Duh, of course God is amazing. He's God. However, I find myself amazed by Him over and over in ways I never imagined. Let me share the latest...
Tonight after returning home from a the wake of a dear, dear friend; I found myself thinking about eternity, life after death, Heaven. You know, the usual thinks we think about when we lose someone we love. I have to admit, and I'm going to be truthful here and I'm sincerely sorry if it shocks you, I found myself thinking what if this life is all there is and Heaven isn't real. Like, what if, we just go to sleep or just simply cease to exist. As a Christian and someone who has based her whole life on Jesus and His resurrection, these thoughts were very disconcerting so I thought I'd do a little web search. My web search led me to the website of Don Piper who wrote 90 Minutes In Heaven. As I read his sight, I found myself being reasured that Heaven is indeed, a real place and a place to look forward to.
After making my peace with my wonderings, I started looking around his website and came across a link to a fellow I'd never heard of. I thought maybe this guy had had a Heaven experience, too and so, I clicked on his link. What I found amazed me because he's an agent and his blog tells about getting published as a Christian writer. What's so amazing about that? Well, those of you who know me, know I've always wanted to write a Christian devotional book. Lately, I've sort of put the idea on the back burner (no pun intended) and have been cooking up a storm with my show and Entertain With Jane ventures. Ha! What amazes me about God is that He always leads His child back to the most important things in life. He always leads me in one way or another back to that first love, His love for me and gently reminds me to continue writing to help people come to know Him and believe in Him.
I'm amazed! I really am!
Soul Food! It really is more than just collards and peas!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Monday, October 20, 2008
Conclusion of Week One Bible Study
Conclusion:
In light of what we have learned this week, what is God challenging you with? Do you need to give yourself to him once and for all. Do you need to ask him to redirect you? Do you need for him to change your mind about a certain aspect of life?
Rick Warren teaches in the book there are 5 purposes for our lives.
1. We were planned for God’s Pleasure.
2. We Were Formed for God’s Family.
3. We Were Created to Become Like Jesus.
4. We Were Shaped for Serving God.
5. We Were Made for a Mission.
We’ve started a 40 day journey! Let’s see where God is going to take us for the next few weeks. Remember there may be some bumps and skids and maybe even a wreck or two. But we’ll be glad we took this journey when we get to our destination!
Next week we’ll look at how we were planned for his pleasure.
Have a great week and thank you for participating!
Please feel free to email me your feedback!
In light of what we have learned this week, what is God challenging you with? Do you need to give yourself to him once and for all. Do you need to ask him to redirect you? Do you need for him to change your mind about a certain aspect of life?
Rick Warren teaches in the book there are 5 purposes for our lives.
1. We were planned for God’s Pleasure.
2. We Were Formed for God’s Family.
3. We Were Created to Become Like Jesus.
4. We Were Shaped for Serving God.
5. We Were Made for a Mission.
We’ve started a 40 day journey! Let’s see where God is going to take us for the next few weeks. Remember there may be some bumps and skids and maybe even a wreck or two. But we’ll be glad we took this journey when we get to our destination!
Next week we’ll look at how we were planned for his pleasure.
Have a great week and thank you for participating!
Please feel free to email me your feedback!
Day seven
Day seven “It’s all for him.”
We were put here to bring glory to God. What does this mean to you?
To me, it means I’m here at his good pleasure, his mercy, to honor him.
“God’s glory is best seen in Jesus Christ.” When Jesus was on earth, what kind of person was he? What did he do with his time. What/who did he talk about?
“God’s glory is who God is. It is the essence of his nature, the weight of his importance, the radiance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, and the atmosphere of his presence.”
How can we fulfill God’s purpose for our lives on a daily basis…moment by moment?
We were put here to bring glory to God. What does this mean to you?
To me, it means I’m here at his good pleasure, his mercy, to honor him.
“God’s glory is best seen in Jesus Christ.” When Jesus was on earth, what kind of person was he? What did he do with his time. What/who did he talk about?
“God’s glory is who God is. It is the essence of his nature, the weight of his importance, the radiance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, and the atmosphere of his presence.”
How can we fulfill God’s purpose for our lives on a daily basis…moment by moment?
Day six
Day six “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.”
Okay life is a test, a trust and…
“Life on earth is a temporary assignment.”
We talked about the fact that life here on earth is boot camp for eternity, preparation for eternity, dress rehearsal! As we grow older, we begin to see just how short our lives truly are! At 51, I can’t believe I’ve lived a good portion of my time on earth…I have 3 grandchildren and even they are growing up fast! My husband and I have been married for 32 years next month and our children are ages 30 and 27...no wonder his hair is white (mine is not! And NO, I don’t color it!)!
We need to remember that earth is not our ultimate home. Does this give you any comfort or is it frightening to you?
Rick Warren says one reason we are never satisfied completely is because we aren’t made just for the here and now. We are made for God.
Okay life is a test, a trust and…
“Life on earth is a temporary assignment.”
We talked about the fact that life here on earth is boot camp for eternity, preparation for eternity, dress rehearsal! As we grow older, we begin to see just how short our lives truly are! At 51, I can’t believe I’ve lived a good portion of my time on earth…I have 3 grandchildren and even they are growing up fast! My husband and I have been married for 32 years next month and our children are ages 30 and 27...no wonder his hair is white (mine is not! And NO, I don’t color it!)!
We need to remember that earth is not our ultimate home. Does this give you any comfort or is it frightening to you?
Rick Warren says one reason we are never satisfied completely is because we aren’t made just for the here and now. We are made for God.
Day five
Day five talks about “Seeing life from God ‘s view.”
What is a good metaphor for how you view your life?
Personally, I see my life as a journey full of twists and turns, full of stops and starts. I see the journey as complete when I stand before God.
Rick Warren says:
“Life on earth is a test.”
Have you been tested lately? Maybe you haven’t recognized that you’ve been tested but you have. Think about it…
“Life on earth is trust.”
What has God trusted you with and what are you doing with it?
I remember asking my father as a very young woman, “What is God’s will for my life?” I was expecting him to help me explore the ideas of marriage and career. Instead he said this, “Be faithful in the thing you know to be faithful in and God will reveal the rest step by step.” His words and this truth have profoundly affected my life and still do!
What is a good metaphor for how you view your life?
Personally, I see my life as a journey full of twists and turns, full of stops and starts. I see the journey as complete when I stand before God.
Rick Warren says:
“Life on earth is a test.”
Have you been tested lately? Maybe you haven’t recognized that you’ve been tested but you have. Think about it…
“Life on earth is trust.”
What has God trusted you with and what are you doing with it?
I remember asking my father as a very young woman, “What is God’s will for my life?” I was expecting him to help me explore the ideas of marriage and career. Instead he said this, “Be faithful in the thing you know to be faithful in and God will reveal the rest step by step.” His words and this truth have profoundly affected my life and still do!
Day four
Day four starts with this statement…”This life is not all there is.”
What do you think about Rick’s statement…”Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production.”
DRESS REHEARSAL???
I like to think of this life as boot camp for the next life. When I try to wrap my mind around the fact that this life is just the beginning, just rehearsal, just boot camp…whew! It sheds a completely new light on all the STUFF that happens especially the bad or hard STUFF!
“When this tent we live in - our body here on earth - is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.”
I find myself living as if today is all there is…I get totally enamored with the here and now but God has made me to live forever.
Rick says, “Your relationship to God on earth will determine your relationship to him in eternity.” In light of this, what’s your relationship with God going to be like in heaven?
What do you think about Rick’s statement…”Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production.”
DRESS REHEARSAL???
I like to think of this life as boot camp for the next life. When I try to wrap my mind around the fact that this life is just the beginning, just rehearsal, just boot camp…whew! It sheds a completely new light on all the STUFF that happens especially the bad or hard STUFF!
“When this tent we live in - our body here on earth - is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.”
I find myself living as if today is all there is…I get totally enamored with the here and now but God has made me to live forever.
Rick says, “Your relationship to God on earth will determine your relationship to him in eternity.” In light of this, what’s your relationship with God going to be like in heaven?
Day three
Day three Rick asks us…What’s driving your life?
I’ve found the things that drive us are many and varied. Let me list a few…
The need for acceptance
The desire for money and status
Fear
Guilt
Anger and resentment
The need for approval
The desire for fame
The desire and need for peace
Not all our desires and needs are wrong but to make these desires and needs the focus of our lives is. In fact, I think to be driven in these ways to is tragic…to be driven (controlled) by anything other than God is missing out of God’s best.
What is currently driving (controlling) your life?
God says…
“I know what I am planning for you….I have good plans for you , not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”
I’ve found the things that drive us are many and varied. Let me list a few…
The need for acceptance
The desire for money and status
Fear
Guilt
Anger and resentment
The need for approval
The desire for fame
The desire and need for peace
Not all our desires and needs are wrong but to make these desires and needs the focus of our lives is. In fact, I think to be driven in these ways to is tragic…to be driven (controlled) by anything other than God is missing out of God’s best.
What is currently driving (controlling) your life?
God says…
“I know what I am planning for you….I have good plans for you , not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”
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