Destination JESUS|The Genesis, Part 3/4 (Prayer Power)

Destination JESUS|The Genesis (Laying the Foundation for 365-16)

December 2015 – Part 3 of 4 (Prayer Power)

 

Prayer is powerful. It is huge, and it is mighty in the life of a Christian. It does much to usher us into the presence of God in a way that nothing else can or does. Not only does it provide intimacy and connection, but it also speaks to a dependency on the Most High.

This week, the Phone Tree Bible Study Group will dissect the model prayer of Jesus. By looking at it and studying the particular words, we should be able to see how to best engage the LORD as we move closer to Destination JESUS 365-16.

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Matthew 6:9-13Amplified Bible (AMP)

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

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Matthew 6:9-13The Voice (VOICE)

9 Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this:

Our Father in heaven,
let Your name remain holy.
10 Bring about Your kingdom.
Manifest Your will here on earth,
as it is manifest in heaven.
11 Give us each day that day’s bread—no more, no less—
12 And forgive us our debts
as we forgive those who owe us something.
13 Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[But let Your kingdom be,
and let it be powerful
and glorious forever. Amen.]

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Destination JESUS|The Genesis Prayer Power Assignments:

PONDER. (Assignment: Read at least 3 Bible translations of Matthew 6:9-13. After you read each version, write down any and every question you can think of regarding the verses. Additionally, write down any words that resonate with you and make you want to seek out a better understanding of its meaning.)

PRAY. (Assignment: Commit to praying a very personal and very specific genesis and/or destination prayer every day this week. Ask the LORD speak to your spirit in a powerful way so as to shake and wake you for the journey ahead.

PERUSE: (Assignment: Look at some of the other prayers of Jesus. Take note of how Jesus approached the Father, how He addressed Him, how He acknowledged His Lordship, etc.)

PARTNER: (Assignment: Send an email to edifier1@hotmail.com to secure a list of Phone Tree links pertaining to the prayers of Jesus or to make your prayer requests known.)

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Destination JESUS Objectives:

To grow closer to the LORD GOD

To know a life-altering intimacy with His WORD

To experience a radical SPIRITual transformation

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NEXT WEEK: Destination JESUS|The Genesis (Laying the Foundation for 365-16), Part 4/4 (The Pause and the Praise)

The Courage to Be

There is no truth that comes from hiding.

There is no freedom that comes from remaining in the dark.

The power to be who you are lives in the courage that you say you want.

It cannot be found in self.

It cannot come from an external satisfaction which is simply another name for empty incompletion.

Courage comes from a Higher Source. A source that is meant for love, illumination, grace, and more.

Courage abides where the self dies.

It breathes and goes on.

It is and so shall you be.

– Eva Kim (Life in Words, Words in Motion)

MAY BOOK CLUB CHAT|Letters from Ruby (Week 2/4) – Whirlwinds

A Phone Tree Book Club Feature: Letters from Ruby, Week 2

Whirlwinds…

“…a deep physical and spiritual exhaustion…left him empty of nourishment he needed in order to nourish others. He was not gun shy like he had been in November after the horrible vestry meeting; rather, he was just absent even when he was present. And because he was simply going through the motions, he never delved prayerfully inside to see the bare pantry within…”

Q & A: Chapter 5 – Chapter 8

1) Josie Temple-Jones was a force to be reckoned with. She had a strong will and would not waver on the course she thought Calvin should take regarding his dating life. For safe and sensible Calvin, it was a bit much.

Question: When others (well-intentioned or not) try to determine your life course or try to push you in a direction that you feel uncomfortable with, how do you react?

2) As Calvin settled into his ministry, he became even more aware of his congregants. He recognized who they were and how they were – with each other and with him. He noticed some startling personalities and some gentle saints who very well could be “God’s secret agents.” Two people made an impression on him, in particular; Carl Sinclair and Ruby Redding left lasting marks.

Question: Does God want us to deal with aggressive bullies in the same way that He wants us to deal with tender-hearted peacemakers? 

3) During Calvin’s outing with the dentist, he was annoyed that she had not asked anything about his life; instead she rambled on and on and on about her own.

Question: Are you so busy talking and thinking up what you plan to say that you fail to listen to the words or to find out the needs of others? What does this say about you?

4) Ruby wrote, “…the years have a way of taking the energy out of my enthusiasm. The years, experience, grief. Melancholy has tempered my enthusiasm, but it’s still there, underneath it all.”

Question: What do you perceive she was saying to Calvin in these simple words?

5) Time and time again, Calvin hit rigid barriers that were generally associated with traditionalism, church politics, and not-so-nice people and their harsh criticisms of what he was or was not doing. It affected him in a great number of ways. He was emotional, he was burdened, he was drained, he was lonely, and he was overwhelmed. Still, he was there to serve God and God’s people.

Question: How can you move past rigid barriers when dealing with God’s people?

6) The vestry meeting took a lot out of Calvin. As a result of what happened, he became disconnected from those who knew him most intimately. His sermons became “dry and academic, uninspired and uninspiring.” The Morning Prayer Group staged an intervention and prayed for him. The prayer requested many things, such as, “grant him the swift kick in the pants he needs to get up off the mat and stop feeling sorry for himself.”

Question: Have you ever been so stuck in feeling sorry for yourself that you needed someone else to give you a swift kick in the pants? Discuss.

7) The author did a wonderful job of showing Calvin’s humanity. He did not hold back in any way. In one passage, he highlighted Calvin’s inner thoughts so well. “…Calvin needed his Christmas Eve sermon to be memorable. He wasn’t sure where the need came from. Was it his desire to please the folks who had been disappointed with his performance before Thanksgiving? Was it to stick it to the folks who ran him out of the vestry meeting? Was it to try to snag people who only come to church on Christmas and Easter? Or was it for the greater glory of God?

Question: Why do you do the things you do? Do you do it for self, for others, or for the glory of God?

8) As we found out last week, Ruby was a well of inspiration and wisdom for the young Rev. Calvin. Calvin always found himself in her presence when he needed encouragement most. After his return from a holiday break, he forgot his position and his purpose. Ruby’s words to him regarding his being empty were profound. “…you’re attempting a task, but you’ve cut yourself off from the source you need to accomplish the task…this isn’t about you. It’s about God…about God’s energy, God’s enthusiasm, God’s faith…”

Question: In this thing called life, we tend to focus more on self rather than God. Instead of seeing life from a me-my-I perspective, shouldn’t we begin to see it from a He-His-God perspective? How would approaching life in this way benefit you? 

9) The events, memories, tragedies, and blessings that come in our lives shape us. They mold our way of thinking. They influence the way we act and relate to people and things. They are moments “stitched together by God’s subtle presence.”

Question: How does it make you feel knowing that God is ever-present and aware of what goes on in your life at all times?

10) At the end of chapter eight, Ruby’s letter to Calvin speaks about how Whit helped her to reclaim her identity. She shared how in reading about Whit’s experiences, it helped her to understand that she to needed to have her own.

Question: Can you relate to what Ruby is saying in her letter regarding reclaiming her identity and having experiences of her own? (Reflect on Philippians 1:20-26.)

Reading Assignment for Week 3: Read chapters 9-12 . (Q & A posted on 5/20/14)

MAY BOOK CLUB CHAT|Letters from Ruby (Week 1/4) – A Collection of Envelopes

A Phone Tree Book Club Feature: Letters from Ruby, Week 1

A Collection of Envelopes…

“Calvin traced the loops and lines of Ruby’s signature. It was graceful and beautiful without being ostentatious. Like its owner, thought Calvin. He ran his finger along the signature a second time. Wishing you all good things…”

Q & A: Prologue – Chapter 4

1) At the beginning of this book, we are informed that the young Rev. Calvin Harper is in the process of settling into his new home in Boston. As he stops to take a break from hanging photos, he unexpectedly finds a collection of envelopes held together by a rubber band. The envelopes are addressed to him. The salutation greets him personally.

Question: When you look to the Bible, the Holy Spirit-inspired collection of words from the LORD, have you ever viewed it as a personal letter, if you will, from the Most High to you?

2) A wave of self-pity and self-righteous lamentation overwhelmed Calvin pretty early on when he realized his position. He felt isolated and alone, much like a stranger in a strange land.

Question: What do you think it says about your faith and belief in God if you find yourself overwhelmed or heavily burdened by your circumstances? 

3) Ruby’s letters were intimate, revealing and so full of simple wisdom. She wrote, “You think you have all the time in the world to get to know someone, but a year, two years, fifty years – it’s never enough. There is always something you never said out loud, although you always meant to. It hides somewhere in your heart waiting for the right moment to be said. Sometimes you miss the moment. Sometimes you don’t realize there was anything still hidden until it’s too late to uncover.”

Question: What do Ruby’s words mean to you as it relates to the concept of relationships? (This could be associated with the relationship you have with God or the relationship you have with a family member or significant other.)

4) The four cardiganed ladies – the Mary Magdalenes – met Calvin at the start of his ministry. They each had their own distinct personality. For all the good they did, there were still some definite traces of staunch traditionalism and rigidity concerning the extension of grace in one of the ladies, in particular – the matriarch.

Question: Is traditionalism more important than the things of God? 

5) Open secrets were revealed to be something everyone knows but no one says anything about.

Question: What is the danger of having secrets of any kind?

6) When the church of old was faced with the dilemma concerning who their church was named after, they came to an impasse. The “pet issue” became the hot topic and focus of the day, and energy was deflected to it even though it was unimportant in the scheme of things.

Question: Do you think the work of the church gets hindered or bogged down because of pet issues? Why?

7) “…prayer is prayer whether you know I’m doing it or not…”

Question: Is it more important that you pray or that others know you are praying/have prayed?

8) Ruby lets Calvin know that memories aren’t all nice and shiny.

Question: Do you find it difficult to move past your not so nice and shiny memories?

9) After a particularly chilly moment with Esther Rose, Calvin draws encouragement from Ruby’s words. “You can’t take responsibility for how other people react to what you say. But you can think about how they will hear your words.”

Question: Why is it that we often try to take ownership of how people react? (Reflect on Mark 12:30-31.)

10) Chapter four ends with a letter from Ruby in which she talks about times being lean for her. She goes on to say that her past is a much more pleasant place than her present.

Question: Can you relate to what Ruby is saying in her letter?

Reading Assignment for Week 2: Read chapters 5-8. (Q & A posted on 5/13/14)

APRIL BOOK CLUB CHAT – Anne of Avonlea (A Beyond the Pages Tuesday Feature, 1/4)

In the Words of Anne:

“…living so that you beautify your name, even if it wasn’t beautiful to begin with, making it stand in people’s thoughts for something so lovely and pleasant that they never think of it by itself…”

Let’s Chat, Beyond the Pages: Isn’t this such a delightfully transforming thought – living so that you beautify your name? I love it! It speaks and has meaning beyond the obvious. At least it does for me.

As I reflected upon it, in the way that I do, I could not help but consider how the words impacted my heart and touched my spirit.  It made me think not of the name of my birth, no, rather it caused me to think of the name that came with my new birth. The name that was always meant to be mine…and yours. What do I mean? The name that we were given when we purposely chose to follow and walk with Jesus Christ – the name Christian (emphasis on Christ).

We must live so that we beatify His name. Would you agree?

Even from there at Anne’s first thought, she goes on to say, “even if it wasn’t beautiful to begin with.” Was that ever you? It certainly was me. Not beautiful in that I was not holy, not peculiar, not set apart. Before Christ, before the wearing of His name, I was sinful, broken, without hope, and in a sense ignorant of grace. But now, I am something altogether different. I am something altogether new. I am beautiful in the purest sense and so are you. We are now altogether lovely. And you know what? When people see us at present, they should see Christ in us. They should see something so pleasant and beautiful that it lets them know, as the Bible says, “they had been with Jesus.”

Let’s Chat Question: How do Anne’s words speak to your heart?

A Beyond the Pages Challenge: Complete a Scripture study on Acts 4:13. Next, reflect on how others might see or know that you belong to or have been with Jesus.