L3 Study Guide | Feb. 22

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Frazer UMC

READ: Mark 7:31-37

THINGS TO LOOK FOR: Mark’s Gospel emphasizes continuously the miracle work of Jesus. Mark expresses the promises of God through Jesus both in heaven and on earth. Jesus is more than a miracle worker, healing is happening. What is the true source of healing? What does the crowd’s response teach us about God?

ACTION: All healing is of God. Healing happens to bring glory to God. Name a time you experienced healing. Write down your feelings about that time in your life. Reflect, give thanks to God and share with someone else.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for healing me. Thank you for showing me your glory. My thankfulness never seems like enough. I want others to know of your healing power. Help me to share my personal experiences with others when the opportunity arises. Put someone in my path that I can minister to today. Amen.

-Patrick Quinn

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Atlas Complex

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Frazer UMC

READ: Isaiah 30:15

Have you ever felt like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders? Sometimes the stuff of life gets really heavy. There never seems to be enough money or time to get it all done. Trying to balance family, health, finances, job, church, and hobbies is some days overwhelming. We need a way to replenish our energy and our souls.

God gave us a way when he created the Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath is taking time to make a day holy to God—a time set apart to God—while we remember who we are and who God is. We remember that God is the king of this place. He has got you and me and the whole world in his hands. We may deal with stuff bigger than we are, but we will never face anything beyond God’s ability to handle.

The Sabbath is for rest, remembering, and relationship. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, a day set apart for God. Remember that “in returning to Him and resting you shall be saved.”

-Dr. Tim Thompson

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L3 Study Guide | Feb. 21

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Frazer UMC

READ: Mark 7:24-30

THINGS TO LOOK FOR: Why does Jesus initially reject this gentile woman’s request, and what at does he demonstrate by reversing his decision? What does Mark want us to know in this story about how Jesus responds to people?

ACTION: To have a welcoming spirit is to have the spirit of Christ. Think about people you may be excluding from your life. Write down a person or a group of people who are somewhat “unwelcome” in your life. They could be the poor or the rich, of a different race or even a family member. Give those names to Jesus and ask Him to work on your heart.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, guide me today in aligning my heart with your heart. Guide me in becoming a more welcoming person. Thank you for modeling this to me by healing a Gentile woman’s daughter. Jesus, following you is not easy, but following you is the best way to live life! Amen.

-Patrick Quinn

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The Still

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Frazer UMC

READ: Genesis 2:2

Even God called a time out. on the seventh day God rested. God did not create us to be bionic or we would come with a blinking circuit box on our foreheads. our minds and bodies are constructed for only a certain amount of work. We need rest. We need God’s rest.

Rest is not just a good night’s sleep. Rest is having the peace of God in your soul. Rest is restoring your soul.

In the British navy if there is a disaster aboard ship, ‘the still” is blown. This particular still is not a place where whiskey is made but rather a whistle which calls the crew to a moment of silence in times of crisis. When the still is blown, every person knows that it means ‘prepare to do the wise thing’. It is said that that moment of calm has helped avert many disasters and kept people from foolish actions.

The purpose of the Sabbath is the blowing of the still. Rest, catch your breath, pause, center on the Savior, and listen for God. Practice the still. It can keep help you avert disaster.

-Dr. Tim Thompson

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L3 Study Guide | Feb. 20

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Frazer UMC

READ: Mark 7:1-23

MEMORY VERSE: Mark 7:14-15

THINGS TO LOOK FOR: The conflict with the Pharisees continues to escalate. Ritual versus relationship seems to be the debate. Why is Jesus upset with the Pharisees? Does Jesus imply that our outer cleanliness is of no importance to God? What are Jesus’ expectations of those who want to encounter God?

ACTION: It feels good to take a shower or hot bath, brush your teeth and comb your hair. It feels good to be clean. Today, attempt the same care of your soul. Write down a few ways to be made clean by God. Meditate on how these ways are helpful to you.

PRAYER: Almighty God, I stand before you in need of your cleaning. Scrub me and wash me. Make it thorough. You are invited into the deepest, darkest places of my soul. Do a work in my life God. Raise me up out of my own sin and put a new, clean heart within me. Thank you God for cleaning me from the inside out! Amen.

-Patrick Quinn

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