Comfy???

In week 6 of "Life More Better, we were reintroduced to Jonah. Most of us have heard the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, but in church we were reintroduced to the story of Jonah and we were told "the rest of the story". What is it going to take for God to really get your attention? For Jonah, it took being thrown overboard, a near drowning, being swallowed by a big fish, and the scorching sun to get him to listen and obey God's command to preach the Word to the people of Ninevah.

Jonah did not want to preach to "those" bad people who had committed heinous crimes and tortured Jonah's people. At times we as Christians determine who should be in our midst. We stay away from those who are not as "good" as we are and we gravitate towards people for wrong reasons, too.

The last couple of weeks has offered us challenges to spread the Gospel to all who we meet. We should not omit talking to someone about the Lord because we don't like them, we don't like their culture, we don't like their color or gender. None of this is from God. God wants us to talk to all persons and to Love all persons. Often we let a person's nationality, native language, race, or religion place a barrier between us and them; thereby, we might just place a barrier between them and the knowledge of Christ Jesus' Love for them.

This week we must continue to move out of our comfort zones. Our mission is that the World might Know Jesus. It is not okay to do nothing. All of us can do something to insure that the mission is accomplished. Who are you going to talk to about Jesus? What are you going to say if they don't listen? How will you reply when they question you about your faith based on your behavior? How uncomfortable are you willing to get for Christ?

Bashing Bigotry!

Bigotry is defined as stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. Often times bigotry is called discrimination or prejudice.

If asked, most people would deny being a bigot. Bigotry is often disguised to make it look "right". There are those who ban together against others- safety in numbers. Then there are others who use history to validate their prejudices- traditional bigotry. Then there are the people who choose to pick on those who have little resources or methods of fighting back- underdog kickers.

What does this mean for you? Do you treat others differently because of the way they believe, look, or live? This week's dare is extremely up close and personal and it demands real, serious consideration. Discrimination can be a huge barrier between us and God. As you examine yourself this week, look at the way you act in all relationships. The family relationships, school relationships, Youth group relationships, etc. Are you causing a problem by prejudging others? Are you carelessly spreading gossip, causing dissension in the group, or just being rude to others when you should be showing Love to all?

Are you praying??

This week our dare was to pray. Bible study led us to learn about various Biblical characters who used empowered prayers to change seemingly impossible odds. Are you praying that kind of prayer? I am talking about the Kingdom building-Earth shattering-life changing-God edifying prayers of Hannah, Paul & Silas, and the Disciples. If you have not yet "Patched in to Prayer" it is not too late. God is always ready to accept your prayers. What are the barriers you have to praying? How might prayer help to shatter those barriers?

Pray Mo' Often

Tonight at Bible Study we we challenged to pray more often. Many of us pray at bedtime, mealtime, and certainly in times of distress. It is common for us to pray when we are faced with a crises and when a friend or loved one dies. In the Life More Better Journal, this week's dare says to make our petition to God and to ask God what He wants so our will will be in line with God's Will. Lastly, we learned that we must be prepared to accept God's plan for our lives. Tonight we found that many are still having a diffcult time keeping up in the journal. We have several who have learned the memory verse and still others who are close to knowing the verse. This week we get to the half way mark of our 50 day Journey. How are you doing? Are you listing your God Hunt Sightings? Remember to pray the Life More Better Prayer each day this week.

Forgetting the Past...

How are you doing with the memory verse? What about your new name? How are your Godly goals being executed? Are you recording your God Hunt Sightings on pages 40-41? We have now finished week 3 of our study. It is time for us to examine how we are doing up to this point. Do not become relaxed as this is the time when we let our guards down and are more easily influenced. Many of us have had God Hunt Sightings and we are fired up for what is ahead. But then someone maybe having problems learning the verse, seeing God, and living up to the new name. What can you do to get to the place where you can start to realize all that God has in store for you? Go back and look at Paul's life. Reread the memory verse and concentrate on verse 12. Admit that you are NOT as God wants you to be, but continue reaching for the goal...why? Because Christ made you His; that's why.

What makes a goal Godly?

Tonight at Bible Study we talked about making goals. Each person was asked to come up with a goal that he/she believed was Godly. We also continued our discussion of the life of Judas. The youth learned about the deceitful nature of Judas and of his heartbreak when he realized he had gone too far. He tried to take back his betrayal, but it was too late. He tried to give the "blood money" back, they would not take it. When have you tried to take back an action only to be told, "too late"? Judas had goals, just not Godly goals. What kind of goals do you have?

Dr. Martin Luther King

Many of us were out of work or school today in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday. As most of us know, Dr. King was a religious man and had been the co-pastor @ Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Dr. King's message of peace earned him a Nobel Peace Prize 1964. We are all aware of Dr. King's dream of a Life Mo' Better for all. Although M.L.K. had many barriers to him realizing his dreams, these barriers did not stop Dr. King from dreaming. Like Paul, Dr. King could have just rested on the successes he had already had, but he choose to continue "straining toward what was ahead". How are you living out Dr. King's dream? Are you straining, pushing against the crowd to get to the "prize for which God has called you "to the life above"? How can you make more of your dreams into realities?