Following God's Agenda

An agenda is the set of goals of an ideological group. I use an agenda to get a certain task completed. Sometimes however we have to change our agenda in order to complete the task. Also it is difficult to follow another one's agenda. I believe God has an agenda for each of us and I believe we often find it difficult to follow His agenda.

This week we will see two agendas. One is for Saul and the other is for David. We will also see that Saul has to change to conform to God's agenda.

Does God have an agenda for us ?

What is that agenda ?

How do we conform to God's agenda ?

It should be a healthy discussion. See you in class.

The Worth Of Friendship

What is Christian friendship worth ? As I write this blog I am remembering the times when Christian friends helped me. Friends have stood by me during my hospital stays, my job changes, the loss of family members, and the headaches of leadership positions that I have held. My friends tell me when I do a good job and also when I screw up things. My friends love me when it is hard to be loved. A good Christian friend is priceless.

David had a friend that was priceless to him. We will read that this friend loved him deeply and saved his life. We will also read that this friend sacrificed his future for this friendship.

What kind of friend are you ?

Have you ever sacrificed something for your friend ?

Has your friend ever sacrificed something for you ?

Thank you for allowing us to meet in the pray garden this morning. You all are good friends to me.

Dealing With Disappointment

Have you ever been disappointed ? There have been times in my life where my plans just did not work out. I would ask , "Where did I go wrong?" . I did not get that job I really wanted or a relationship went sour. Sometimes we even slide into a state of depression because of this disappointment. How do we deal with this disappointment ?

This week Saul enters into a state of depression . Because of his sin God replaces him as king . God's new choice as king is the son of Jesse , David .

How do we deal with disappointment ?

How can we trust God to keep hope alive ?

Let's join together in class to discuss this important subject.

Follow The Instructions

Do you like to follow instructions? I must say I do not like to follow instructions. When we buy something that needs to be put together I look at the pictures. For some reason there are always parts left over. I should start my own hardware store with the extra parts I have from Christmas toys.

As king God gave Saul instructions to follow. Because of fear and impatiences Saul elects not to follow these instructions. Saul will lose his kingship as a punishment.

Does God give us instructions to follow ?

Is it hard to follow these instructions ?

Do we sometimes have parts left over ?

See you Sunday.

Be Careful What You Ask For

It has been a scary week in the financial world. Some of the nations largest bank are having problems and even some have gone under. What has brought the country to it's knees was the easy access the credit. Loans were granted to people who could not afford the monthly payments. As a banker this concerns me greatly.

This week we will learn that the people of Israel have ask for a king. This was not God's plan, He wanted to be their only King but He granted this pray. We will see that this prayer was not in the best interest of the people.

We need to be careful what we ask for. God may just answer our prayers.

See you in church.

Serving the Lord Faithfully

"Iron-Man" Stan, "Flash" Forrester, myself along with others participated in the 5K Cotton Picking Race that began and ended from our church parking lot on Saturday. Although it was hot, it was fun. There even were some babies who rolled across the finish line in their strollers. Each runner, walker, and roller finished the race.

As I studied this week's lesson I was reminded of this race. Serving the Lord is a race. Some of us run, some of us walk and even some of us are pushed. Samuel begins a race to serve the Lord. God called him to the starting line and said Ready, Set, Go.

How do we prepare for the race in service to God ?

How can we improve ourselves for this race ?

This should be a good study.

P.S. My race name was "Slug" and my job was to show the other runners where the church bathrooms were located.
See you in class.

God's Grace

As I write this blog Tropical Storm Hanna began a rain-swept march up the U.S. Atlantic coast. Little to no damage has been reported. The word Hanna mean "God's Grace". What started as a menacing storm just blessed an area of the country with much needed rain.

In today's lesson we see God's grace towards another Hanna. She could not have a child. After many tears and much prayer "God's Grace" blessed this Hanna with a child.


What is grace ?


Why is grace important ?

This should be a very interesting lesson. FYI The next storm is named "Ike" which means "God's Strength". Makes you think.