level of indiscretion that we keep from our parents\, siblings\, & friends. But in God we are fully known. His ey es see all of our hopes\, dreams\, disappointments & frustrations. Jesu s biggest desire was that we would know God. He prayed in John 17:25-26 \, "Righteous Father\, though the world does not know you\, I know you\, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them\, an d will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." Our struggle is that though God has made himself known\, there is still a huge faith element involved because we cannot see him. The apostle Paul reflected on this idea in 1 Corinthians 13:12 where he wrote\, “Now we see but a poor ref lection as in a mirror\; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in p art\; then I shall know fully\, even as I am fully known.” But the God ’s word has made clear that “the righteous will live by faith.” Do you have enough evidence to follow God? Do have enough evidence not too? T he apostle Paul once said to those returning to a life of self justifica tion for salvation (look up justification if you need to)\, “now that yo u know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning bac k to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Because God knows all of you and loves you\, you need to give your life to knowing him better. And one day we will know him fully. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:23345251-B700-4E4E-BAB9-5760FB2F78F6 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090228 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Hosea 1:1-3 3:1-4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090227 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:What a crazy story! God tells his prophet Hosea to marry an adulterous woman. I can’t begin to imagine what he must have felt when G od told him to marry someone who would be unfaithful to him. Hosea’s mar riage was intended to be an illustration of God’s relationship with His’ people. What’s more crazy is apparently she leaves on her own for a whi le and God asks Hosea to go and buy his cheating\, unrepentant wife back and continue to love her! Those who heard this must have been amazed to the extent of Hosea’s love for Gomer. We are that adulterous person in this story. God’s love for us is so amazing that even though we turn our backs to Him and seek to give ourselves to other things\, He was willin g to buy us back through the cost of Christ dying for on a cross. What a beautiful love story! Take time today to thank God for his perfect love for you!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T200937Z UID:C4BB87A0-521A-4297-B796-90F985317E0D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090529 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 12:1-19 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090528 DTSTAMP:20090220T200957Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:King Herod persecuted the Christians in order to please the Jewish leaders who opposed them\, hoping that would solidify his positio n. His family had a history for killing believers such as his sister\, H erodias\, who was responsible for the death of John the Baptist. He had James\, the brother of John put to death and had seized Peter to put him on trial and kill him around Passover when many Jews would be in the ar ea. He would impress more people this way. The believer’s were praying f or Peter’s safety and this significantly affected the outcome of these e vents. Prayer changes things when it’s prayed with confidence. It may no t always be answered the way we ask for it to be\, such as why did God a llow James to die but save Peter\, but we cannot understand God’s ways a nd decisions He makes\, we must trust that what God does is good! When t heir prayer was answered they didn’t believe it at first. We need to be people of faith that believe God can do anything. I know there have been times I’ve prayed for things that didn’t happen the way I expected and times that they have\, God answers both by what he sees best. Make it mo re of a habit to lift up things in your life with prayer and remember th at God knows best in His answers. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:F78C9378-3FAE-46E6-93BF-552B964B6406 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090219 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Esther 4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090218 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:“And who knows but that you have come to a royal position fo r such a time as this.” What powerful words! Have you ever be stuck li ke Esther in a moment where standing up for someone as well as letting p eople know who you really are could be your own demise? Tough stuff isn ’t it. In Esther’s case she could have lost her life\, usually that’s n ot the case for most of us although it does happen. Look at what happen ed to Cassie Bernall in the Columbine shootings. But I don’t want to ta ke your situation lightly just because your standing up might not end in martyrdom. However\, scripture demands a life of doing things beyond o ur own strength. Think of Abraham\, Moses\, and King David. Powerfully \, Proverbs 31:8 says\, “speak up for those who cannot speak for themsel ves\, for the rights of all who are destitute.” \n\nMaybe help would hav e arrived in another form\, but you could be sure that at the very least if Esther had kept silent her uncle would have died. Everyday we encou nter the outcast\, and discriminated. Maybe someone else will reach out to the outsider\, maybe someone else will love him\, maybe. Maybe not. Are you okay with casualties? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:34B37465-96FF-488C-BFE8-FA6D55AD5D42 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081026T120000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Girls Retreat at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081026T090000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T070241Z UID:0A5578AD-EB29-4870-ADCB-A90A01917C60 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090526 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 10:1-8 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090525 DTSTAMP:20090220T200109Z SEQUENCE:6 DESCRIPTION:The Roman officer was a centurion\, a commander of 100 soldi ers. Although he was stationed in Caesarea\, he would probably return to Rome\, which later becomes a major stepping-stone for spreading the Gos pel through the empire’s capital city. Cornelius wasn’t a believer in Ch rist\, but he was seeking God as it says he was a devout and God-fearing man who gave generously to the needy and prayed to God regularly. There fore God sent Peter to tell Cornelius about Christ. This story is used t o demonstrate God’s willingness to use extraordinary ways to reach those who desire to know Him. Those who sincerely seek God will find him! Cor nelius had a vision of a heavenly messenger telling him to seek out Pete r in Joppa. God speaks to people throughout the Bible in miraculous ways as well as in our lives today! It is up to us to be willing to listen\, and be alert! What is God trying to say to you today? Read Exodus 3:1-4 \, Numbers 22:21-30 and Jeremiah 13:1-11 for more stories of remarkable ways God spoke to people!\n\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:AB3D00D2-62F8-44AF-BE0B-75628C5635BA DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090201T210000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 Superbowl Party in Kirksville DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090201T170000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:797EECC2-BDC5-4584-AC2D-5A90C0D32816 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081208 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 24\; Proverbs 27:19 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081207 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In God’s kingdom\, everything always has been and always wil l be a heart issue. The state of your heart is of utmost importance to G od. Why is this? It’s because your heart affects everything in your life . This means that everything you think\, say\, or do actually flows from your heart. If there is un-forgiveness\, bitterness\, envy\, etc. in yo ur heart it will seep out into every area of your life. Inevitably\, you will end up miserable. But if you allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate in to your heart filling it with the love of Jesus you will begin to experi ence forgiveness\, joy\, peace\, and more. Then as you encounter situati ons and people in life these characteristics of love will flow out from your heart into life. Remember\, God has called you to a pure heart. Som etimes we feel like as long as we do the “right thing” no one will know how dark our hearts are\, but God judges the heart not just the action. Today take the time to evaluate the condition of your heart. Would your heart be pleasing to God? Look up Luke 16:15\; Proverbs 4:23\n\nDiscussi on Questions:\n\n1. Why do we say the heart is where the emotions are k ept?\n2. Why is God so concerned with your heart?\n3. Be honest here: What does your heart reflect?\n4. What do you need to do to clean up y our heart and to keep it pure?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:73CF11F9-0D01-483F-AC77-54AF871E523F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090118 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Matthew 9:35-38\; John 4:34-38 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090117 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Embrace your Calling: Spend a few minutes in prayer thanking God for the friendships you have with unbelievers. Pray for them by nam e and make an effort today to talk briefly with one of them about Christ .\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:5C2A8446-12A8-40CB-8BA0-AFACF005709D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090220 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Esther 6 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090219 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:poetic justice – the fact of experiencing a fitting or deser ved retribution for one’s actions. Really\, could there be a better des cription to what happened to Haman? Read chapter seven’s heading if you don’t know the outcome. The guy is so self-absorbed it kills him\, and on the other hand Mordecai is so humble it saves him. You know there i s a story with a similar theme in the New Testament. Read Luke 18:9-14. There is no room in the Kingdom of God for pride or boasting\, unless it in Christ. Proverbs 27:2 offers some wise advice\, “Let another prai se you\, and not your own mouth\; someone else\, and not your own lips.” Today institute some poetic justice of your own. Take some time to si ng\, listen to\, or make music to God\, make sure it is fitting of his a ctions. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:43A9C473-D5FE-4B3B-9AD8-C112D5C0B137 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081209 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 95\; Psalm 96 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081208 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Look specifically at Psalm 95:6-11. Christ calls upon his pe ople to hear his voice and kneel before Him. If you call him Master or L ord\, then you must be His willing\, obedient child. Hear the voice of h is Spirit: hear and take into account\, and then hear and surrender. Chr ist's voice must be heard today! This day of opportunity will not always last\; so develop it while it is called today. Hearing the voice of Jes us is the same with believing. Hardness of heart is at the bottom of all distrust of the Lord (v. 8-9). The sins of others ought to be warnings to us not to walk in their steps. For example\, the murmurings of Israel were written for our caution. So let us be aware of the evil of our hea rts\, which lead us to wander from God. There is a promised rest in stor e for you if you are willing to listen to the voice and calling of Chris t\, but for those who hear His voice and whose hearts are always led ast ray there will be no rest (v.11).\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B815750E-9301-4926-84F3-B0EC766B7B71 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081129 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 51 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081128 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Now that you have read it\, pray it\, make it your own words . If you heard repentance talked about and wondered what it looks like\, this is it\, Psalm 51. There is so much in here that we can learn from David. He displays that repentance is a person turned towards God\, be ing sorrowful (to the point of personal change)\, and a desire to teach others to turn to God\, and knowledge of what God wants. The last one i s one we often mess up. Read vs. 17 again. A lot of times we offer God more money or service for our sins\, instead of offering a humble spiri t & obedient heart. When you have those two things then God can do some work on you. Then when you try to lead others out of sin they will see what God did in you and listen\, your sorrow won’t be wasted\, and your change will be permanent. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:0C3B9F3C-93D1-445B-8E43-83EFA0DF1FC5 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081113 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Judges 6:36-40 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081112 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Can we really test the will of God? Have you ever played the “let’s make a deal” game with God? We say if God wants us to do somethi ng for Him like go and talk to someone specific about Jesus that God wou ld only show us a sign or give us the perfect opportunity to do it\, yet the time comes and God fulfills his promise and what do we do? We ask f or more proof or more signs or practically for Heaven to fall out of the sky. That is what is going on here with Gideon. His motive was right by wanting to obey God yet he struggles with the acceptance of God’s answe r. He asks for a sign and that very night it is given to him. Instead of fully believing in God he is still doubtful and asks again for another sign. Fear sometimes makes us wait for extra confirmation when we should be trusting in God’s guidance all along. Gideon’s heart was right but j ust needed some extra support from God in his moment of fear. That is th e amazing thing about God that even in times of doubt He still meets us at the point where we are struggling and encourages us on. So how does t his set with you? Have you ever had one of these “moments” with God that He has called you to do something? How have you responded? God desires for us to put our whole faith in Him and trust that when we are called t o something we accept that He will guide us. Ask God to reveal his will to you today.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:4227BCDD-8599-4F71-8AD9-59714657EFC2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090117 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Joel 2:12-14 & 2 Peter 3:9 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090116 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Over the past couple days the scriptures we have been studyi ng have been highlighting that although God will bring justice (which so metimes means judgment) his desire is for all to come to a place of repe ntance. Take a moment to thank him for his mercy & grace he has shown y ou this week\, month\, & year. Be specific in your prayers. Also\, bec ause God has a heart for all people to turn to him\, we should too. Pra y that God will open your eyes to those around you that he wants to have a relationship with. Maybe you need to pray with your eyes open as you walk through the halls of your school\, when you are at your job\, or a t home. When you realize who they are\, be bold and reach out to them. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190046Z UID:607071BF-FD52-49FD-9A38-FABA7AA9FE06 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090325 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 8:22-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090324 DTSTAMP:20090221T190117Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:In the Old Testament one of the requirements to be a high pr iest was that you had to be able to understand your people’s struggles. The most natural way to understand this struggle was to rely on your st ruggles (ie be human). I think that sometimes we forget that Jesus was h uman. We imagine Jesus as a super hero\, and what episode of any cartoo n does the super hero nap? The fact of the matter is that Jesus was tir ed. He had been teaching and healing all day and was just probably emot ionally & physically spent. However\, I’m sure Luke’s intention for rec ording this story was not to highlight Jesus’ humanity\, but His Divinit y. At this point the disciples are still trying to figure Jesus out too . Their question after the miracle is “who is this guy?” The power he displayed points to him being the son of God. It also points to a perso n who is concerned about what we are going through. If you have ever wo ndered if God is concerned about your situation\, read this scripture an d know that he is and he alone has the power to bring the storm to rest. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181807Z UID:E91A19AE-DB9A-4314-8653-AB360069C342 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090313 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 5:12-16 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090312 DTSTAMP:20090221T181824Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Look at the faith of this man who was said to be “full of Le prosy”. We find it in his words “If you are willing”. The man doesn’t sa y “if you can”. There is already an understanding\, a faith\, that Jesus can absolutely heal him. Of course we find that Jesus is more than will ing to heal the man\, and we see that it is out of love - not seeking gl ory that Jesus does so (He tells him not to even tell anyone). This whol e first section of Luke is trying to show us how to have faith. We saw i t as early as the story of Zacharias and now here with the Leper. We mus t truly believe that God is able to do all things. Maybe more importantl y\, know that God is willing to heal us. Maybe not always physically\, b ut He longs to heal our heart and reconcile us to him. Lepers were the g rossest\, most despised human beings on the earth at the time of Jesus. He constantly was healing and interacting with them to show that no dise ase\, no person\, no sin is too ugly for him to touch and heal. He is wi lling. Are you willing to let him heal you?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081202T203741Z UID:9C72DEEA-E196-4224-8AB6-743080685199 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090107T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Band DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090107T183000 DTSTAMP:20081202T204009Z SEQUENCE:2 DESCRIPTION:Lyndsey –Lead\nMatt -Drums\nLosch -Elec\nBailey -Acoustic\nO ’Conner -Keys\nSunshine -Elec\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:2BABE8EB-D9FA-4AA8-A1FD-A67904344D33 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081203 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 2:1-4 & Proverbs 2 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081202 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:They say the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. And in the case of David & Solomon that phrase couldn’t be truer. The passa ge from 1 Kings has striking similarities to what Solomon wrote in Prove rbs 2. The legacy of David is not seen only in what he did but what he left behind in Solomon. David invested in the life of his son. He taug ht Solomon what he had learned about God from the relationship he had wi th him & God’s word. As Christians God has called us to be disciple mak ers: we are supposed to be investing into others what God has given us. A couple of question you need to answer. Are you being invested in (ie . are you in a small group)? Do you have people that you are investing in? Let your life leave a legacy in someone else.\n\nIf you have some e xtra time\, read 1 Timothy 6:6-16 & 2 Timothy 1:1-7. In these passages you get a glimpse of Paul investing into Timothy’s life. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A837E189-8041-47EC-8851-681BAA532707 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090214 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Daniel 12:1-2\; 12:10\; 12:13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090213 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:The entire book of Daniel has had one theme: In spite of the situation-God is in control. No matter how hard things may get-God is s till on his throne. In a word\, God is sovereign. Acts 2:22-24 says that God was in control even as the soldiers were nailing Jesus’ hands and f eet to the cross. Romans 8:28-30 says that God works out everything\, i ncluding acts of harm against us\, for our good. God is in control-and t he 12th chapter of Daniel speaks to that truth. \n\nIt makes it very cle ar that the wicked will ultimately get what they deserve-destruction and shame-while the Godly will get what they deserve-honor and eternal life . The victory was won on the cross and we await the second coming for i ts ultimate resolution. For those of us who put our faith and trust in J esus Christ as our Lord and Savior we can look forward to the future we have in heaven. Though we may suffer life now\, we can live life to the fullest. In spite of whatever situation we may face\, we know that God i s in control. In the words of Daniel\, don’t wait for the future-“go yo ur way till the end\, and then in the last days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”\n\nWhat a powerful way to bring this book t o a close – by ending with a snap shot of the future resurrection– and a challenge to go out and live life to the fullest because you know that there is a resurrection in your future. Read Mathew 5:12 and 1 Peter 1:3 -5\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:1D824E2A-0055-46AA-918E-C853E18CA8E2 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081207T210000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Bethlehem Experience DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081207T170000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:C8AD582A-ADBF-4427-9E6D-13B153396E4A DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081206T210000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Bethlehem Experience DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081206T170000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:22E2032C-E1CB-47C2-A4D1-72E773E63524 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090201 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Exodus 3:1-15\; Acts 7:30-36 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090131 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Unexpected “Holy Ground”: Find a place you have never spent worship time before\, or someplace that may seem like an odd place to wo rship (i.e. clear a space in the closet\, tree house\, the tool shed). P onder the difference between the Temple of old\, and what Christ has mad e His new temple.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T175341Z UID:86C1BBB3-B88F-41DD-AF24-D9785C7B0154 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090317 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 5:12-16 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090316 DTSTAMP:20090221T175401Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:In this story we see a man who is “covered with leprosy” com e up to Jesus\, fall on his face and beg Jesus to make him clean. I thin k this man did everything right in this situation. He was sick\, so he w ent to the only one who could heal. He was not worthy of Jesus and this healing\, so he fell to the ground in reverence. He had faith\, so he as ked\, “Lord\, if you are willing\, you can make me clean.” We are just l ike this man with leprosy and we need to realize that. We are covered wi th sin and in need of His healing. We are not worthy of Jesus and His he aling. But just like the man\, we need to have faith and know that God w ill heal us. Jesus’ reaction to this man is so amazing. He reaches out a nd touches him\, which is dangerous medically\, defiling religiously\, a nd degrading socially. But Jesus didn’t care. He said\, “I am willing\, be clean” and the leprosy immediately left him. No matter how nasty and dirty you are\, Jesus is willing to clean you. I think\, though\, that a lot of the time we think that we want Jesus to heal us\, but really dee p down we don’t believe He can or we like our nasty sin we are in. God i s willing\, are you?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B517C7B0-77E2-4440-9F11-7C56B68EBA38 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090119 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 61:1-3\; Luke 4:14-30 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090118 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In this passage of Scripture Isaiah was prophesying about a coming Messiah who would one day bring freedom to His people. For hundre ds of years the Israelites would have read this segment of Scripture in anticipation and expectation of this Savior who was going to free them. Then Jesus walks onto the scene\, goes into the synagogue\, reads this S cripture and announces that on that day it was fulfilled. The Jews shoul d have been thrilled their Messiah had finally come! Yet\, you see in th e passage from Luke that immediately after He announced this they tried to throw him down off a cliff. During the ministry of Jesus\, the Jews c ontinually misunderstood His mission. When it was written that He would “proclaim freedom for the captives” they thought that He was going to gi ve them earthly freedom from Roman rule. The Jews didn’t realize that He had come to heal and free people from captivity of sin. Today as Christ ians it’s vital that we understand the mission of our Messiah so that we can be a part of it\, not reject it like the Jews. Jesus broke the chai ns of bondage that sin and death bring to so many captives and now He ha s asked us to join Him in proclaiming this Good News. Are you taking an active role in proclaiming to the world the Gospel of Jesus? Are you bri nging liberty to your family\, your friends\, and your acquaintances thr ough the work of the cross? Today ask the Holy Spirit to anoint you with the power to share this amazing news. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T193511Z UID:3B49F6E2-5F56-4985-A3B4-05E3DA518B46 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090302 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Leviticus 5-6\, Psalms 105\, 1 Corinthians 14 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090301 DTSTAMP:20090218T072353Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204528Z UID:8EE05AAB-12F2-46A5-AD7D-4696DF868280 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20080909T173000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090303T055959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Worship/Tech Small Group and Practice DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20080909T150000 DTSTAMP:20090221T204556Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T185957Z UID:2A53B2B8-FA8B-4555-9B5A-96F6E1959D49 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090324 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 8:1-15 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090323 DTSTAMP:20090221T190014Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:If you have ever read the bible and wonder what the heck you just read\, or ever debated the meaning of a passage with someone and w alked away frustrated\; then this is your passage. The reason being is that at the point of confusion Jesus explains what he just said. Howeve r something that might help you to understand this parable a little bett er is to understand the way people farmed in Jesus day. Today\, we know the type of soil we have before we plant because we plow first. That’s why you don’t see any farmers planting on sidewalks. Back then\, farme rs would scatter seed just about everywhere then plow the soil. I like this understanding because it throws the odds out the window. If we kne w a people type who had the best chance of being good soil we might igno re everyone else. However\, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news for everyone. I think that there three big ideas to take away. First\ , is that this parable teaches about the heart. Jesus tells this parabl e understand how people respond to Jesus. He speaks in parables to conce al the Kingdom of God to those who don’t believe in Him\, but plainly to those who do. Most people don’t like to hear this but unbelief brings a bout judgment\, as well as the inability to perceive truth (Jn. 3:17-19\ , 9:39-41\, 12:28-41\; Exod. 8:32\, 9:12\; Rom. 9:17-18\; Acts 28:26-27\ ; Mt. 7:6\; Lk. 20:1-8\; Rev. 22:11). Second\, scatter seed everywhere (ie. tell everyone you can about Jesus) because you don’t know when you will hit good soil. Third\, the way you know if you hit good soil is if someone is obedient to God\, and produces good fruit (check out Galatia ns 5:22-23 to see what good fruit looks like). \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T182232Z UID:A81724C8-8305-4CAA-8006-FB2F73AB5B5F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090411 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 14: 15-24 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090410 DTSTAMP:20090221T182251Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:The time had come and God opened the gates\, “but they all a like began to make excuses.” How often do we make excuses? I know that when the day has come to an end I constantly try to justify myself to Go d. I try to bring the good deeds that I have done and justify the sin th at I am guilty of. God doesn’t bargain with scales comparing the good a nd bad. God is just and he will judge us accordingly. God created us to be in relationship with him and spend eternity in heaven. Unfortunately sin entered the world\, destroying God’s perfect union with mankind. G od has invited all to his home in heaven\, but there are still rooms ava ilable. The beginning of the parable shows the inviting and loving God as he longs to spend time with us and desperately wants a relationship w ith us. But towards the end of the parable\, the God of justice is reve aled. In verse 24 it says\, “I tell you\, not of the men who were invite d will get a taste of my banquet.” Now remember\, in the parable the men who were invited were the men who made excuses and rejected the Master. Finish today with Matthew 22: 1-14. Earlier this week\, Jesus stressed the idea of a narrow door and in Matthew\, the parable is concluded wit h\, “For many are invited\, but few are chosen.” God has invited us int o his kingdom\; remember that today.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T213213Z UID:0986B276-AE32-40CE-B481-46EF3B701C39 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090424 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 22:54:62 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090423 DTSTAMP:20090220T213252Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Have you ever made a bold statement of commitment only to la ter fail miserably? Peter had just earlier in the chapter told Jesus tha t he would go to prison and to death with Him! However Jesus stops him i n his tracks and says that he would deny Him three times. When the time comes for Peter to stand true to his words\, what does he do? He denies Jesus three times. He had the opportunity to stand up to the people ques tioning him and speak the truth that he was one of His’ followers but Ch rist’ prediction had come true and as soon as the rooster crowed Peter r ealized what he had done and wept! His overconfidence in himself had set himself up for failure. Peter and Judas both had made a similar choice to turn their backs on God however both chose different paths of reactin g to their sinful actions. Peter’s was the path of seeking forgiveness a nd out of this experience would change him from a halfhearted follower t o the kind of person God could use to build his church in Acts. Peter ha d to eat a lot of humble pie but it was just what he needed for God to w ork with him. The same goes for us\, God can’t work with us when we are all caught up in our own abilities and ourselves\, we must be reliant an d confident in Him alone. Read Acts 2 to see how Peter used his confiden ce in God.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:8ED3C7EB-431A-409E-96F2-4C7D7BFBFF05 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090209 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Daniel 6:10\, 9:1-19 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090208 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:What a life Daniel must have lived. He was so exceptional th at the king planned on putting him in charge over the whole kingdom. And the people working alongside him get upset and try to find something wr ong with him. How’s this for a life-we can’t find anything wrong with hi m! He’s trustworthy\, he’s not corrupt\, he’s a hard worker\, he’s not n egligent. \n\nWe can’t find any fault in him unless it has to do with wo rshipping God. What a life he must have led that the only fault they cou ld find in him was that he prayed too much. What strikes me is that even when this law gets put into place-what does he do? “Just as he had alwa ys done before\, he got down on his knees and prayed.” Read 1 Thessalon ians 5:16-18\n\nStudy Questions:\n1. When Daniel heard about the new law \, why do you think he went and prayed with the windows open?\n2. What i s it about Daniel’s prayer life that is so remarkable?\n3. Do you think Daniel was ever fearful of what might happen? \n4. How can we take the a ttitude of Daniel’s prayer life and apply it in our everyday life?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T191118Z UID:9247525B-AA9B-4D00-A625-9D68D39CDEDC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090430 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 1:1-11 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090429 DTSTAMP:20090221T191216Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Maybe you saw this maybe you didn’t\, but Acts is written to guy named Theophilus (sweet name) and is a continuation from the Gospel of Luke. If you were to read Luke chapter one again you would find tha t he wrote to Theophilus so that he might have a orderly account\, so th at he would know with certainty what he had been taught. Luke is an ord erly account of the Jesus’ life. Acts is an orderly account of the earl y church’s life. What is awesome is about the book of Acts is that even though it ends after 28 chapters\, in a sense the story of the church i s still being written. What will it say about Studio in Quincy\, Kirksv ille\, or Macomb? Will it be full of stories of how God moved powerfull y in lives of students there\, and in their communities? Or will it be a story of what could have been? Today spend some time meditating on th at thought\, and pray for what you want to see. The disciples prayed fo r 10 days\, and when they preached the message of Christ\, 3\,000 respon ded. What will happen with us? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081202T203741Z UID:C55DF47C-D8C3-4BEE-A941-0FA1D88549AF DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081217T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Band DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081217T183000 DTSTAMP:20081202T203924Z SEQUENCE:2 DESCRIPTION:Jeff- Lead / Acoustic\nDylan -Drums\nSunshine -Bass\nLosch - Elec\nNick C -Elec\nKarli -Keys\nNelson -Acoustic\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T215413Z UID:4AAA508F-DE16-40DC-9531-855993E6C810 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090719T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Studio Hangout at The Crossing Sand Volleyball Courts DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090719T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T033311Z SEQUENCE:2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:19F5B2A7-30DF-4996-92E1-36E0F02AF968 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081223 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes 3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081222 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Everything works in seasons\, from weather patterns to a man ’s life situations. Verses 1-8 list experiences that happen to us in per fectly appointed times from God. We need to embrace the truth that God i s Sovereign and is in control of everything! There are many names for “G od” in the Hebrew language such as Yahweh or El Shaddai that reveal diff erent traits of who God is. In the book of Ecclesiastes the only word So lomon chooses to use is Elohim (almost 30 times)\, which emphasizes God’ s absolute sovereignty! We tend to be so impatient with God and everyone around us\, ultimately never finding satisfaction in anything we expect and there’s a reason for that. Vs. 11 says that we’re created with eter nity in our hearts\; meaning that our Spirit thirsts for the spiritual n ot earthly matters. When we try to find our identity in the things of th is world we are feeding our spirit junk food and it will never fill us. We are built with a yearning for perfect relationship with God and will continue to until we leave this world. We need to discover and accept Go d’s perfect timing for things around us to be in peace and balance with Him and not become bitter our doubtful. Is there something in your life right now that is not happening as soon as you expected (somebody did so mething against you and went unpunished) or maybe something is coming wh en you don’t want it? If so\, remember God is Sovereign and everything H e does is perfect when He does it and He loves you! Read Proverbs 16:1-9 for more on God’s hand in our lives.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T165207Z UID:CB219FFA-0C8C-48C1-8FFF-2F95F002C36D DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090305 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 1-2 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090304 DTSTAMP:20090218T165347Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:This could be one of the coolest sections in the entire bibl e. But because you hear this story every Christmas-you overlook how ama zing it really is… Look at this text again and write down anything that amazes you. Here are few:\n-Elizabeth was old and couldn’t have kids and now she’s pregnant\n-An angel came down and Mary\n-The angel told Mary (who is a virgin) she’s pregnant\n-The angel told Mary nothing is imposs ible with God\n-Mary who was a teenager not knowing what awaited her sai d in verse 38-“May it be to me as you have said.” \n-Mary went 70 miles away from home while pregnant.\n-The innkeeper doesn’t have room for the Son of God\n-She placed Jesus in a manger\nOk those are just a few that jump out to me… Seriously this is amazing stuff. \nIn Galatians 4 \, Pa ul talks about how when the time right God sent his son into the world. That when the time was right-Jesus would enter the world to redeem us. Read Colossians 1:15-18. Jesus doesn’t claim to be a great teacher or a great man\, He claims to be the maker and sustainer of all things-inclu ding you! Think about what this means. That in spite of what you have do ne\, Jesus paid the price for you in coming to this earth. How does that make you feel to know what Jesus has done for you? Take a few moments t oday and thank God for what he has done for you in spite of the circumst ances that may be occurring in your life. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A026F805-5B1F-47CB-9C7F-C8917E06F212 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081219 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:I Corinthians 13:4-8 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081218 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This part of the bible is known as the love chapter. Paul ( the author of this book) does a great job helping us to understand what love is all about. Paul uses the Greek word “agape” that in English is t he translated word “love”. There were 3 different words the ancient Gree ks used for the word “love”. It’s important to understand the difference and why Paul chose the Greek word “agape” for this text.\n\n *Eros-Des cribed erotic love. It’s used in reference to sexual love. (This is the greek that was similar to the Hebrew word ‘ahabah)\n *Philos-Describes brotherly friendship and affection. It’s the love of deep friendship. I t could be assumed that it’s the highest love of which man\, without God ’s help\, is capable of.\n *Agape-It’s a self-giving love that gives wi thout demanding or expecting repayment. It’s a love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing. It’s a love that loves when i t’s rejected. It gives because it loves\, it does not love in order to g et. It has little to do with emotion\; but has everything to do with sel f-denial for the sake of another. Now with that definition of Agape lov e reread I Corinthians 13:4-8 and try to live out that type of END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090506T193430Z UID:7B3B2BA9-7BAB-4881-909E-771020127BFD DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090517T180000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Caleb cook party DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090517T170000 DTSTAMP:20090506T193430Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T205540Z UID:CA39467A-BFBE-425C-92FD-C026CEC345A2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20080916 RRULE:FREQ=MONTHLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090315;BYDAY=3MO TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:New Episode of Studio News DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20080915 DTSTAMP:20090220T205544Z SEQUENCE:1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T185542Z UID:E281B42B-2D18-473E-B249-B72E401218DE DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090323 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 7:36-50 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090322 DTSTAMP:20090221T185642Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:I think that your understanding of this passage can be drast icallydifferent depending on who you identify yourself with in the story . For someone who has been forgiven much\, you might find this story be autiful & special because it reminds you of your relationship with Jesus . Meanwhile its just another bible story for those who think they are go od people. For some reason it usually the latter for those who have bee n a Christian for a long time. Consider this\, do you think Simon kisse d Jesus’ feet? Would you? For those who fall into the second group we are a lot like Simon. When Jesus asks\, “do you see the woman?” We rep ly\, “Yes\, and she is gross\, dirty\, & disgusting\, and I don’t want a nything to do with her.” I think that sometimes we forget we are “sinne rs” and we are to minister to “sinners.” Sin is gross. Sin is dirty. Sin is disgusting. But God desires that we enter into all of it not as participants but as agents of restoration. Paul\, in the book of Acts e xplains God’s calling this way. “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light\, and from the power of Satan to God\, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” – Acts 26:17-18. Don’t forget you calling. \n\nDiscussion Questions:\n\n1. Do you see the woman? Wh at Jesus is really asking is do you see her need? Sin has broken her do wn. What are you doing for those who are trapped in sin? One of Jesus’ biggest peeves with the Pharisees that they would tell people how sinfu l they are\, then not help them out of their sin. \n2. Do you see you? Take a moment to examine your life. Ask yourself if you are ignoring s in in your life. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:AEE6990E-C92F-41E1-B475-FC02003111EA DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090207 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 10:23-24 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090206 DTSTAMP:20081121T160623Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Jeremiah’s prayer is one on behalf of the nation of Judah fo r divine justice to be carried out. Though at first it may seem vengeful towards the nation it’s not. He was actually known as “the weeping prop het” due to his sorrowful heart for the condition of sin they were in. J eremiah recognizes that God’s ability to direct our lives well is infini tely beyond our own ability. Judah had chosen to turn it’s back on God\, despite a spiritual reformation by king Josiah and the countless minist ering of Jeremiah! They thought they knew what was the best direction fo r their lives\; but this is what eventually becomes their downfall. Jere miah trusted that God’s actions were best for this once God-fearing now Godless group. God desires for us to have a loving relationship and serv e him wholeheartedly but that can only be done by submitting to His’ pla ns\, not our own. Sometimes it may not seem best to us what God does or doesn’t allow\, but we have to trust like Jeremiah that God is in contro l of everything and does what He does out of love. God’s punishment of a llowing the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile into Babylon was in o rder to correct their sinful ways and purify them. Pray for those who ar e going down a path of destruction that God’s judgment would purify and redirect them towards a relationship with Him through Christ.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:3D684B28-29B8-42F1-864B-5E203BBEFEAA DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081212 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Psalm 103 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081211 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This Psalm opens with quite a challenge for Christians today . It commands us to praise the Lord with all our inmost being. That mean s with everything that is inside of you\, you must bless the Lord. We li ve in a world today where half-heartedness is acceptable. You have to go to school\, but it is okay if you sleep through class. You have to go t o work\, but it is okay to do nothing once you are there. The list could keep going. Many times we carry this mentality into our relationship wi th Jesus and into our worship of Him. We go to church and sing songs\, b ut our hearts and thoughts are a million miles away. There is real spiri tual danger in going to church and worship services\, but only paying li p service. God doesn’t want outward worship\; He wants the deepest depth s of your heart to sing His praise. Read Isaiah 29:13. DO NOT skip this verse. God has a strong opinion about lip service that you need to hear. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:36D8DF0A-0CE8-4DAD-86DA-E92B3A3133B8 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081017T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081017T214500 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T174752Z UID:C2201C43-5FF2-424B-88FF-3CD054E16A78 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090304 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 7:11-17 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090303 DTSTAMP:20090312T152148Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:Jesus doesn’t want to see us suffer or hurt. This story sho ws how compassionate and loving Jesus truly is. When we put all of our faith in Jesus Christ\, we begin to realize his love for us and that his word alone is enough. This widow was at one of the lowest points in he r life and still had faith and love for Jesus. When you put all of your trust in Jesus\, he shows up in your life in a powerful way\, and helps you through all of your obstacles. Are there any areas of your life yo u are having a hard time trusting God? Pray and ask him to speak to you through this passage of scripture. Meditate on what your life would lo ok like if God was in complete control and you could look to him for eve rything. Psalm 56 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T205555Z UID:2AEF16AB-B3D7-42ED-A3A8-34BBF9064B39 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081215T200000 EXDATE;TZID=US/Central:20090216T190000 RRULE:FREQ=MONTHLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090316T045959Z;BYDAY=3MO TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Student Coaches Meeting DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081215T190000 DTSTAMP:20090220T205558Z SEQUENCE:1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T141810Z UID:111ED5D4-7597-40D1-8D8B-60712EFB9B90 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090912T114500 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20091010T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Small Group DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090912T104500 DTSTAMP:20091011T124537Z LOCATION:Christine Poage's House\n4218 Harrington Quincy\n SEQUENCE:12 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T205547Z UID:AE22E39E-5552-4635-96C0-7168E78F7CAE DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081221T200000 EXDATE;TZID=US/Central:20090215T183000 RRULE:FREQ=MONTHLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090315T045959Z;BYDAY=3SU TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Studio Youth Coaches Meeting DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081221T183000 DTSTAMP:20090220T205553Z SEQUENCE:1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:303101D0-126B-448B-8D16-BA2C078AD360 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081216 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Song Of Songs 2 – 3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081215 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Today I want to focus in on one little verse in chapter 2. Reread 2:15. It says\, “Catch for us the foxes\, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards\, our vineyards that are in bloom.” The meaning behi nd this verse is that there are things that destroy relationships. There are things that come into relationships (time issues\, jealousy\, frien ds\, selfishness\, anger\, etc.) that can ruin the relationships\, this is true whether this is a friendship based or love based relationship. Generally these are not big things but rather “little things” that just creep in\, yet once they are there they can do great damage. Do your b est to guard your friendships\, parental relationships\, dating relation ships\, and relationship with God from these little foxes. The best way to do this is to be alert and guard yourself from little sins that can destroy you\, your relationship with God\, and your relationship with ot hers. If you find a “little fox” then repent if it is something you did \, and get rid of it. If someone becomes a little fox then confront the m through the guidelines of love the way it is described in Colossians 3 :12-14\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T213001Z UID:8683AD7B-A797-41D9-BC87-47C516C61FD5 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090423 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 22:7-38\, 23 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090422 DTSTAMP:20090220T213025Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:We see Jesus and the disciples going through a series of eve nts through these passages first starting out with the Passover meal\, w hich is known as the Last Supper and Lord’s Supper. Jesus takes the brea d and wine and asks them to eat and drink “in remembrance of me” which w as asking them to remember the events to come of his sacrificial death o n the cross for the forgiveness of all sins. The church continues to pra ctice this in that we too would remember the cost it took for Christ and appreciate the love He shows us. We should never forget or overlook our Savior’s redeeming act! Next it moves to the Garden\, Jesus prays to Go d asking if it’s possible for this death to not take place but God doesn ’t change His plan. It’s a verse that some ask if He was trying to get o ut of His mission. I think what it really reveals is Jesus’ expressing H is true feelings to God: the agony he would endure of not only the excru ciating pain from the cross but also of the moment of total separation f rom God in order to die. After He receives His answer\, Jesus is fully c ommitted to the very last breath. We should strive to be like this also in realizing that it is ok to bring our worries or fears to God but that ultimately if God asks us to still do something we stay committed. Chap ter 23 goes through the trials and beatings of Jesus all to the moment o f His’ death. It is insane to think about all of the humiliating and ins ulting beatings and mockery that He endured for us! At any moment Christ could have stopped all of these and I think we need to remember that. D uring the times of trials\, severe beatings\, carrying a cross to the ar ea of death\, nails being driven in\, hanging for all to see until death … all that was on His mind was the love he had for you and I! Knowing th at this would bring us the opportunity to once again have personal relat ionship with God! We are now able to approach God directly through Chris t. Take some time just to dwell on the amazing extent that Christ went t hrough for you! Stop and thank Jesus for what he had to endure for all o f us\, something He didn’t have to do but did because He loves you so mu ch! Wow our God is so Amazing!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:BE8D909E-27D4-409C-81F7-6C8FE74810E9 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081212T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jr. High Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081212T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T174208Z UID:466578A6-00A7-4DB3-B7F4-5A5050D14AA7 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090319 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 5: 17-26 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090318 DTSTAMP:20090221T174256Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:The Pharisees lived by very strict rules and many of these e laborate rules didn’t have much to do with the spirit of God’s word. Th e Pharisees had a tendency to look down on people who were careless in f ollowing the Law of Moses. When Jesus healed the paralytic many Pharise es were upset because they thought that only God alone can forgive your sins. The Pharisees could not wrap their minds around Jesus being able to forgive sins here on earth. John 1: 29 says that God takes away your sins completely. When Jesus takes away your sins\, it is as if you hav e never sinned at all. Sin has no power over you\, and you are free fro m it! Even when we do fall short\, mess up\, and sin\, all we have to d o is confess our sins and they’re gone. If you are struggling with some thing and you are held up in the bondages of sin\, just confess your sin s and turn away from them. Jesus forgives and sees to it that your sins are taken away. Finish by reading Proverbs 28:13 and Romans 8:12-18 an d thank God for taking away our sins and forgiving us. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:32D85246-071D-42DB-ACB9-74D183C132AB DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090217 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Encounter DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090213 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Encounter is our Sr. High annual retreat at Lamoine Christia n Camp. It is an awesome time to get away and just relax\, hang with fr iends\, worship\, and study the bible. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T191525Z UID:06EB552A-93AA-4826-AC4F-0B5AFBC88DAC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090502 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:John 14:15-27 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090501 DTSTAMP:20090221T191543Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:John chapter truly is a beautiful chapter when you think abo ut it. Early in John 14:1-4\, Jesus recites an engagement speech that a groom would make to his prospective bride\, that included a promise to build her a home that would honor her and a promise to return. Midway i n John 14\, John writes about how through a relationship with Jesus we w ill receive eternity with Him\, and the chapter ends with Jesus giving a gift. Sounds like someone who is in love doesn’t it? But also in this chapter it also shows us what love looks like in return. For us to lov e God is to obey Him\, plain & simple. It is those who are obedient to Him who receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. The word for Holy Spirit in the Greek is the word parakeltos. It literally means someone who is called alongside of you to assist you. Think of it this way\, in footba ll a “pair of cleats” assists you in playing the game to your full poten tial. In life Holy Spirit helps you to live to your fullest potential. The Holy Spirit is a bit of a mystery so here are a bunch of scriptures to help you understand who he is and what he does. Enjoy! Romans 8\, 12:6-8\, 15:16\; 1 Corinthians 2:10-16\, 6:19\, 12:7-11\; 2 Thess. 2:13\ ; Ephesians 4:11-13\; Galatians 5:18\, 5:22-23\; John 7:38-39\; Isaiah 4 0:1-2\, 41:17-20\; Hebrews 4:1-11. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:41DA129A-5BD8-4C40-B1C2-00D050C5EC3B DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090126 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090125 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:The passage you just read is a passage known as the “4th son g of the Suffering Servant”. There are four different sections in the b ook of Isaiah that talk about the servant of Yahweh (God). This section is the most famous and deals with the horrible abuse and death the serv ant would go through. Some people thought that this text was referring to the nation of Israel but as believers in Christ we can see that this section is talking about our Messiah\, Jesus. \n\nIn your journal or on a separate piece of paper make two list out of the words you find in Is aiah 52:13 – 53:12. The first list is of words that describe Jesus (i.e servant\, wise\, healer\, etc.). The second list is words of actions t hat happened to Jesus (raised\, lifted\, etc.). This is a horrible exerc ise but one that will help you realize what Jesus has done for you. Cl ose by reading Isaiah 49:16 and giving thanks for what Jesus did for you .\n\nAdditional Reading: If you want to read the other Servant Songs th ey are Isaiah 42:1-7\, Isaiah 49:1-6\, and Isaiah 50:4-9\n\nDiscussion Q uestions:\n\n1. Why do you think the Jews believed this section of scrip ture was a prophecy for the nation Israel?\n2. Talk about your list (If you haven’t made them do so now as a group). What words stand out to yo u from this passage?\n3. Investigate and answer the question\, “Why did Jesus have to suffer and die like this?”\n4. Read the scripture and take communion as a group.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B283685D-3A3B-43E1-8DCF-D215634F8E4B DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090113 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jonah 1 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090112 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Often in Christian circles the metaphor of running is used t o describe part of the Christian life\, sometimes for the good and somet imes for the bad\, and sometimes it can be used of either in a variety o f ways. For instance sometimes we talk of people running from God in th e sense that they are trying every other avenue of life to find contentm ent\, other than a relationship with God. In Jonah’s case it would be s omething completely different. When Jonah ran from God he was being bla tantly disobedient towards God. He was already in relationship with God \, and he just flat out told him NO! \n\nRead these scriptures\, and th en ask yourself am I telling God yes or no. Ephesians 6:1-2/ Romans 12: 21/ 1 Corinthians 6:12 / Colossians 3:13 / Leviticus 19:10-12 (think of the word steal as being synonymous with cheating) \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:CA95F5BD-E374-446D-AD5F-1084368C43E6 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20080914T200000 RRULE:FREQ=MONTHLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20081214T055959Z;BYDAY=2SU TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Youth Coaches Meeting DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20080914T190000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T164252Z UID:1BA4C680-B793-42A1-ABB1-EE390A47F801 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090302 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:The Story of God DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090301 DTSTAMP:20090218T164451Z SEQUENCE:7 DESCRIPTION:Do you know Jesus? That’s a familiar question isn’t it? But what I’m really asking is\, do you know about his life? His teachings? H is inner-most thoughts? How he related to other people? Do you know abou t the miracles he performed? Do you about the events surrounding his dea th and resurrection? Do you know him? Now\, you may know a little bit ab out Jesus. You should\, since He is the best known figure in all of hist ory. He never wrote a book\, led an army\, or held a political office. He wasn’t a gifted athlete\, or a lead singer in a rock band. For centur ies before his birth-people waiting in anticipation for His arrival. In the centuries since people have responded to his life\, death and resurr ection. In the coming weeks\, we’ll be looking at Jesus. As you witness His miracles\, listen to His teaching\, and think about his life\; you’ ll begin to answer that question-Do you know Jesus? \n\nDiscussion Que stions:\n\n1. What qualities do you think makes Jesus the most well kno wn figure of all time?\n2. If you could ask Jesus one question what wou ld it be?\n3. In the next coming weeks\; what do you hope to learn abou t Jesus? (write it down and come back to it in a couple of weeks) END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:74D8D41D-2636-439D-BD19-4D18164002EC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081126 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Samuel 6:12-22 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081125 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Boxers or briefs? How about an ephod? You may have heard i n reference to this passage that David danced in his underwear and while that is true keep in mind that his underwear was more like a choir robe than like anything we have today. But Michal his wife sure made it sou nd like he was out there wearing a thong. An interesting fact about the passage you just read\; there is no reference that David & Michal are m arried\, but it does mention that she is Saul’s daughter four times. If David undergarmental celebration says a lot about his heart\, the previ ous tid bit of information tells a lot about hers. Namely that she care s more about the fact that God removed his presence from her dad (who si nned\, i.e. the reason God disowned Saul) rather than fact that God’s pr esence had returned to his people. In other words she was jealous that God was doing something big in someone else life. She should have been in the middle of the celebration. How about you? Are you missing out i n the celebration\, because the limelight is cast on someone else? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090819T014911Z UID:616F2B4D-CF38-4960-B42A-74A8A4853F08 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20100216 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Encounter DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20100212 DTSTAMP:20090819T014930Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:C4B368A8-8A2A-4B3A-9C72-97903712E7D5 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081130 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Philemon 1:1-7\, Galatians 6:6 and Hebrews 10:24-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081129 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Pass It On: The Bible is a collection of the early church’s experiences with God. Part of worship is glorifying God by telling of h ow He has changed you personally. Write about one or more of your worshi p encounters during this series and get it to Jeff\, Josh\, or Andy eith er in person or via email. (jeffs@thecrossing.net\, joshf@thecrossing.ne t or andyr@thecrossing.net) We believe others will be strengthened and G od glorified through the recounting of these moments. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181209Z UID:A8DFBA6A-E8B1-4373-BB1F-0E1F8AF314E6 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090511 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 2:36-41 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090510 DTSTAMP:20090221T181242Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Whether it’s you yourself accepting Jesus for the very first time\, or a friend that you’ve led to Christ who wants to accept Him\, the common question is this: what do I do now? Well\, Paul answers that question very plainly and simply in this passage: repent and be baptized . To repent\, in essence\, is to completely and purposefully turn from a life of sin in order to pursue God. It is to lay down your life of sin\ , turn your back on it\, and begin to walk towards God. Baptism\, then\, is an action you do to represent this repentance that you have done. Yo u go down into the water\, which represents the fact that you are “dying ” to your old life. Then you are lifted out of the water\, which represe nts that you have been cleansed of your sin and are raised to new life w ith Christ. (Read Ezekiel 19:30-32 for a great description of repentance \, and read Romans 6:1-4 for the symbolism of baptism.) \n\n\nIn Luke 12 :50\, Jesus compares his crucifixion to a baptism. Then\, in Mark 10:38\ , God challenges James and John by saying\, “are you willing to be bapti zed with the baptism I am baptized with?” In essence\, he was saying\, “ Are you willing to completely die to your old life\, pour out your heart to me\, and suffer in my name? Are you willing to pick up your cross an d follow me?” When we are baptized\, that is the commitment we make: to turn our back on our old lives and live for God in reckless abandon\, no matter what the cost. Are you willing to make that type of commitment? If you already have\, are you following through? Living for God is defin itely not easy. But\, oh my\, is it fulfilling. Close today by reading M ark 8:34-38.\n\nDiscussion Questions: \n1. Have you repented and been b aptized by immersion? \n2. Can you honestly say that you have been “ba ptized with the baptism that Christ was baptized with?” What needs to c hange in your life for this to be true? \n3. Do y ou ever feel like you let your “old life” creep back in? Why is it so ha rd to let it go?\n4. In your opinion\, what does it mean to “take up yo ur cross and follow God?”\n5. Do you honestly believe that Christ’s bap tism is one of satisfaction? Discuss this. Is picking up your cross wort h it?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FC983732-2DF8-4AA0-8154-DBDAB30662E8 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081220 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ephesians 5:1-5 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081219 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:“Be imitators of God\,” in everything you do you must imit ate God. Your purity\, holiness\, worship\, service\, giving\, love\, d epth\, mercy\, must all be an imitation of Christ. You must make it you r goal that no one\, in the church or community\, can say anything negat ive about you\, but rather only that when they see you they see God. Th e best way to imitate God is to live a life of love. Look at what the t ext says again… “therefore\, as dearly loved children and live a life of love\, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” When people are around you they must f eel loved. As a Christian you must always portray love to the people yo u come in contact with. Whether that is on the field\, in the hallway\, or at Wal-mart. Understand that you have to make a sacrifice to love p eople. A sacrifice of time\, money\, your own desires\, etc. To live a life of love you must be willing to sacrifice all area’s of your life. You also have to make sacrifices by the way you live. Verse three says you can’t have a HINT of sexual immorality\, ANY KIND of impurity\, or GREED. Be an imitator of God by living a life of LOVE and PURITY. Clos e by reading Philippians 4:8-9 and praying that you can say the same thi ng Paul has said. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:036AC630-DF6E-4C50-8401-2606B512DA05 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081218 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY: Song of Songs 8 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081217 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:The key to the whole book and this whole love thing is found in 8:4\, “don’t arouse or awaken love before it is time.” Everyone is so quick to rush into relationships and love. People want to fall into love. They want romance in their lives. But the bible says that you ne ed to be very cautious and very patient when it comes to love. The word love used here is the Hebrew word 'ahabah which means love for a human or sexual desire. As we studied yesterday this type of love is from God but needs to be controlled until the right time. To many times teens r ush into love and give their hearts\, emotions\, and even their bodies u p before it is time. The secret to dating in high school and life (if y ou choose to date) is to make sure that you don’t love in a ‘ahabah type way. You must guard yourself from this type of love and attraction unt il marriage. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:D809DB1F-8C64-41DF-9CD3-7CB32965189F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081201 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Samuel 24:18-24 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081130 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:For more background on this story check out 1 Chronicles 21. There is an interesting little factoid about the hill where all of thi s is taking place. It is the same hill that Abraham was to sacrifice hi s son Issac (Gen. 22:2)\, and well as the same hill that Solomon built t he temple that Jesus interacted in (1 Chron. 22:1\, 2 Chron. 3:1\,). Th e same temple whose curtain was torn at Jesus death (Luke 23:45). It ma kes vs. 24 all the more powerful\, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God … offerings that cost me nothing.” Do you have that same attitude? Or do you only give of things that cost you nothing. Are you willing t o go with less so that someone else might have more? Take a moment to p raise Jesus because of the price he paid to satisfy God’s justice. Also \, spend some time evaluating yourself on how much you offer to God. Wh at are you giving to him that cost you? \n\nDiscussion Questions:\n1. W hy was David so bent on paying for the field? Does this action contradi ct good stewardship?\n2. What have you sacrificed/given to God that cost you?\n3. Why is it so hard to give up money for God?\n4. Read Malachi 3 :6-12 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 and discuss.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:42EC5D81-DA31-40E2-8B59-572A971157D9 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090110 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Kings 6:8-23\, Judges 7:1-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090109 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:I love the last line of verse 23: “So\, the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.” You know how you often end a story with a “well\, duh” kind of statement for emphasis? That’s what this is. God’s power just flows through Elisha and completely turns the tables o n an army that SHOULD have just slaughtered Elisha’s men. But of course\ , he doesn’t do it how we would expect. Instead\, he blinds the army\, t akes them into the heart of Israel’s forces\, and then opens their eyes as if to say “Surprise!” God has a great sense of humor sometimes. \n\nC an you imagine being the servant as Elisha said “Oh Lord\, open his eyes ”? What would it have been like to see thousands of soldiers in flaming chariots waiting to fight for you? We see a similar show of God’s power in the story of Gideon (Judges 7) when only 300 men defeat an army that was too large to even count! When we read these types of stories\, is th ere any doubt God can triumph over our small daily problems?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A6AB275E-2ECF-4342-B6DD-A5489E9EB379 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081109 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Guys Camping Retreat DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081106 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T182416Z UID:F5D159D1-D34B-4104-BCF0-CA84C56C5CDB DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090410 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 13: 31-35 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090409 DTSTAMP:20090221T182453Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:Jesus has himself in a situation\; the king wants to kill hi m. If you were told that President Obama is coming to kill you\, how wo uld you respond? Would you try to redeem or justify yourself? I know th at I would be trying to reverse his intentions. Jesus has an unusual re sponse. He is warned of King Herod and responds very boldly saying that he is going to continue his work today and tomorrow. The phrase\, ‘cont inuing his work today and tomorrow’ could refer to an indefinite but lim ited time. Jesus was saying that his work would not stop. Jesus complete s that statement by saying\, “on the third day\, I will reach my goal.” Jesus’ life had a predetermined plan that would be carried out\, and no harm could come to him until his purpose was accomplished. God had a pla n for his son and that plan was accomplished even though the world offer ed numerous obstacles. What do you feel God has planned for you life? F inish today with Jeremiah 29: 10-13\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:6BC66EBB-9595-4107-8BDD-8408D01FFDE2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081119 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 15:10-11\, 17-23 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081118 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Saul was the people’s choice for their first king. Judging b y outward appearances he was the perfect fit. 1 Samuel 9:1-2 describes h im as a man of standing who was incredibly handsome\, standing a head ab ove everyone else. Yet\, constantly through Scripture one finds Saul mor e concerned with the opinion of people than the opinion of God. Saul mad e several very decisive steps of disobedience that caused God to take hi s thrown from him. The final disobedient act is found in today’s passage . Samuel sent Saul to totally destroy the Amalekites and all that belong s to them. He went and destroyed the Amalekites\, but spared Agag the ki ng and the best of the sheep and cattle. There is no substitute for obed ience. Saul tries to give a religious reason for not following fully the Word of God\, but Samuel exposes his actions as plain disobedience. If you have accepted Christ and are a child of God\, God asks you for simpl e\, universal\, unchanging obedience. It is the one who does what God co mmands to whom God can entrust His work with. Saul could not be trusted to lead the people of God because he did not walk with God in the simple task of obedience. Think About: Saul wanted to give God the best of the sheep and cattle from the Amalekites\, God simply wanted Saul to follow His orders. Your extravagant offerings\, sacrifices and worship are wor thless in the sight of God if you will not choose to obey Him in the sma llest of things.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T142104Z UID:B0FCCDBA-C15C-43AE-9D19-2A88CB1C9539 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090913T193000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20100517T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Small Group DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090913T183000 DTSTAMP:20090826T142647Z LOCATION:Ben and Megan Fasano's House 2443 Bradmoor Quincy SEQUENCE:8 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:6BCE8DB9-6041-4776-8A57-AADE700341D6 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090115 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jonah 3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090114 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Jonah’s own will finally takes a back seat to God’s will and he quickly realizes that God is definitely a God of second chances. It was true in the case of Jonah\, and in the case of Nineveh\, who in the face of annihilation quit their evil ways. To those who might debate w hether God is merciful or judgmental\, you must look at this story & see that he is just. Because God is just it means that he is judgmental\, but he is patient as well. Both Nineveh & Jonah could have been snuffed out for their respective disobedience\, but God allowed them a chance t o change. The bible calls that change repentance. It means a complete 180-degree change in direction from where you are headed. Think about i t in Jonah’s case. Now think about it in your case. Are you being diso bedient to God? Then you are headed in the wrong direction. It’s time to repent! Close by reading Acts 3:19. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:939464C0-B1B2-4928-AEF5-944EDC575459 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081202 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 1:28-40 & Proverbs 1 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081201 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:If you read the surrounding passages you will see that this passing of the torch does not go without some drama as Solomon’s brother tries to take the kingdom for his own. However\, the significant issue is not the drama\, but that the torch has been passed. Solomon you wil l soon learn is a very wise man\, and he leaves us a lasting impression in scripture not just because of his story\, but also with what he contr ibutes in writing (Proverbs\, Ecclesiastes\, Song of Solomon\, & Psalm 7 2\,127). As you were introduced to Proverbs 1 today you can’t help but notice his main point. GET WISDOM! In verse seven he makes it clear th at wisdom comes from God. As you look at life\, are you looking to God & his word for wisdom? Or are you looking somewhere else? Compare vers es 1-7 with 29-32. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T205321Z UID:E75DE2CD-9DAD-4049-A468-AD194E9BB9E5 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090504 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 1:12-26 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090503 DTSTAMP:20090220T210156Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:After Christ was taken into Heaven\, the disciples immediate ly returned to Jerusalem and had the first church business meeting so to speak. Christ had told them to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Ho ly Spirit and that’s just what they did. While they waited\, they were d oing what they could\; praying and seeking God’s guidance. Peter gets up to address the others and says that scripture must be fulfilled in fill ing Judas’ spot. They way they did this was done by specific criteria. T hey made sure that the person had been amongst them from the beginning o f John’s baptism to just a little bit ago as Jesus ascended. He had to b e a witness of Jesus’ resurrection. They narrowed the decision down to t wo men and after they prayed to God\, cast lots and it fell to Matthias. They did all of this to make sure the person was witness to the life Ch rist lived\, the death he endured\, and was witness to the resurrection and be able to account to it. It would have been foolish to choose someb ody who had not seen the resurrection and possibly doubted it. Vs. 26 no w calls the disciples\, apostles. Disciple meant to be a follower or lea rner. Apostle meant to be a messenger or missionary. They were not only to follow Jesus but also to go out and spread the news of Jesus Death an d Resurrection! Most people tend to be a follower but lack at the messen ger aspect of our faith but we are called to be both. Read Matthew 28:18 -20\n\n1. Where is the scripture found that Peter referenced? Read it.\ n2. Why was it important that the apostle was with them from the time o f John’s baptism?\n3. What was casting lots and why was it used? (You might have to do some research for this one)\n4. What should we do in t imes of making decisions?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090518T150120Z UID:DE8B278A-AAAC-44C1-A49E-841324E8314D DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090525T140000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Lauren and kourtneys party DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090525T130000 DTSTAMP:20090518T150120Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T211522Z UID:5A83F471-C6B7-46ED-BD3E-3CAEE0F2D88F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090508 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 2:14-38 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090507 DTSTAMP:20090220T211537Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:As the crowd recognized that something supernatural was taki ng place\, they of course wanted an explanation. Peter took this opportu nity to explain the truth about Jesus Christ. \nHe says that what they j ust experienced from the Holy Spirit was prophesied in Joel and that all could now receive the spirit: which was a revolutionary thought for fir st-century Jews. He went on to share that Jesus was the Messiah who died and was resurrected on the third day! The events of Christ’s death and resurrection were still hot news in Jerusalem since it all happened in t he last 2 months. Had Christ not died\, Peter would have been ignored\, and had Christ not resurrected\, authorities could have produced the bod y. But Peter and the other apostles witnessed the risen Christ and they now boldly spoke of the news with conviction and passion! Peter’s spirit -filled message consisted of truth going back to Old Testament prophecie s by David being fulfilled to indisputable evidence of Jesus death and resurrection. He knew the facts and spoke it with passion! We are all ca lled in 1 Peter 3:15 to be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Jesus. You may never be in front of thousands of people\, maybe a few but just like Peter took hold of any opportunity given we must do the s ame. Do you know what you would say if someone asked you about Jesus? Sp end some time studying the truth you say you believe in and share it wit h those in need of that same hope!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:0CFBE673-F32D-4095-B26F-8097CCA63B35 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081213 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Proverbs 21:3\; James 1:22\; Romans 12:1-2 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081212 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In God’s eyes\, obedience is better than sacrifice. There ar e many Christians today who are willing to make “big sacrifices” yet str uggle to obey God on a daily basis. Keith Green wrote an old song in the 1970’s about our obedience to Christ. Today meditate on these words as an act of worship. \nTo obey is better than sacrifice\nI don't need your money\, I want your life\nAnd I hear you say that I'm coming back soon\ , \nBut you act like I'll never return.\nOh you speak of love and My gra ce so sweet\nHow you thrive on milk but reject my meat \nAnd I can't hel p weeping at how it will be\nIf you keep on ignoring My Word. \nTo o bey is better than sacrifice \nI want more than Sundays and Wednesday ni ghts\n'Cause if you can't come to Me everyday\,\nThen don't bother comin g at all.\nTo obey is better than sacrifice \nI want hearts of fire\, no t your prayers of ice \nAnd I'm coming quickly to give back to you \nAc cording to what you have done.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:1D72B872-DDAB-4C7C-B4BF-244839F50E43 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090109 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Kings 5:1-14 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090108 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Naaman seems to be a great soldier\, respected by his master . He had leprosy\, however\, which obviously made life a little tough. I f you know anything about leprosy in those days you know Lepers were out siders who were shunned and distanced from the rest of society. The heal ing of Naaman was far more than a physical healing\, but also a social h ealing. It’s a salvation story of sorts. The healing of Naaman would all ow him to be whole again on so many levels. Why then\, did he complain a bout the way Elisha told him to receive his healing? Simple\, he was eit her arrogant\, lazy\, or both. He couldn’t believe he would be asked to go so far to dunk himself in a river when there were plenty of rivers cl ose to home. Had he been asked to do something more radical\, maybe\, bu t this just seemed beneath him. Ever been there? Ever want God to move b ut when he asks you to do something you can’t be bothered? Worse yet\, e ver see God move but want to rewrite how it “should” have been done? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FE2B736C-2AEA-40A4-B964-B705002FCB51 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081226 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081225 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:How much money is too much? That seems to be the dominant qu estion when we deal with a scripture like this. We tend to dwell on whet her it is wrong to be rich or to be poor. There is so much focus on the money itself that we lose sight on the real matter… our hearts and how w e respond to the money we have. Money itself is not a bad thing\; it’s h ow we develop a love for it that gets us into trouble. We have to realiz e that God desires for us to view what we have\, whether a little or a l ot\, with the perspective that it is all a gift from God. The right appr oach is to focus on the giver more than the gift. There is nothing wrong with having lots of money… and on the flip side there is nothing wrong with having very little. You’re not a more spiritual person by the amoun t in your checking account but by the way you respond to what you have. I find it appropriate that this scripture lands on Christmas… the holida y of chaos! This is one of my least favorite holidays due to the fact th at it has become a season of materialistic selfishness? People forget th e true meaning of why we celebrate\, God giving us the gift of Jesus Chr ist! In Matthew 6:19-24\, Jesus talks about whether we are storing our t reasures on earth or in Heaven. He ends by giving us a choice between se rving either money or God\, but says that you can only choose one. Who w ill you serve? Where are you storing your treasures? Today give Christma s it’s good name back by giving to a family that you know is not as fort unate as others and share the love of Christ.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:77887586-45FC-4EAD-82A8-726FBC58B4E4 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090110T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090110T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T215733Z UID:B28592A1-84FF-4520-A944-D30C33FD58DE DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090711T220000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Hangout - UFC DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090711T210000 DTSTAMP:20090422T221616Z SEQUENCE:7 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090518T150120Z UID:634208A1-F4DB-43A0-92A6-C3B5E78FF885 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090519T160000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Meet with stevee DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090519T150000 DTSTAMP:20090518T150120Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:1B99BAE2-DF87-412E-8233-C5DCAB857D61 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081117 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ruth 4:13-22 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081116 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:First glance of this comes off as a romantic chic story of a lowly but loving woman being rescued by her prince charming that overlo oks her past and lives happily ever. The reality of this points to the t ruth of God’s Redemption plan. The events of Ruth were a part of God’s p reparations for the births of David and of Jesus himself! There was so m uch purpose to Ruth’s life that she was unaware of. Ruth and Boaz both w alked in faithful obedience to God and their lives were significant beyo nd their lifetime. Later on\, Jesus who came from Ruth’s family line bec omes the Redeemer of the entire world\, taking away the sins of the worl d. Such a great example of how God desires to use us for his Story and w hen we are obedient to Him our lives hold significance past our own life time.\n\n\nDiscussion Questions:\n1. Do you feel like God can redeem yo u? What does he need to redeem you from?\n2. What was the importance o f Ruth being in Jesus’ family line?\n3. s there anyone God’s redeeming love doesn’t cover?\n4. If not\, then how should we treat those around us?\n5. Are you a Ruth? Are you a Boaz?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:F839BA2D-6C5C-4214-8C4B-7B770D41EB94 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090101 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 18:16-39 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081231 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Though the text doesn’t go into detail about the meeting on top of the mountain. I imagine that the 850 prophets were pretty cocky & arrogant dressed in their best clothes\, strutting around like they wer e\, ‘all that and a bag of chips\,’ AND I picture Elijah just kind of ch illing calmly.\n\nStanding off to the side all by himself\, knowing that God was going to make his presence known. I love the way this unfolds-E lijah says “hey guys since you’re all dressed for the part why don’t you go get two bulls and you guys will prepare one for sacrifice and I’ll p repare the other one.” \n“Then we’ll both call on our Gods and the one w ho answers by fire is GOD.” \nThe false prophets were struggling to get their god to answer so Elijah begins to jaw a little bit-“perhaps your g od is in deep thought\, or busy or traveling-I hear Jericho is nice this time of year\, or perhaps he is sleeping.” \n\nRemember this is a guy w ho is all by himself on the side of a mountain with 850 guys against him and yet he’s confident that the God he serves will answer by fire. Beca use the God he serves is God\, the maker of the universe\, the creator\, the almighty\, the beginning and the end\, the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD. \ n\nElijah stood by himself\, defending his faith against skeptics and di sbelievers. For some of you that sounds all too familiar\, in your schoo l\, at your workplace\, even in some of your homes. \nOur culture is not too friendly to people who courageously stand up and stand alone for Go d. Read Daniel 3 a story about 3 teenagers standing up for God as well. Perhaps through Elijah’s example and Daniel 3\, we can gain some streng th and encouragement today to stand up for God even when you are all alo ne.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:2B9C5F38-F307-45CC-9423-76753DDF0CDE DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090121 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 11:1-10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090120 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:These verses in the book of Isaiah describe the spiritual em powerment of the coming Messiah. This passage is behind the term “sevenf old spirit” used in Revelation 1:4\, 3:1\, 4:5\, and 5:6 (Look those ver ses up). Now this doesn’t mean that there are seven different spirits of God\, rather that the Spirit of the Lord has these characteristics. The se seven aspects of the Spirit are not the only characteristics of the H oly Spirit\, but they are grouped together in “seven” to show the fullne ss and perfection of the Holy Spirit. Biblically speaking\, seven denote s completion and fullness. Therefore\, Isaiah prophesied that the Messia h will possess these characteristics of the Spirit in all fullness and p erfection. Reading through the New Testament reveals that Jesus fulfille d these requirements of the Spirit that Isaiah foretold. He manifested t he Spirit of the Lord\, the Spirit of wisdom\, the Spirit of understandi ng\, the Spirit of counsel\, the Spirit of power\, the Spirit of knowled ge\, and the Spirit of the fear of the Father. It’s an incredible thing to lay side by side the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah and the credentials of Jesus and see how perfectly they fit together! Jesus tru ly is the Messiah! Praise Him for that right now. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:6584A22F-11B2-4411-84EA-E28667D66D43 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081019 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Jr. High Boys Overnighter DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081017 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:We will be leaving at 4:00pm from Quincy to go camping in Ma comb. We will return at 5:00pm on Saturday END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T203227Z UID:4A6FF94E-DD09-44B2-B212-C4019E8AC6B7 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090331 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 9:28-36 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090330 DTSTAMP:20090221T203247Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:I just can’t get over how amazing that picture is\, the Glor y of Christ. In my mind I can’t even begin to fathom the feelings or tho ughts within the apostle’s minds. I think this story is so significant i n showing Christ’s glory and what we will one day be able to see. But\, I also think this is so symbolic in the way we act in the presence of a Holy and Majestic Lord. Many times in our walk with God we can’t feel Hi m or hear His voice\, and that’s okay\, but it can be very difficult. Th ese guys\, Peter\, John\, and James\, walked with our Lord and Savior Je sus Christ everyday of their lives. But\, when they saw the mere Glory o f Jesus they didn’t know what to say to what to do. They tried building shelters for them\, and in the Bible it actually says they did not know what they were saying. When I read that I started think that we are the same way when we see glory. When we see the glory of Christ in our lives and see all the good He has done we want to thank Him. Maybe sometimes we try to act perfect\, or we try to protect God\, put Him in a shelter\ , and do all we can to please and work for Him. But just as the cloud of God came down on the men God speaks to us in many ways. When the cloud came down on the men the only thing that God did was reveal His Son and gave them directions to follow Him. I know in my life I get so busy with trying to be perfect around God\, acting like nothing is wrong\, and th inking I can do it on my own. What God was trying to say here is\, Be Qu iet. Be still before Jesus and listen to Him. His Glory is nothing we ca n explain\, wrap up\, and keep for ourselves\, but it is something that we should be silent and stand in awe before! Now today find a quiet plac e\, with no distractions\, get on your knees and let the God\, the great Comforter\, speak to your heart. 1 Kings 19:10-14 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:8DE2D98E-AA57-4295-967E-2D0796CF08FA DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081217 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Song of Songs 4 – 5 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081216 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Today’s chapters deal primarily with this couples wedding ni ght. (It is at this point I should remind you that this book was not wr itten in chronological order\, but is rather a collection of their songs and poems.) Anyway as you read chapter four you can see the beauty of their wedding night. The major reason it is beautiful is because they h ad kept their relationship pure. In 4:12 we see that the bride was a vi rgin. She had chosen to stay pure in anticipation of this night. There are many reasons why you should stay sexually pure. The greatest reaso n is because that is what the bible says to do. (Read I Corinthians 6:1 8-20). The second best reason is because God created sex to be enjoyed by a husband and a wife. The greatest gift you can give to your future spouse is your virginity on your wedding night. The woman in this story was giving an unused gift to her husband and that was a beautiful thing . Understand this to the fullest extent. This doesn’t just mean being a virgin because you haven’t gone all the way. This means being pure fr om all forms of sexual activity. Be pure so that your wedding night ca n be all that God intended it to be.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T201245Z UID:23DE1CE9-BB24-4052-9B49-E7CF486DCAA1 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090530 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 12:19-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090529 DTSTAMP:20090220T201311Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Herod dies a horrible death through extremely intense pain! He was literally eaten alive\, from the inside out\, by worms. His pride overcame him and when they referred to him as a god he didn’t correct t hem. In this case\, God chose to deal with this sin immediately! He’s no t always as quick to act like this\, but he will judge everyone eventual ly. We must remember that God is not one to play around when people glor ify themselves and choose not to give God the glory! I know many times in my life I have been caught up in pride and God was quick to humble me down through hardships. We should always keep a heart of humility and r ecognize that God alone is the one to receive Glory and Honor. Take some time to reflect on your life and see whether you need to make some chan ges with an extra dose of humility! Put God first above all things\, esp ecially yourself!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090317T130854Z UID:EABD066E-FFD9-4FF3-B3BE-BBA4C173B564 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20091016T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20091016T213000 DTSTAMP:20090317T130916Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B7B10B15-8E30-47D4-9D2D-0C3C726243EB DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090212 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Daniel 3:16-18\; 6:1-22 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090211 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:The 3 amigos had all kinds of reasons why it could have been in their best interest to bow down.\n1. “If we get ourselves killed who is going to look out for the Jewish people?”\n2. “Were just trying to f it in so that we can continue to witness to the culture.”\n3. “We’ll fal l down but we won’t actually worship-we’ll just make it look like were w orshipping the idol.”\n4. “We’ll just worship this one time-no big deal- people sin all the time!\n\nDaniel could have made the same excuses in D aniel 6… But the Word of God shoots these excuses down. Read Exodus 20:4 now read Deuteronomy 6:14. \n\nIf there is one thing that is crystal cl ear in the scriptures\, it is the idea that the people of faith bow down to God and God alone. Not only that\, if Shadrach\, Meshach and Abedne go or Daniel were to compromise their faith\, it would ruin their testim ony for God. Never again could they talk about the power of their God ab ove all other gods. Because everyone will say\, “What about you guys? Wh en things got difficult\, YOU worshipped other gods!” And never again co uld they refer to Psalm 95:3\, because people would say\, “Oh yeah? If t he Lord is so great\, then why were you cowering in fear? If your God is so great\, then why were you so willing to compromise?”\n\nWe’ve all ha d moments when God wanted us to say something\, or God wanted us to do s omething\, or God wanted us to take a stand on something\, but we backed off because we were afraid. We were afraid that someone might be offend ed. Afraid that people won’t like us anymore. Let these stories be an ex ample for you and take a stand for God in your life. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T141645Z UID:DBD9D2C8-2731-435E-84ED-7367668EA0B5 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090917T210000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20100521T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Small Group DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090917T200000 DTSTAMP:20090826T142602Z LOCATION:Leigh Mackenzie's House\n2024 Prairie Quincy SEQUENCE:10 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:AA43D3CF-5F85-4367-A729-EB88EC5402EC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081205 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 3:16-28\, 4:29-34 & Proverbs 4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081204 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Are you judging wisely this week? Maybe the best way to eva luate that question is to check out your heart. Proverbs 4:23 says\, “a bove all else guard your heart\, for it is the wellspring of life.” The best way to guard your heart is to seek out the wisdom of God. If your heart is set on God then it affects all of the judgment calls that you encounter daily. If your heart is set against him\, or on something els e (a significant other\, school\, job\, etc.) then it too will affect th e decisions you make. Take a moment to evaluate your heart\, read James 1:5-8\, and pray for wisdom. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:415C7D35-B105-4A77-945A-41FADF61EFED DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090203 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 4:3-4 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090202 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Jewish males were circumcised as an outward sign of their co venant with God that started with Abraham in Genesis 17. This was an act of obedience to God as well as being identified in the community of God ’s people. Circumcision was viewed as a symbol of “cutting off” the old life of sin\, purifying one’s heart\, and dedicating oneself to God. Thi s was essential in Abraham’s day to separate themselves from other pagan nations nearby and devoting worship to the one true God! Unfortunately as we look at today’s passage we see that the Israelites had not kept to that standard… After the death of king Solomon the nation of Israel spl its into two kingdoms and over the next couple hundred years\, turn thei r backs on God by worshiping false idols and giving into the sin of thei r own desires. Jeremiah is addressing Judah\, the southern kingdom\, abo ut their callous hearts telling them to repent and uproot their sinful h abits. Vs. 4 calls them to consecrate their hearts once again to the Lor d\, but as you read the rest of Jeremiah\, you’ll discover that they did n’t listen and were exiled into Babylon until God delivers them back aga in. Read Colossians 2:9-12. Today we are in a new Covenant with God thro ugh the death and resurrection of Christ. Circumcision is no longer nece ssary. Our commitment to God is no longer marked on our bodies but on ou r hearts by the Holy Spirit. Don’t allow your heart to become hardened b ut instead embrace your relationship with God through your freedom in Ch rist.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T220434Z UID:4C9BA4F3-9109-4680-9B2F-E46C8AD9AC1B DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090726T193000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Hangout - Gem's Game DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090726T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T033331Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:B68E05DF-5B76-4B4E-8799-059DE05A1193 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090204 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 6:16 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090203 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:God is offering the nation of Judah advice: Follow the ancie nt paths\, which meant to pursue the ways of Judah’s godly ancestors by turning back to God. “Standing at the crossroads”… God makes it apparent here that they have to choose “a” path! God is not going to let them pl ay the merging game where they switch back and forth when it’s most conv enient for them. Well… they chose not to take God’s path\, go their own way instead and because of that\, rather than finding rest for their sou ls they found their own destruction. We are all brought to that same cro ssroads! We are given a choice. Will we take God’s path or decide to fol low our own? The awesome thing about God is that he gives us roadside a ssistance in many ways: Psalm 119 says that “His’ word (the Bible) is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path” meaning that if we allow our lives to be led by God’s values and truths we will stay on the right pat h. We also have the Godly advice from those around us who have been in s ituations before to help us make right choices. As well as the guidance we receive from Christ through the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. It may not always seem to be the most appealing road\, as very few travel on i t\, but as Jesus says in Matthew 7 it is the path that leads to life!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:7E9DB7F2-8899-45D0-BE96-EB3B3D83B78B DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081125 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Samuel 6:1-11 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081124 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This is a tough passage to swallow because of the harshness of its outcome. The answer to why God killed Uzzah is not easily answer ed. On the outside looking in you might think it’s a bit of an over rea ction on God’s part\, all he was trying to do was keep it from falling o f the cart. A bigger question than why did God kill Uzzah\, was what wa s the Ark doing on a cart. According to rules God gave Moses\, the Ark was meant to be carried\, not carted (Duet. 25\, also check out 1 Kings 8). God’s regulations on our lives must not be taken lightly. While he is merciful\, he is not a pushover. When David asks\, “how can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” He is trying to bring the ark back to Je rusalem (often referred to as the hill of the Lord). His answer to his questions comes when he writes Psalm 24. “Who may ascend hill of the Lo rd? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart\, and does not lift up his soul to an idol.” In your life\, are you following God’s commands? Do you have clean hands and a pure heart? Have you made things more important that God? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T205533Z UID:6E8E0155-3B36-4951-8CCC-833DA42B7A55 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20080902 RRULE:FREQ=MONTHLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20090301;BYDAY=1MO TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:New Episode of Studio News DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20080901 DTSTAMP:20090220T205536Z SEQUENCE:1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:EC6B1BC2-D014-47BB-B531-30E50FD471AE DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090120 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 7:14\, 9:6 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090119 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Isaiah prophesied that there would be a child born unto a vi rgin and He would be called Immanuel. Right now take a moment to read Ma tthew 1:22-23. This prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Jesus is literally “Immanuel” which means “God with us”. So in what sense then \, is Christ God with us? Jesus is Immanuel\, or God with us in His inca rnation\; God with us\, by the influence of His Holy Spirit\, in the pre aching of His word\, in private prayer. He is God with us through every action of our life that we begin\, continue and end in His name. He is G od with us to comfort\, enlighten\, protect\, and defend us\, in every t ime of temptation and trial\, in the hour of death\, in the Day of Judgm ent. Christ is God with us to all eternity. Think about how incredible t his is! God became man and then died on the cross so that He could be wi th us and in us for all eternity. What a gift! Lately\, if you have been feeling lonely or feel as if God is distant meditate on the fact that J esus is Immanuel. God is with YOU in this very moment. Read Matthew 28:2 0\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:F0C8CD62-8CAB-489C-8E89-D965C1ED2EE7 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081122 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 17:34-37 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081121 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Many people have read the story of David and Goliath and of the triumphal victory David had over His giant. This story is what made the little shepherd boy famous for His faith in God. Yet\, it’s importan t to remember that David didn’t prove his faith and character in that on e-time battle with Goliath\; but through the day in and day out training of God in the fields. It’s in the little things that we prove ourselves capable of the big things. Before entrusting David with the lives of th e entire nation of Israel\, God first gave him a flock of sheep to prote ct. Also\, consider this\, when God develops inner qualities\, He’s neve r in a hurry. True character is developed only with time. Giving us time to grow is a part of His plan of grace. Day by day God developed a deep trust within the heart of David. David was completely aware that God co uld and did save him from the paws of a lion and bear\, and that this Ph ilistine champion was no different. David had such a big view of God tha t his giants in life paled in comparison. Goliath didn’t look any smalle r to David than he appeared to the rest of the Israelites\; the only dif ference was that God looked much bigger in David’s eyes. Having a right view of God gives you the ability to face your giants head on knowing th at no giant can ever compare with the strength of the living God. Read P salm 20 for more words from David on this topic of trusting in the Lord to fight your battles. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:84444EA8-0748-45FC-BE4E-E1B7467D3236 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081121 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Samuel 17:4-11 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081120 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Study verse 11 specifically today. Look at the response of t he Israelites and King Saul when Goliath challenged them. When they hear d these words of the Philistine\, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Of course\, that was Goliath's exact intention in issuing the challenge . The reason why he came out with full battle equipment and paraded in f ront of the Israelite army was because he wanted them to be dismayed and greatly afraid. Goliath was able to defeat the Israelites on fear alone . This\, of course\, is a significant strategy of the devil against Chri stians. We don't battle against flesh and blood enemies like Goliath\, b ut we have our "spiritual Giants" to battle against. The devil has a hea vy interest in making you dismayed and greatly afraid before the battle ever begins. You must take a stand against His lies before He ever launc hes an attack. Now look at Israel’s leader\, Saul. When Saul heard thes e words he was terrified. Saul had special reason to be afraid. Goliath was the giant among the Philistines\, and Saul was head and shoulder tal ler than other Israelite men (1 Samuel 9:2). Saul was the logical choice to square off against Goliath\, and we can expect he knew others were e xpecting him to fight Goliath. Yet\, Saul is dismayed and greatly afraid . At one time\, he was known as a fierce and successful military leader (1 Samuel 14:52). But that was before the Spirit of the LORD departed fr om Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). As the Spirit of the LORD left Saul\, so did h is courage. The Spirit of the LORD really can give you courage. God want s to give you a holy boldness and courage\, not in yourself\, but in Him . The Devil brings fear\, but the Lord brings courage and boldness. Cl ose by reading 2 Timothy 1:7\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T205506Z UID:798AA513-4409-4993-8E46-B066BE681685 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090505 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 1:1-3 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090504 DTSTAMP:20090220T205523Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Have you ever gone along with someone about a lie to maybe k eep him or her out of trouble? Maybe somebody copied on your test and wh en the teacher asked you kept the truth hidden. Would you still not tell if she threatened to give you an F? How about send you home? How about kill you? It would be pure stupidity to stand up for something you knew was false! The disciples were eyewitnesses to all that had happened to J esus- His’ life before the crucifixion and the 40 days after his resurre ction as he taught them about the kingdom of God. Proving to the discipl es he had indeed risen! Consider the change that happened in the discipl es’ lives after the resurrection! At the death of Jesus they scattered i n fear for their own lives\, losing the hope they once had. After seeing Christ they became fearless\, risking everything to spread the Gospel t o the world. They faced imprisonment\, beatings\, rejection and martyrdo m\, yet they never compromised their mission to proclaim Jesus to anybod y and everybody they met. These men would not have risked\, and in most cases\, given their lives for something they knew was a fraud! They knew that Jesus was alive\, and the early church was fired up with enthusias m to tell about it. It’s important for us to know this so that we can ha ve confidence in their testimony! We can still be confident today that o ur faith is based on fact! Do you truly stand for what you believe is tr ue? Would you be willing to take ridicule for it? Loneliness? Death? Rea d Acts 7 about the life of Stephen.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081204T190750Z UID:25AADAB2-A4BA-4A3A-BB92-7511ED53FBA8 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090810 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Jr. High Training Camp DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090806 DTSTAMP:20081204T190806Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081202T203741Z UID:579EE6FA-5981-4765-A99F-2AC2B354752A DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081210T203000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Band DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081210T183000 DTSTAMP:20081202T203859Z SEQUENCE:2 DESCRIPTION:Jeff- Lead / Acoustic\nTrent -Drums\nTighe -Bass\nNick C -El ec\nBailey -Elec\nHannah -Keys\nJack O’conner\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:945689FB-CD68-47C2-B726-0AD57F7A6A7E DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090301 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ephesians 1:15-23\; Colossians 4:2-6 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090228 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Prayer Driving: Drive (or walk if its not too cold) through a local neighborhood either early in the morning or late at night when m ost people are likely to be asleep or at least at home. Begin to pray ov er the homes as you drive by\, thanking God for his creation in each inh abitant and praying that each person in those homes would come to know C hrist better. (Please pray with your eyes open if you’re driving :)\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T193511Z UID:FDABD264-1D7C-4739-B7F0-52AFCFAB523F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090303 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Leviticus 7\, Psalms 106\, 1 Corinthians 15 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090302 DTSTAMP:20090218T072559Z SEQUENCE:3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:098FBD72-039F-4C6A-B966-3E390145BCF4 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090128 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 8:11-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090127 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Fear the Lord. Many people have a hard time understanding w hat the fear of the Lord is. The question comes how do a fear a God who is supposed to love me. I believe it is comparable to a Father/child r elationship. You might love your dad but there is a fear and respect th at is there as well. You should have a healthy fear of the Lord meaning you respect who he is and the power that he has. This verse goes even further by saying “He is the one you should dread.” This comes from the Hebrew word ‘arats. It means to be in awe of\, shake terribly\, or to dread. If there is ever anything to fear it is God. Jesus explained it in Matthew 10:28 when He said\, “Don’t be afraid of the one that can ki ll the body\, but be afraid of the one who can destroy both the body and the soul in hell.” LOVE GOD by having a healthy FEAR of GOD. Close by reading Ecclesiastes 5:1-2.\n\nStudio Note: The theme verse for The St udio is Philippians 2:12-16. We call our youth center The Studio becaus e we believe it is the workroom of God. When you come into The Studio y ou are saying to the Artist (God) work on me as your artwork. Verse 13 helps us to see that God wants to work on us. Verse 12 helps us to see that we ought to do it with an attitude of fear and trembling.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FB868908-4C75-4807-9E53-5F9BE6536DBB DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081128 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Samuel 12:11-14 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081127 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In the book of Numbers\, Moses tells his people that if his people don’t follow God’s instructions that their “sin will find them ou t.” Those words rang true in David’s life as Nathan confronted him abou t his sin with Bathsheba. The sad truth of the whole thing is consequen ce for sin. Death! The consequence for sin is always death (Romans 6:2 3). However\, in the case of our sin\, which deserves death\, the death penalty has already been paid. The question of whether or not you want to live depends on you. And life is always found in Jesus (also Romans 6:23). If you are like David and have sinned\, but you are hiding that fact\, don’t wait on a Nathan to confront you. Read James 5:16 & 1 Joh n 1:9 and do accordingly. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T211651Z UID:B2FEF332-5B57-4659-9196-A00CD22D9E73 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090509 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 2:36-41 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090508 DTSTAMP:20090220T211708Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Have you ever been cut to the heart? Recently I went running with a couple of friends and was close to finishing\, the two of us wer e in the lead while the other two were a little behind. All I could thin k about was how good I was doing and was going to enjoy being first when the person next to me tapped my shoulder and said we should let them ca tch up and finish together. I was cut to the heart realizing my selfish heart! I know this is on a smaller level but it shows the same response. I was so wrong in my actions and when I saw what the person next to me did brought to my attention how wrong I was and needed to change. When P eter spoke to these people in Jerusalem\, they heard the truth compare o f God against their own lives and realized they were in the wrong and ne eded to change. They were sorry for their sins and wanted to know what t o do next and Peter replied\, “Repent and be baptized!” As we stand befo re the presence of God it is impossible for us to ignore that we are sin ful and He alone is good! The matter goes down to the question will you continue running your life like you always do or slow down and accept th e truth? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T203536Z UID:7780FA35-2C4D-44E7-85A7-EED1F9EDBD5E DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090402 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY: Luke 14:25-35 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090401 DTSTAMP:20090221T203809Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Jesus starts this off my giving us a list of what it means t o be His disciple\, and it’s not easy. We must HATE our father\, mother\ , siblings\, friends\, and even ourselves. At first that seemed a little harsh to me. The word hate here is not used the way we\, as people\, ha te things. This word means to like the least or be lesser than something . Jesus is refering to Himself that everything else must be made lesser than Him. Jesus is telling us that in order to be His disciple we must give everything that we hold dear to our hearts. We must no longer put o ur family or friends above Him or even go to ourselves for strength befo re Him. Jesus also tells us that we must carry our cross and follow Him daily. In this he is saying we must share in his sufferings and become l ike Him. By carrying our cross we can experience the hardships of life i n Christ but we also build a character that comes only from Christ Jesus and what He did for us on that cross. Jesus gives us examples of how we must go all the way in our faith and prepare ourselves to walk with Him . When Jesus talks about salt he is referring to us as Christians pursui ng Him half-heartedly. He says that we are no good if we are not full f orce walking with Him. If we lose our purpose then we are to no use for Him or anyone else. Act 14: 21-23 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T175655Z UID:9A06224E-648F-436C-8FA4-E1A9DDA297B6 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090318 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 5:27-32 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090317 DTSTAMP:20090221T175714Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:In this Story we see Jesus call Matthew (Levi) to follow Him \, just like in verse 10 when he calls Peter. Their response is the same : “and Levi got up\, left everything and followed Him.” If you read the journal a couple of days ago\, we talked about how Peter left everything to follow Jesus and now we see Levi do the same. You understand how a t eacher will repeat something a million times so that you will finally ge t it and hopefully not forget. I think that this reoccurs to show us tha t Peter is not a special situation. We really have to leave everything to follow Jesus. Levi was a tax collector so leaving his job would have tremendous consequences. But he still left to follow Jesus.\n\nAfter th is we read that Levi holds a banquet for Jesus with tax collectors and o ther sinners. Jewish people hated tax collectors because of their dishon est practices. They most likely would not have eaten with them. But that is exactly where we find Jesus. When questioned why by the Pharisees an d teachers of the law He replies\, “It is not the healthy who need a doc tor\, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous\, but sinners to repentance.” For a sinner like me\, this is great news! The Pharisees thought themselves to be righteous and had no deep sense of their sin a nd need. The truth is they were not righteous and needed Jesus just as m uch as the tax collectors. The Pharisees missed out on the Great Physici an because of their pride. Remember\, Jesus came for everyone\, even the “worst” person you can think of. Don’t be like a Pharisee\, but accept God’s gift and share it with the “tax collectors” and sinners today. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090803T043822Z UID:8D0F40D7-D643-49AC-B2A5-125616DCE713 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20100307 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Believe DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20100304 DTSTAMP:20090803T043858Z SEQUENCE:5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:8E0B512B-1D54-4D50-8EBB-F4609BC8B7D1 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081115 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Judges 16:15-22 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081114 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Sometimes I wonder if Samson was like the dumb-jock type per son\, crazy strong but just not the brightest crayon in the box. Four ti mes he allows Delilah to take advantage of him. She is in the relationsh ip for personal gain and wealth while Samson is in it for the physical p leasure. This isn’t a good combination. Samson becomes blinded by her d eceitfulness because she offers the desires of his lust. She nags him co nstantly to a point he doesn’t care anymore and tells her the secret to his strength and it becomes his downfall. How can we keep our desire for love and pleasure from deceiving us like it did for Samson? Have you do ne something you knew was wrong but didn’t care because you knew if you could just impress that guy or girl it was worth it? We get so caught u p in this world thinking that we have to be with the hottest person arou nd and completely lose focus on the heart. We should be seeking to be wi th a person that first has a relationship with God and whose inner beaut y is as amazing as the outer. Are your desires for pleasure getting in t he way of making Godly decisions today? Ask God to help you that when th e time comes you chose a Godly person and that you maintain a Godly rela tionship.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T211202Z UID:E32A391F-221E-4153-B17A-8A6B0F46B6DC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090507 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 2:1-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090506 DTSTAMP:20090220T211223Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:There are times in the Bible that I would have loved to been there to witness it for myself and this is definitely one of them. It’s 50 days after Passover\, 10 days after Jesus’ Ascension\, and all the a postles were in the upper room together. Suddenly a booming noise like a tornado coming from Heaven fills the whole room and blazing fire (repre senting God’s purifying presence) resembling tongues (representing the c ommunication of the Gospel) rests over each one of them. Then each of th em was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other languages. When th e text says “other languages” here it is meaning they spoke in languages that they had never studied or learned. What an entrance for the Holy Spirit! Could you just imagine being at the church seeking God with othe rs and all of the sudden your ears start to ring from this overwhelming noise and you see these flames settle over everyone’s heads? Then to top it off you start praising God in Italian\, Japanese\, and Dutch! I love it! Because it was the day of Pentecost\, Jews of many nations gathered in Jerusalem for this festival and each heard the apostles praising God in his’ own language. This catches the attention of all those around an d sets up perfectly for Peter’s sermon he’s about to give. Many times we look for responses like this from God to show himself\, and sometimes G od does reveal Himself in dramatic ways but He also works in gentle whis pers like Elijah’s encounter with God. Read 1 Kings 19:10-13\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:13D80DE5-D9AD-412F-B3EE-6C676B3174B8 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090202 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jeremiah 1:5\, 29:11-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090201 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:God says to Jeremiah that even before He formed him in the w omb\, He knew him! In Hebrew the word “knew” here is translated as “chos e”\, so in this we see God making Jeremiah the object of His choice in b eing set apart for God’s work. Jeremiah was appointed by God to be his P rophet to Judah. Throughout the Bible there are people that God appoints specific roles to become\; Esther a queen\, David a king\, John the Bap tist prepared way for Jesus\, and Paul the missionary. Each was set befo re them a special task to bring Glory to God’s name! If God has placed a special task on your heart\, do it and do it was passion! If God hasn’t given you a specific call yet then seek to fulfill his overall calling as a believer- to love and serve God! Those in the second group often fe el discouraged or inadequate to the other\, but remember that in both si tuations God has a purpose for all of our lives. We are all created to b ring Glory to God’s name in everything we do! It may feel overwhelming t hinking God sends us on our own to do this task. But in Vs. 6-8 God tell s Jeremiah (who doubts himself like Moses) that He will always be with H im and also in Jer. 29:11-13 (while God’s people where in exile)\, but t hat doesn’t mean there will never be any pain or hardships in our lives (historians wrote Jeremiah was stoned to death in Egypt). God will see u s through what He has set before us.\n\nWhat was a prophet’s role?\nDo y ou feel like God has chosen you? Why or why not?\nHas there ever been a time you felt led to do something for God?\nHave you ever felt afraid to do something God has placed on your heart?\nWhat does it mean to bring Glory to God?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:2BB736FA-0E8E-4384-9406-9775583CBB98 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081224T190000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:The Crossing Christmas Eve Service. Time to be determined later . DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081224T180000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:DEF97EDB-9D7C-4DF6-94A6-B3C0F50513AD DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20081025T230000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Girls Retreat at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20081025T150000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:65DC8BCC-7C3D-420C-957A-6AEE6812C921 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090114 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jonah 2 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090113 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This chapter smells a lot like Jesus. No\, not because Jesu s hung out with guys who smelled like fish and cause Jonah is in a fish\ , but rather because of the broken nature of Jonah. You see when Jesus first stepped on to the scene as “teacher” which is like “movie star” in our culture as far as attention goes\, some of the first words out of h is mouth were “blessed are the poor in spirit.” Mark Moore\, an author and professor\, wrote poor in spirit means\, “the recognition of your ow n spiritual bankruptcy. In short\, no one can participate in the kingdo m who has not recognized their desperate need for God and their own inab ility to meet that need. Jesus said we must enter as little children.” He also added\, “the rich and self sufficient have a hard time entering . In the Old Testament sacrifices were described as a pleasing aroma to God. David wrote in Psalm 51:17\, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit\; a broken and contrite heart\, O God\, you will not despise.” W hen we try to come to God in a self-righteous manner as if he needs us\, we usually end up smelling like fish. But when we come to him “poor in spirit” we become a pleasing aroma to God. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:1DD35314-69B3-47E5-B309-EFA614C6A869 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081222 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes 1&2 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081221 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:“a chasing after the wind”… Solomon uses this illustration 9 times throughout Ecclesiastes to describe the meaningless pursuit that man endures to attain earthly success and pleasures. We work so hard dur ing our lives to build up our personal kingdom: houses\, cars\, a wife o r husband\, expensive toys… and in an instant all that is lost as a pers on takes their last breath! Solomon is writing this passage during old a ge reflecting back to his own life and sees that although he was the wea lthiest and wisest Israel had ever seen\, nothing could bring satisfacti on or joy outside of pursuing God. James 4:14 says our lives are a mist that appears for only a little while and then vanishes. That’s it. Worki ng hard for countless years to finally reach a point of enjoyment only t o realize that your time is up. When you look at life from that angle it all seems so overwhelming and depressing. But when you pursue life in a different approach seeking to please God rather than yourself\, you fin d true meaning and purpose. Enjoy the blessings that God has already giv en you in this life and strive to walk close with God everyday. Solomon didn’t realize this until it was to late and wrote this in hope that we would learn from his life and not make the same mistake. Today take some time to evaluate what your pursuing in this life and set that course to wards living a life consumed in God!\n\nIs it wrong to enjoy having nice things? When does it become wrong?\nWhat does it mean to pursue a life for God?\nWhat are some examples of meaningless things we pursuit today? \nWhat are some examples of meaningful things we pursuit today?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T205808Z UID:B42FEF2B-A1AB-40A6-A22A-B301C515D5BF DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090628T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Studio B - at Harris' DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090628T183000 DTSTAMP:20090504T032427Z SEQUENCE:2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:4FD7C674-0B53-4C31-9230-C3257D230902 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090123T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Macomb DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090123T213000 DTSTAMP:20081121T160626Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090422T221734Z UID:B2D41AE4-73AC-49A7-9D03-89CA3852F0A1 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090811T220000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio Hangout - TCBY DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090811T210000 DTSTAMP:20090422T222853Z SEQUENCE:5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T200534Z UID:F09EBBBB-BF96-4845-8132-11ACC9F05DE4 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090528 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 11:1-18 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090527 DTSTAMP:20090220T200730Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:When Peter brought the news of what had happened with Cornel ius’ conversion back to Jerusalem\, the other believers were shocked tha t Peter had eaten with Gentiles. They saw the Gentiles as unworthy to ac cept God’s grace and weren’t capable of having a personal relationship w ith Him. The Jewish believers were often known as the circumcised believ ers. Some believed that if they would become a proselyte (means to conve rt to a different religion) to Judaism first and then believe in Christ that it was ok. They were way off from where God was leading. God chose the Jews and taught them his laws so they could bring the message of sal vation to all people. There is no nation or race or gender that God does n’t allow to have the opportunity to have relationship with him. There i s no crime or lifestyle that God can’t forgive to have the opportunity t o have relationship with Him. At first the group was shocked at what Pet er had done but he stuck to his guns and continued to tell them how God sent them the Holy Spirit and they praised God. We are called to go to t he ends of the earth to reach those who don’t have a personal relationsh ip with Christ and give them the same hope we have inside. It’s not alwa ys easy and clean cut but we must push on. We need to get dirty and shar e with the world that Jesus lives and loves us all. Read John 4:1-42 how Jesus himself went to preach in Samaria!\n\nFor further study on this t ext and evangelism purchase a copy of Josh's book\, "Get Dirty" from The Studio. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190315Z UID:B00A35DB-709B-4BFC-8DD4-AF850C84A5B0 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090327 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 8:40-56 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090326 DTSTAMP:20090221T190331Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:These are two of the greatest examples of faith that I have ever seen. Let be quickly define faith. Faith is displaying trust in s omeone\, or trusting that they can do what they say they can. For the m an whose daughter is dying\, “just believe\,” Jesus says\, “and she will be healed.” Believe what\, you might ask. For years now\, the Jews we re awaiting a Messiah (a deliverer). Jairus has probably been hearing & maybe even seeing Jesus do all these miracles and he is wondering if He can deliver me from this situation. If you read between the lines\, I t hink that Jesus is saying to Jairus\, “what you are thinking about me is true.” For the woman who has been bleeding for 12 years\, maybe you ar e asking yourself why didn’t she simply ask Jesus for healing\, why did she touch the edge of his cloak? It goes back to the prophet Malachi wo rds and a common Jewish tradition. The Jewish tradition was to have tas sels on the corners of their garments to remind them of God commandments given to them. The word for corners was the Hebrew word knaf. In Mala chi 4:2\, he says “for you who revere my name\, the sun of righteousness (the Messiah) will rise with healing in its wings.” The word used for wings is the same Hebrew word knaf. Pretty cool\, huh? Do understand w hat she is saying about Jesus when she touches His cloak? Today we are asked to trust (put our faith) in Jesus Christ: that we trust in him alo ne for our salvation\, and obey what he demands. Can you echo Paul’s th oughts in Galatians 2:20-21? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:3941B5BA-E385-4D82-9B9C-2D68E6AA506A DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090210 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Daniel 1 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090209 DTSTAMP:20081121T160623Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Look at Daniel. He was first round pick\, he was young\, he was healthy\, he was in peak physical condition\, he was intelligent\, h e was teachable\, he was talented\, he was from a family of high social status. I mean if they were going to pick a bachelor back then-he would be it. Let’s just say if they had high school back then\, he would have graduated North Judah High School class of 605 B.C. and he would have be en voted most likely to succeed...He would have been the quarterback\, p oint guard\, starting pitcher\, prom king\, valedictorian\, he was the m an. They predicted great things for him\, he would be successful in what ever occupation he chose\, he would marry a beautiful woman\, raise a wo nderful family\, have a big house with a white picket fence 2.5 kids and dog.\n\nHe would have a picture perfect life. But life didn’t turn out the way he pictured it. All of the sudden he gets deported to another to wn\, another king\, another lifestyle…Living in a foreign land\, fifteen hundred miles away from family and anything familiar. \n\nHe was living in the king’s palace and had the opportunity to enjoy all the enticemen ts of royalty. In particular\, the food was wonderful. He was offered an expensive bottle of wine and a steak and shrimp dinner every night. Da niel could have rationalized and made a case for eating what was served him. After all\, he was being held hostage. He was a captive. Surely God would understand if he gave in. But look at verse 8. HE CHOSE to stand out. Read 1 Peter 1:13-16…\n\nWhen others around him were giving into t he culture\, Daniel remained loyal to God’s calling for his life. As cul ture tries to shape you\, will you dare to be a Daniel? Will you stand out? What will be your food? Close by reading John 6:35.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:D2CACCCC-B4BB-483D-8C38-4F6635F50324 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090226 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Malachi 3:8-10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090225 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In the passage we see Malachi reminding the Israelites to st op holding back their tithes from God\, which he deserved. The tithing s ystem was introduced to them during the time of Moses and some of it was given to the Levites (priests) because they could not possess land of t heir own. Because they didn’t tithe\, the Levites had to work for earnin gs\, neglecting their God-given responsibilities to care for the temple and service of worship. Everything we have is from God\; so when they de cided not to give their tithe they were actually robbing God. When we gi ve it needs to be with an attitude of generosity not out of expectation. Read Luke 21:1-3. Even though the widow gave little it was out of her p overty where everyone else gave in all their riches. Her heart was right with God because she gave with a genuine heart. Are you tithing? If so\ , are you giving like the widow or the wealthy? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:8B10964A-1E75-4727-8CBC-CC897F5971D5 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090125 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Chronicles 16:7-34\; Psalm 103:8-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090124 DTSTAMP:20081121T160622Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:5 Minutes of God: Shut off all distractions in your home or office. Take five minutes to try and think only of God…his holiness\, hi s grace etc. Try NOT to allow yourself to use “I” or “me” or “us” in thi s process.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T202823Z UID:2E22EDF8-7743-42CC-B34F-D324F462DD38 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090330 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 9:18-27 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090329 DTSTAMP:20090221T202943Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:When Jesus asked “Who am I?” the one who later would deny hi m answered the “Christ of God”. Jesus explained to them exactly what ha d to happen to Him so that the scriptures would be fulfilled\, but asked them not to say anything. Jesus told them that they would have to pick up their cross daily and deny themselves to follow him. It’s interestin g to think that Jesus commanded them to do this before he had even died on the cross\, as if preparing them for the hardships. When reading this passage I thought to myself how clear and straight-to-the-point His dir ections were to us as followers. I think our stumbling block is the proc ess of losing ourselves. No one wants to be the person without a grip on their plans and without charge in their future. We live in a world wher e we get what we want when we want it and Jesus calls for the opposite. He wants us to let go of everything that is close to us. Most of the tim es the things closet to us are the things getting in the way of our rela tionship with Christ. When we let go of our “worldly” desires and dreams Jesus starts to become our true Desire and Dream. When we take our eyes off of our life and realize it’s no longer ours it is pleasing to the L ord. If you lose your life Jesus tells us that we will actually save it and one day we’ll be able to spend glorious time with Him in Heaven. On judgment day when we see Jesus face to face I don’t want to be the shame ful one\, but the one that the Lord is pleased with\, what about you? Ma tthew 10:38-40 and Mark 8:34-36 are similar scriptures to the ones you r ead for today.\n\nDiscussion Questions:\n\n1. What does it mean to you to take up your cross daily?\n2. What does it mean to deny yourself and how can you apply it every day?\n3. What are the things that hold you back from losing your life?\n4. Be honest\, are you ever ashamed or hel d back when it comes to following Jesus? If yes\, how? END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:FF3435DD-B8B3-4315-B50A-E4C544555602 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081206 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 4:20-28\, 10:14-29 & Proverbs 10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081205 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:What I hope you hear after reading these passages is not tha t wisdom equals wealth\, but that wisdom equals influence. In the case of Solomon and many others wisdom brought wealth. However\, John the Ba ptist was a pretty sharp guy and he ate bugs. But whether it was becaus e of the financial bounty of the kingdom or the intricate knowledge of p lant life\, Solomon wisdom gave him influence. God wants you to be infl uential for Him\, and his cause. You read yesterday that if desire wisd om then ask for and he will give it to you. But you must continue to se ek Him and give your heart over to His word (scripture) applying it to y our life. Before you close in prayer Read Proverbs 2:1-11. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T183532Z UID:57232F76-DC2A-4483-B4DC-77624C8433E0 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090406 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 11: 1-13 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090405 DTSTAMP:20090221T183654Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:To better understand the direction of today’s text\, we have The Message translation.\nThis section of scripture has been interprete d in a few ways\; as you read stress the direction and intention Jesus h ad with these words.\n\n “2-4So he said\, "When you pray\, say\, \n\n Father\, \n Reveal who you are. \n Set the world right. \n Keep us alive with three square meals. \n Keep us forgiven with you and forgi ving others. \n Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil."\n \n “9"He re's what I'm saying: __ \nAsk and you'll get\; _ \nSeek and you'll f ind\; _ \nKnock and the door will open.\n 10-13"Don't bargain with God . Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse\, hide-a nd-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish\, d o you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg\, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are\, you wo uldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children . And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"\n\nPrayer is simply communication betwee n you and God. Jesus didn’t give the disciples a set of words to recite but an example of how a prayer should sound. How often do you stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance and truly reflect on the words? I know m ost of the time I stand only to murmur the words fast as possible so I c an sit back down. Finish today in a genuine and sincere prayer.\n\n1. W hat does prayer mean to you?\n2. How does prayer affect your life? Do you find prayer to beneficial?\n3. Do you ever feel that God becomes an noyed with your prayers?\n4. Have you noticed God answering your prayer s?\n5. Does prayer require a specific setting?\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:2CAB1B56-BA7F-4087-87B1-342AEB2C63B2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090322 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Believe DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090319 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T180407Z UID:6F58BEC9-91D1-4E37-B88F-72B8E135FB98 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090512 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 3:1-10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090511 DTSTAMP:20090221T180425Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:There is one subtle\, yet ground-breaking truth that rings i n the midst of this awesome story of salvation: we can’t let our own rel ationship with God prevent us from giving others the same privilege! As Peter and John heard the faint cry of the beggar\, how easy would it hav e been for them just to walk right on past? After all\, they were going to pray to God\, right? They were going to worship God\, so shouldn’t th ey have been excused from helping this one\, poor beggar? No! But so oft en we do this\, don’t we? We can’t go pray with our hurting friend becau se we ourselves HAVE to worship. We can’t go spend time discipling other s\, or help a friend falling quickly from the throne of God because we H AVE to read our bibles. The list goes on. The point is\, if Peter and Jo hn had been too caught up in themselves and their own spiritual needs\, this beggar may have stayed at the temple gate for the rest of his life. But because Peter and John were willing to stop\, sacrifice a little of their own time\, and love this beggar\, a life was changed for all eter nity\, filled with the hope of Jesus Christ. When are we going to start taking our faith out of our houses and churches and into our streets an d schools as we share the message of life with a broken world yearning f or something more? I am not at all saying that we should never spend tim e drawing close to God personally\, for the bible states how crucial tha t is. But if you truly value spending time with God\, then don’t you wan t the same for your friends and everyone else? How will they know the st ory if you don’t tell them? Close today by reading Mark 12:28-31. God’s number one commandment is that we love Him with all of ourselves. But le t us never forget that the second greatest commandment is that we love o thers.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:963E5E84-2782-4E99-9DAD-6CAC2897A5F4 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090127 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 12:6 Give Thanks DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090126 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Isaiah is writing this passage as a prophetic hymn of praise to God\, giving thanks for the coming deliverance of the Israelites whe n they are later to be forced into Babylonian captivity. This vision pro ceeding from Ch. 11 is also a reference to the future redemption by the Messiah\, Jesus Christ! This is a beautiful example of how we are to exp ress our gratitude to God: thanking Him\, praising Him\, and sharing thi s joy with others! Have you ever seen a situation where a person was in great danger but someone took a stand to save them from the threat? What is the typical response by that person? They’re entire focus is immedia tely set to giving thanks and praise\, with tears running down their fac e\, expressing such a large amount of gratitude to their rescuer. They’r e aware of how serious the reality of the situation was. We must fully r ealize that all of our lives are spiritually in danger by the bondage of our sins\, as Rom. 6:23 says “for the wages of sin is death” but then g ive thanks and praise because the verse goes on “the gift of God is ete rnal life in Christ Jesus”. He is our rescuer! He is our Savior! And He not only saved us but went to the extent of dying an excruciating and hu miliating death on a cross to do it! When we truly understand this truth \, it should result in a desire to give Him praise and thanks and the ne ed to bring this truth to others! Today set aside some time to think abo ut all that He has done for you and express however you feel led to in g iving Him the praise He deserves!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204528Z UID:F32CCBFC-4D65-4169-8D78-109C42DEE8DD DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090303T173000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Quincy Worship/Tech Small Group and Practice DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090303T150000 DTSTAMP:20090221T204556Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:81C6F9A6-AC30-4596-BEF4-BE05D54F61C1 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081215 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Song Of Songs 1\, Proverbs 31:10-31 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081214 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:What is your standard of beauty? Meaning how do you define the word beauty? This is a crucial question because it dictates how you see yourself and what you look for in a person. In Song of Songs chapte r 1 verse 6 the girl in the story thinks that she isn’t beautiful becaus e she is dark skinned\, meaning tanned. Back in the biblical times soci ety said that a fair skinned girl was more attractive because it meant t hat she had stayed inside and taken care of herself where a tanned perso n was someone who had been outside working. Today she wouldn’t have to make excuses for her skin because our society today says that tan is bet ter. This gives a quick illustration about how when you base your stand ard of beauty off of what others say or what society portrays then you w ill constantly lose. The bible in Proverbs 31 gives a far better standa rd of true beauty than society does. The most beautiful thing you can f ind in someone is fear of the Lord. That means that they love God and a re Kingdom minded. Today spend the rest of the time praying that you wo uld see yourself as beautiful because you fear and love God and spend ti me praying for your future spouse. \n\nMarriage note: I know that you are a long way off from marriage but let me plant a seed in your mind fo r the future. When you get married realize that your spouse becomes you r standard of beauty. This is hugely important because it means that th e way you DEFINE beauty is your spouse. When you define beauty by your spouse then you won’t be looking for other more beautiful things. Let m e (This is Josh writing) explain it this way\, I’ve been married to my w ife for 16 years. I hope that I am her standard of beauty. This is imp ortant because I sure don’t look the way I did when I was 20. If I’m no t her standard of beauty then other guys will look better to her\, but i f I am her standard of beauty then that means I am the one she will be a ttracted to. This is HUGE and what helps keep marriages together for th e duration of life. \n\nDiscussion Questions:\n\n1. How does the world define beauty? Find a dictionary and look up the definition of beauty. Now on a piece of paper as a group write a BIBLICAL dictionary definiti on of beauty.\n2. What do you think is the purpose of the Song of Songs book? Why is it even in the bible?\n3. Reread Proverbs 31:10-31 and fin d or explain the characteristics of a godly woman.\n4. Why is it importa nt that you see yourself as beautiful? Why is it important that when yo u get married that your spouse becomes your standard of beauty. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090518T150120Z UID:3B96D7FD-82DC-4F25-A1E4-5271C370C3D4 DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090530T200000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Aldons party DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090530T150000 DTSTAMP:20090518T150120Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T181404Z UID:FBB3231C-DB78-4360-A416-D04AC75C3070 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090309 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 1:5-25\, 57-66 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090308 DTSTAMP:20090221T181429Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:John the Baptist was set apart for an amazing mission. Not o nly was he going to bring many Israelites back to God\; he would also be the one to prepare the way for and proclaim the coming Messiah. In this particular set of passages\, I really find the story of Zacharias inter esting. Zacharias prayed for a son and an angel appeared to tell him his prayers would be answered. Instead of rejoicing\, however\, Zacharias w as skeptical. He acted as if God could not actually deliver what he was hearing because Zacharias and Elizabeth were old. Have you ever done tha t? Have you ever prayed something knowing full well you doubted God coul d or or would ever do what you ask? I know I have. So it begs the questi on\, why do we even bother to pray for it then? Zacharias still received the gift of a son in John the Baptist\, but was first punished for his unbelief by being made unable to speak until John’s birth. Maybe this wa s just God reminding Zacharias that He really is all-powerful. He can ta ke away our voice\, overcome age limits\, and give the gift of life. We have to pray like we actually believe that. If you are like me\, this pa ssage shows that I need to pray for my unbelief at times. We can always count on an all-powerful God to do what he says He will do… It’s US who often fall short in our belief.\n\n1. As you read the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist\, imagine you are in the shoes (Sandals) of Z acharias and Elizabeth. Someone shows up out of the blue and says you wi ll give birth to a son… Do you easily believe them or would you think so meone is just messing with you? (honestly?)\n\n2. Can you imagine not sp eaking for 9 months? What must it have been like to have the joy of God working in Zacharias and yet he could not verbalize it in any way?\n\n3. Have you ever prayed for something that you really didn’t believe God c ould / would do? Did he do it? Why or why not in your opinion?\n\n4. Sp end some time praying together for our unbelief. Pray for boldness in ou r hearts to confidently approach the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) and trul y believe He will answer.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:A4ECFE92-94A1-4F94-8BD9-876B050260CC DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081127 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:2 Samuel 11:2-5 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081126 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:This is what happens when we forget that we are supposed to fight. David is the king\, and when a war is upon his nation he is supp osed to be with them in the fight. But he isn’t\, and sin seizes the op portunity. When we forget that we are supposed to be fighting\, we end up in a losing battle with sin. It was true of David and it is true of us. And in both cases there is kingdom at stake. In 2 Peter\, Peter cl aims that as believers we are royalty\, like David. But he also warns t hat the fight is upon us and Satan roams like a lion ready to devour us. Think of the great fight scenes you have seen in movies\, wouldn’t it be terrible if the hero had case of momentary amnesia? He would get sla ughtered! If you have been getting your butt kicked spiritually\, its t ime you fight back! Read Ephesians 6:10-18. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204234Z UID:5D3D3E5C-AFD9-4DD8-AB1C-C33598D74BBE DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090301T200000 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Studio 16 - at The Studio in Macomb and Kirksville DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090301T180000 DTSTAMP:20090221T204521Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for Jr. High and Sr. High teens. It is designed to help you and your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that yo u can CONNECT with God\, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an oppo rtunity to RESPOND. Doors open at 6:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T204234Z UID:5D3D3E5C-AFD9-4DD8-AB1C-C33598D74BBE DTEND;TZID=US/Central:20090614T200000 RECURRENCE-ID;TZID=US/Central:20090614T180000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:NO Studio 16 - CIY MOVE DTSTART;TZID=US/Central:20090614T180000 DTSTAMP:20090504T030950Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Studio 16 is church for Jr. High and Sr. High teens. It is designed to help you and your friends experience God. With this in mind we get very creative with activities\, worship and preaching so that yo u can CONNECT with God\, DISCOVER something about him\, and have an oppo rtunity to RESPOND. Doors open at 6:00 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190757Z UID:356516A3-561C-44B6-8BCA-5F0C521EBFF2 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090429 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 24:36-49 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090428 DTSTAMP:20090221T190849Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Okay first of all I wish that angels\, and people who were o nce dead would quit saying\, “don’t be afraid” when they show up out of the blue\, because what they are doing is the definition of how to scare people. Ringing the door bell and saying “trick or treat” does not hav e the same effect as jumping out from behind the couch with hockey mask on. Also\, it would be pretty cool if in the bible angels said “everybo dy freak out!!!” And then said\, “alright knock it off\, I have somethi ng important to communicate.” Yeah lets get back to the important to co mmunicate part. Jesus work on earth was done. Some people refer to it as the finished work of Christ\, which is a fancy way of saying that deb t your sins incurred have been paid for. Or you know how you screwed up things between you and God\, well Jesus fixed that. Pretty cool huh? The fix happens when we put out trust/faith in Jesus\, and live as he ta ught us. Today give thanks to Jesus the finished work he has done. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:712EA123-3A57-4BA7-94C2-A914C5D19616 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090213 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Daniel 9:20-27 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090212 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:I think the numbers 70 and 7 are significant for their figur ative value rather than their literal value.\n\nRemember when Peter come s to Jesus and says “how many times do I need to forgive my brother? Sev en times?” Jesus says\, “no\, seven times seventy times!” By this we don ’t take him to mean that we can count up to 490 times and on the 491st t ime we can punch them in the face in the name of Jesus. Jesus is using t he numbers to say just keep forgiving just as God keeps on forgiving you .\n\nIn Biblical times\, the number 7 was seen as a perfect number. So b y using the phrase seventy sevens\, Gabriel was saying “In God’s perfect time.” In God’s perfect time the anointed one will come. This is 600 ye ars prior to Jesus being born and they are talking about the anointed on e. Read Acts 4:26\; Jesus was God’s anointed one sent to save the world. He was the one who came to definitively put down the human rebellion. He was the one who came to bring an end to the reign of sin. Read John 3 :16 He was the one who came to atone for the guilt of all people – esta blishing everlasting righteousness\, confirming what the prophets had sa id\, and anointing the Most Holy Place.\n\nAnd yet – he too was cut down – but he rose from the dead to have the final word about death. Read Lu ke 16:5-6. Today thank God for his son who came and lived a perfect life \, died on a cross and rose from the grave for you… Thank God for his “p erfect timing.” \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:303161FC-BAA0-491E-A60B-4DAAA290800C DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090227 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Malachi 1:6-10 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090226 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:God’s law required for only perfect animals to be sacrificed but these priests were allowing the people to offer blind\, crippled\, and diseased animals instead. God charged the priests with failing to ho nor Him and being good spiritual examples for the people. It was their j ob to prepare and offer the sacrifice for the person. Because of their a ctions\, they were leading the people to believe that God accepted medio cre sacrifices. The people sacrificed wrongly to God through 1) being as cheap as possible 2) not caring how they offered their sacrifices and 3 ) sacrificing their own way instead of Gods. Sacrifice is an act of wors hip to God. Today\, the way we present our lives reflects how we worship God. Often we think that music is the only way to worship God but that is only one aspect of many. Read Romans 12:1. God desires for us to offe r ourselves as living sacrifices. That means to obediently lay down our own desires before Him and seeking to do His’ will. Worship God with all areas of your life!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:6FE9D8DC-B701-492E-A4B9-BB4998A4F605 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081225 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081224 DTSTAMP:20081121T160625Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:Today’s passage focuses on worship. Solomon is addressing th e appropriate way to worship in the temple. The temple was built during Solomon’s reign\, which took 153\,000 workers 7 years to complete\, and was considered the most sacred area of worship in the world! He tells us to be cautious in the way we approach God in His house. The temple cons isted of many designated areas for men\, women\, gentiles\, and the Most Holy Place. In those days there was a certain amount of reverence towar ds God and his temple. Our place of worship today is called the church. It’s where we gather as a group of believers to corporately worship God. There are differences in the temple then and the church today such as n o longer partaking in sacrificial rituals due to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus\, which also opened the ability to approach God through Christ whereas it was only allowed then by the high priest. One thing that stay s the same… our attitude of how we approach God’s house is reflected by how we live daily outside of it. Worship is to know who God is and respo nd in a way that gives Him glory during the other six days that we go ab out our normal routines… at work\, at school\, and at home. Which means that if your life doesn’t reveal a loving heart of obedience to God whil e you are with your friends or family\, anything that you perform at chu rch is just an act. “Worship” in Latin means to “ascribe worth to”\, equ ate that into your everyday life and what that’s saying is to worship Go d is telling Him that he has precedence over everything you do. You find so much worth in God that you choose to respect your parents and teache rs. You choose to be friends toward that person at school nobody cares f or. You choose to help your neighbor who can’t shovel the snow in front of their house. Then when you come to worship at church you will no long er need to act because it will be a reflection of whom you truly are!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090714T141440Z UID:288144B9-670D-4817-99C8-D4E9645EC136 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20100802 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Crossing Camp DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20100729 DTSTAMP:20090714T141505Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:7186F967-EC5A-425D-A6F5-B660D1A2AC2A DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081211 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:1 Kings 8:22-53\; 9:1-9\; Psalm 84 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081210 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:In the Old Testament God’s people had to go to the tabernacl e or temple to worship God because it was the avenue through which He wo uld meet with them. So when the temple was built and consecrated to the Lord one could only imagine the excitement that Solomon must have felt! There was finally a permanent establishment of worship where he and the people of Israel could enter and worship God. On the flip side\, in Psal m 84 the psalmist is away from the tabernacle and is desperate for an op portunity to worship God. His heart was actually growing faint with long ing to worship God. Think of the despair he must have felt! Now that we live in the New Covenant God no longer resides in temples built by human hands\, He lives in those who have given their hearts to Him. WE are th e temple of God. God lives in us so at any moment during day we have the privilege and ability to worship God. What an honor! Do not take this f or granted. Right now\, take some time to worship God for who He is and for allowing you to meet with Him. Look up 1 Corinthians 6:19 and 1 Pete r 2:5\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T183313Z UID:41C0C4F3-A28A-4D2D-9CBF-A52B9F0A5DE1 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090407 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 11: 33-36 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090406 DTSTAMP:20090221T183414Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:“This little light of mine\, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.” In my opinion on of the most over sa ng Sunday school songs\, filled with cheesy lyrics and melody\; yet a so ng filled with truth.\n\n If you were driving at night\, why not use you r headlights? If God has given you a light\, why not use it? God has be en doing great things from the beginning\, and is still doing miraculous work today. God is present and alive and you cannot help but notice His good work. How many baptisms have you seen this month? God is doing wo rk and we should recognize the light God shines. In today’s scripture J esus mentioned the eyes being the light to the body. Allow your eyes to be open to the wonder and beauty that God radiates throughout creation and the lives of people. The eye is the lamp to the body and the light w ithin the body is the light that shines outside of the body. \n\nWith wh at light do your eyes fill your body? It is so easy to have your time wi th God and be filled with a light for God\, but as soon as temptations o f the world are presented in front of you\, the light fades to darkness and you represent nothing more than another high school student living f or the world. I encourage you to see the world as God does. Keep your l ight in mind and see the beauty and splendor of God. Finish today with Psalm 27: 1-4. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:EA9E8FC3-8163-41B2-AA1A-3A2FAABA64D3 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090124 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Isaiah 55:8-11 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090123 DTSTAMP:20081121T160624Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:It’s vital in our walk with God that we realize God doesn’t think the way we do nor does He act the way we do. We get into a lot of trouble when we expect that He should think and act as we would in diffe rent situations. We have a limited perspective about what’s happening in any given situation\, whereas God is all-knowing and can see past\, pre sent and future simultaneously. He acts according to his perfect knowled ge and understanding\, while we act with the little bit of knowledge we have in that moment. This is especially important to understand when we are going through hard trials or circumstances. Our first reaction is to accuse God or get angry with Him for letting things happen in a way tha t seems unpleasant to us\, but we must realize He sees the whole picture . He may allow something to happen in your life that will one day serve a great and beautiful purpose in His kingdom. You must learn to trust Go d moment to moment through the ups and downs. One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was that you must continually believe in two things: God’s sovereignty (His absolute authority and control) and God’s goodne ss. If you believe one without the other you have made up a cruel God wh o is in control but not good and loving to you. Or you have a good God w ith good intentions\, but with without sovereign control the circumstanc es of life are out of His hands. Both views are false. Read all of Isaia h 55 and begin to believe in your heart that God is both in control and good. \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:C9240C54-88E6-4060-846D-6788F3059B95 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090802 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Haiti Mission Trip DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090725 DTSTAMP:20081121T160627Z SEQUENCE:0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T165033Z UID:7B35B4EC-23EB-42F5-91C1-BE24B70E8516 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090304 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Mathew 1:18-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090303 DTSTAMP:20090218T165053Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:Check out Joseph’s response. Joseph didn’t exactly believe M ary initially. How could you believe her story\, this is just weird. Ca n you imagine that conversation between Joseph and Mary\, “So let me get this straight Mary\, You’re pregnant and I know its not mine. You say that its God’s baby?” Right here can’t you see Joseph going “that’s mess ed up.” The fact that she’s pregnant out of wedlock in the Jewish commun ity\, that’s huge. In fact\, Jewish law stated that if a woman engaged to be married committed adultery\, the man could publically disgrace her and have her stoned to death. This was serious. And probably most guys would have gone that route. But the text tells us that Joseph was a rig hteous man-righteous enough that he wasn’t going to stone her. What a n ice guy-the bible says that he was just going to let her down nicely. B ut then his plan backfires when an angel shows up on the scene and tells him the truth.\n\nWhat a turn of events for Joseph\, first he thinks hi s soon to be wife is cheating on him\, then she tells him that its God’s baby\, then an angel shows up-scares him to death and says “its all tru e.” \n\nWhat’s really awesome about this is that even though Joseph is c onfused throughout this entire text-he remains faithful\, faithful to hi s soon to be wife\, faithful to God. As you respond to this text pray th at you would remain faithful to God even when you are confused about wha t’s next for your life. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20081201T165433Z UID:9BB6DA1D-1E6C-459A-827C-7BBF50CBA43F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081207 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Genesis 1:1-25 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081206 DTSTAMP:20081121T160623Z SEQUENCE:0 DESCRIPTION:The Great Painter: On your way to work or school\, take time to soak in the beauty of God’s creation. The sky\, the animals\, and al l the world around you that was painted by the Father just for our pleas ure.\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090220T210015Z UID:03B8B101-1AA5-4298-BB50-DC79462A9183 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090506 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Acts 1:4\,5 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090505 DTSTAMP:20090220T210112Z SEQUENCE:5 DESCRIPTION:Jesus spoke to the disciples about the Holy Spirit that they would receive soon after his ascension. At Pentecost it was made availa ble to all who would believe in Jesus. We receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit mus t be understood in the light of His total work in Christians.\n1. The sp irit marks the beginning of the Christian experience. We can’t belong to Christ without his Spirit. We can’t be united to Christ without his Spi rit. We can’t be adopted as his children without his Spirit. We can’t be in the body of Christ except by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.\n2. The Spirit is the power of our new lives. He begins a life-long process of change making us more like Christ. When we receive Christ by faith\, we begin an immediate personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit wo rks in us to help us become like Christ.\n3. The Spirit unites the Chris tian community in Christ. All can experience the Holy Spirit\, and he wo rks through all. \nA lot of people say they wish that God would come dow n to earth and be with us\, but we have to remember that God is dwelling with us and in us. The Spirit comforts\, guides\, and reminds us of Jes us and his’ truths. He gives us the right words to speak and empowers us to do great things for God. Today spend some time thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and pray for it to become more habit that you li sten and seek to do what it leads in your life!\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090317T130403Z UID:30AF92BA-5B31-4BD7-90B3-5BD2079D81C3 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090925T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090925T213000 DTSTAMP:20090317T130433Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090221T190412Z UID:D22D3392-E63D-4B4C-8DC7-4800D98F0F4F DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090328 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Luke 9:10-17 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090327 DTSTAMP:20090221T190440Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:I have always thought that this was an amazing story as a ki d and even more so as an adult\, because I now am able to understand how difficult it is to plan meals for a large group of people (even if its just a call to Papa John’s). The last couple days we have seen a grand display of Jesus’ power\, and this story is no different as Jesus pulls another rabbit out of the hat leaving us wonder\, “how did he do that?” Not to take anything away from Jesus\, but I wanted to highlight someon e who in this story who in the Bible doesn’t receive much of the spotlig ht (and is probably cool with that. If you have extra time read John 6: 1-15. John’s account is a little more detailed). His name was Andrew\, he was one of the first people Jesus called to follow Him. He was Pete r’s brother\, and in the bible there is not a whole lot said about Him. However\, when the Gospel writers do mention him he is always bringing someone to meet Jesus. To me that is pretty cool legacy. If the gospel writers wrote about you\, what would they say? \n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T141402Z UID:43DC18CC-982E-468A-B6A6-DD325F2BA0A0 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20090906T101500 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Jr. High Small Groups - at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20090906T093000 DTSTAMP:20090826T141627Z SEQUENCE:1 DESCRIPTION:Small Groups will help you become a disciple of Christ. It is an in-depth Bible study that is held in a relational environment with an intentional leader. We spend 30 minutes hanging out\, and then go t o small groups for teaching and discussion. END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090218T165450Z UID:BD4D4AB0-5907-4812-B191-35A5F81DC945 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090307 TRANSP:TRANSPARENT SUMMARY:Matthew 3:1-12 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090306 DTSTAMP:20090218T165508Z SEQUENCE:4 DESCRIPTION:John the Baptist is a guy that gets overlooked in the story of Jesus. Here is Jesus’ cousin who when you read about his attire and f ood preferences it might be a good thing he gets overlooked. And then wh en you see how he addresses people in verse 7… He may not have had any f riends… But check out his life for just a second. Before his birth\, God chose him to prepare the way for Jesus. Before his birth\, God had a pl an for him. But John had to choose to obey God’s will for his life. He m ade a commitment to do what God wanted him to do. \n\nBefore you were b orn God had a plan for you to. He still has a plan for you\; he’s not do ne with you yet. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for yo u\," declares the LORD\, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you\, pla ns to give you hope and a future. “ But you’ve got to choose to obey hi s will for your life. Can you choose to make a commitment to God daily t o say “Your in control of my life.” END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090905T183044Z UID:72B08AC7-A082-42CC-8A0E-EDBC7CF7F5E0 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20100109T060000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Insomnia DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20100108T210000 DTSTAMP:20090905T183123Z LOCATION:Studio in Quincy SEQUENCE:5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090317T130403Z UID:E92BB0D7-F18F-4FD6-89C8-EC0EFB66C23D DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20091002T233000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Afterparty at The Studio in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20091002T213000 DTSTAMP:20090927T131038Z SEQUENCE:1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20090826T141810Z UID:86BD8530-8E48-43D9-BD68-F1E10EB6E2B2 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20091007T071500 RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;INTERVAL=1;UNTIL=20100517T045959Z TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Sr. High Small Group DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20091007T061500 DTSTAMP:20091011T124607Z LOCATION:Christine Poage's group meets at Panera\n SEQUENCE:15 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20091018T123940Z UID:C826F443-7B67-4C50-A667-5104941A42A3 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20091121T220000 TRANSP:OPAQUE SUMMARY:Young Womens Event in Quincy DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20091121T150000 DTSTAMP:20091018T124018Z SEQUENCE:4 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR