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Some Bible studies, in an effort to reach a wide audience, seem so general it is hard to get a handle on just where they would fit into your life. Here is a different type of Bible study. You can do it on your own, at your own pace, and it is very practical. As you answer your friends letter be sure to give a scriptural response. No opinions are allowed. Everything in your response must be supported by scripture. Sometimes it helps if you actually write out the responses.

Dear Friend –

My oldest child is a senior in high school and is preparing to go off to college. He tells me the Bible says not to have sex outside your marriage once you are married but it is ok to have sex before you are married. Is this true?

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Dear Friend,

My middle schooler is really having a hard time making friends. One of the reasons he is finding it so difficult is that he is seen as a nerd because he prays before he eats his lunch at school. The kids at school know he goes to church on Sundays and he has invited them to church but no one will ever come. Now he says he is tired of going to church, and if it is going to keep him from having friends then Christianity is just not worth it. What should I do?

Photo credit: Wim Mulder

Characteristics of God
We can talk about/know God by understanding his attributes, his characteristics. One of the ways people have tried to discuss God’s attributes is to understand that their are some that he shares with (or communicates to) us. God loves — and we love. God shows mercy, and we too can show mercy. When we stand up for the poor or those who are being oppressed - we demonstrate justice. God is just. These characteristics aren’t exactly the same in both us and God - surely His justice, mercy, and love are purer and better than ours. But we have (or can have) these things.

Incommunicable Attributes
There are some attributes that are a lot less shared, a lot less “communicable” — the fancy adjective in theology for these attributes is “incommunicable”. Use that in a sentence this week! God’s eternity. His omnipresence. He is unchanging. Those don’t translate all the way into our lives - at least not 100%, not the same way (if at all).

God’s Independence / self-reliance / self-sufficiency
Consider God’s independence - everything in all of creation is dependent upon something, and dependent upon Him. The most Macgyver-ish, Man vs. Wild-ish, loner guy in the world is not truly independent. MacGyver needs that duct tape and hair pin (even if that’s all). Bear, the guy on Man vs. Wild, still depends upon finding a stream for water, a zebra carcass to get nutrition, or a tree for shade. God depends upon no one. That’s an attribute of God that we just can’t attain. It should be humbling to consider that God doesn’t need us. Or anyone.

Questions

• How should we respond to God in consideration of these incommunicable attributes?
• Are there any of God’s incommunicable attributes that we could come closer to attaining?
• If yes, would any of them be good for us, positive growth?
• If yes, would any of them be harmful to us, perhaps a temptation?

Source: Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
Also see: Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem - a thinner, lighter version of Systematic Theology

The company I work for stresses having a sense of urgency in everything we do. We are encouraged to get the most out of every day we possibly can. I do not think my company is unique in this attitude. Living this way can make life feel rushed, hectic, and really not a lot of fun. God did not intend for us to live this way.

Physicians in a group practice will often designate one physician of the group to be the “on-call” physician for the day. The on-call physician will leave gaps in his schedule in order to accommodate patients that call in sick and need to be seen that day.

Living your life as if you were on-call may be a better way to live. Leaving time in your schedule for unexpected interruptions/opportunities is wise. When Moses saw the burning bush I am glad he had time to “go over and see this strange sight”. When raising teenagers life is going to be a time of constant interruptions. Discipline yourself not to pack your days full of activity. Being available will allow you the time to pick up on things your kids are struggling with. Kids need wise parents that are on-call ready to help with Godly wisdom. How do you feel when you are sick and the physicians’ office tells you they have no openings until tomorrow or the next day? Do your kids get an equivalent response from you when they call for help?

Photo Credit: Laurence Shan

Today’s word comes from 2 Samuel 9.  You can read it here.

David was friends with Jonathan when Saul was King of Israel.  Jonathan died before David became King, and David wanted to honor Jonathan by honoring somone in his family.  That is why David asks Ziba about Mephibosheth and brings Mephibosheth to Jerusalem.

But I want to focus on everyone’s attitudes in this story.  David’s focus was that Mephibosheth was a descendent of Jonathan and honoring him.  Ziba brings up in verse 3 that he is lame in both feet, as if that would matter somehow.  In verse 4, however, David doesn’t even acknowledge what Ziba said.  Instead, David just asks where Mephibosheth is and says to bring him to Jerusalem.  Even Mephibosheth asks in verse 8 why David would be interested in him, but David stays focused on what he wants to do.  In a final irony, David has Ziba’s family take care of Mephibosheth and his land.

As you read this story, ask yourself what attitude you have toward yourself and toward others.  Are you like David, who focuses on the kindness he wants to do for someone regardless of who they are?  Or are you like Ziba, who has a hard time seeing someone for who they really are?  Or maybe you are in Mephibosheth’s position — because of something that has happened to you, you don’t understand why others will want to show kindness to you?  What attitude should you have?

Coming this Sunday, April 13… a new Collision series! Start preparing your super hero costumes for the Super Hero Collision April 27!

My dad taught me something years ago but it recently came back to me when I purchased a Garmin. You have probably seen the bumper sticker reading, “God is my co-pilot.” I have never much cared for that bumper sticker. I think a better slogan for a bumper sticker is, “God is my navigator.” let me explain.

The Garmin is a useful tool for getting to places. Sometimes the Garmin will lay out a certain route but I think there is a better route so I ignore the Garmin and go my own way. This is how I think God is more like a navigator than a co-pilot. God has given me direction in my life through bible study, prayer, relationship, etc. Sometimes I chose to follow his way and sometimes I choose not to follow his way because you see I am the pilot of my life. When I choose not to follow God’s way, God like the Garmin, will begin “recalculating” my life, laying out a route to get me back where I need to be, but again it is my choice.

In raising kids I believe it is important for them to develop the ability to listen to God. We need to teach them they worship God my making good decisions. I believe God is greatly pleased when people choose to follow the path (navigated routes) he has laid out for them. Our job, as the pilots of our life, is to decide whether we will listen to our navigator or if we will go our own way.

 Photo Credit:  mdumlao98

The VH1 show about rocker, Bret Michaels, the lead singer from the band Poison, looking for the next love of his life is entitled Rock of Love. In the show several different women are vying for Michaels attention and affection by competing in challenges created by Michaels so he will chose them as his next “Rock Star Girlfriend.” The cat fights that break out among the girls make for a lot of drama on the show and many parents would object to the scenarios, the language, and the dress of the ladies. While I would agree that these things are objectionable what I find most alarming is that the producers are able to find girls to cast in the show. I wonder what their growing up years must have been like. The ladies appear to be so lacking in confidence and self respect that they will go to almost any length to have Michaels say, “I choose you.” It has been said that girls will have sex to hear the words, “I love you” and boys will say the words, “I love you” to get sex. This show seems to be a living out of this philosophy.

Fathers, let me ask you a few questions.

What are you doing to make sure your daughter does not act like this when she is with her boyfriend?

Have you modeled for her the way a man treats a women?

How do you sacrifice for your wife?

How do you speak to your wife?

How do you respect your wife?

Do you compliment your wife?

Your daughter is watching. She is learning from you now how she can expect to be treated some day by her husband. Show her what a true rock of love looks like. The Bible gives us the framework in Ephesians 5:25-33.

Photo Credit: Jim Frazier

If you want to affect people’s lives, affect their understanding of who God is. Not what you say God is, but who you live God out to be every day.

Two forms are required for both adults and students for off-campus trips and overnight events at IBC — an Indemnification Form and a Medical Release Form.  In order to reduce the amount of paperwork required, we only ask that you complete the form once per calendar year (if you have updated medical or insurance information, please do let us know with an updated Medical Release form though!

The documents are in PDF format, simply download, print, complete, and return them to the Student Ministry Office or the Information Desk at any of our weekly events.

Thanks for helping us keep our trips as safe as possible!

Al Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville) shares this commentary on some research from Po Bonsen of New York magazine. The topic: teaching our teenagers to lie.

Excerpt:

When adults are asked to keep diaries of their own lies, they admit to about one lie per every five social interactions, which works out to one per day, on average. The vast majority of these lies are white lies, lies to protect yourself or others, like telling the guy at work who brought in his wife’s muffins that they taste great or saying, “Of course this is my natural hair color.”

Encouraged to tell so many white lies and hearing so many others, children gradually get comfortable with being disingenuous. Insincerity becomes, literally, a daily occurrence. They learn that honesty only creates conflict, and dishonesty is an easy way to avoid conflict. And while they don’t confuse white-lie situations with lying to cover their misdeeds, they bring this emotional groundwork from one circumstance to the other. It becomes easier, psychologically, to lie to a parent. So if the parent says, “Where did you get these Pokémon cards?! I told you, you’re not allowed to waste your allowance on Pokémon cards!” this may feel to the child very much like a white-lie scenario–he can make his father feel better by telling him the cards were extras from a friend.
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Christian parents should consider this analysis with care. Do we, along with other parents, effectively teach our children to lie? Have we traded off permissiveness for getting teenagers to tell the truth? Would we rather not know, if knowing means putting children and teens into situations in which they might lie?
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Is honesty “on the ropes” at your house?

Read the full article here.