Scripture & Questions for Sunday (6/30/19)

• Dena Lackey fell and is in the hospital in Kerrville, please keep her in your prayers.
• VBS- will be July 26-27, we will leave the church at 2:00 PM.  Ages-Finished Kindergarten through finished 5th grade.  Registration forms and a food signup sheet for Friday and Saturday VBS are on the table at the back of the church. Pre-K children come at 5:00 on Saturday for a craft and time to swim before dinner.
• ALL Church Fish Fry Saturday July 27, 6:00 PM at the McMillan Cabins. 

Scripture
Luke 9:51-62 (ESV) 

51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village. 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Questions for Reflection
1.    About what sorts of things do you get enthusiastic?
2.    When working on a group project, what excuses do people use to postpone or avoid fulfilling their obligations?
3.    To what lengths did the first man say he would follow Jesus? (9:57)
4.    In what way were foxes and birds of the air more secure than Jesus? (9:58)
5.    What did the second man want to do before following Jesus? (9:59)
6.    How did Jesus respond to the obligations of family life? (9:60, 62)
7.    What did the third person want to do before following Jesus? (9:61)
8.    Who is not fit for the kingdom of God? (9:62)
9.    Given Jesus’ replies to the three would-be followers, what do you suppose their conflicting loyalties were?
10. What did Jesus want the three men to do?
11. With which of these men do you most easily identify?
12. What loyalties conflict with our allegiance to God?
13. From this account, how would you summarize the costs of following Jesus?
14. What are the costs of following Jesus?

July 2019 Newsletter

Click on the link below to view the latest newsletter.

July 2019 Newsletter

Have a Happy 4th of July!!

~ Carmen

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (6/23/19)

Announcements:

• VBS- will be July 26-27, we will leave the church at 2:00 PM.  
• Age:  Finished Kindergarten through finished 5th grade. 
• Registration forms and a food signup sheet for Friday and Saturday VBS are on the table at the back of the church.
• ALL Church Fish Fry Saturday July 27, 6:00 PM at the McMillan Cabins

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 8:26-39 (ESV) 

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Questions for Reflection
1.    What situations or people do you consider hopeless?
2.    What people do others try to avoid when they encounter them on the street?
3.    What had the demon-possessed man’s life been like until he met Jesus? (8:27, 29)
4.    *How did the demon-possessed man react to Jesus? (8:28)
5.    How did those tending the pigs react to what happened? (8:34)
6.    Who else heard what happened, and what did they find at the region of the Gerasenes? (8:35)
7.    What did the man want to do? (8:38)
8.    Why did Jesus say no to the man’s request to go with Him? (8:38-39)
9.    What was the result of the man’s obedience? (8:39)
10. What does this story say about Jesus’ concern for an individual’s life?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (6/16/19)

The pool party scheduled for tonight has been postponed until further notice.

Scripture for Sunday
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV) 

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Questions for Reflection
1.    What images spring to mind when you hear the words "missionary" or "evangelism"?
2.    What responses did Jesus’ appearance elicit? (28:17)
3.    Where did Jesus tell His disciples to go? (28:19)
4.    What activities were the disciples to be involved in? (28:19-20)
5.    With what words of comfort did Jesus leave His disciples? (28:20)
6.    Why do you think some of the disciples doubted when they saw Christ?
7.    What causes Christians to doubt God today?
8.    How do you think you might have reacted to the appearance of the risen Christ?
9.    What does it mean to us that Jesus has "all authority"?
10. What does it mean to "make disciples"?
11. What role do you have in making disciples?
12. How can knowing that Jesus is always with us make a difference in our daily lives?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (6/9/19)

Announcements:
1.  The nominating committee will meet Thursday, June 13 at 5:30 PM in the green room to nominate a member to fill Mary Whitworth’s term on the session.
2.  Friday, June 14th we have rented the city pool 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Come enjoy some summer fun at the pool.

Scripture for Sunday
Acts 2:1-21 (ESV) 

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Questions for Reflection
1.    What was celebrated on the day of Pentecost? (2:1)
2.    What group of people was gathered together? (2:1)
3.    Where did a violent wind come from? (2:2)
4.    What did the followers of Christ hear and see? (2:2-3)
5.    What was the importance of the wind and fire? (2:2-4)
6.    How did the God-fearing Jews visiting Jerusalem react when they heard Christians speaking their languages? (2:6-11)
7.    Besides being amazed, how did the crowd react to the unusual happening they witnessed? (2:12-13)
8.    Why is the coming of the Spirit associated with wind, fire, and different languages?
9.    What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
10. How does God use us to witness to others?
11. When has God enabled you to do something that you didn’t think you could do?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (6/2/19)

Scripture for Sunday
John 17:20-26

20 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those  who will believe in me through their word, 21  that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that  they also may be in  us, so that the world  may believe that you have sent me. 22  The glory that you have given me  I have given to them,  that they may be one even as we are one, 23  I in them and you in me,  that they may become perfectly one,  so that the world may know that you sent me and  loved them even as  you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be  with me  where I am,  to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me  before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and  I in them."

Questions for Reflection
1.    When have you longed for unity in your family, church, or community?
2.    Why are religious beliefs divisive?
3.    For whom did Jesus pray? (17:20)
4.    Why did Jesus want all believers to be one? (17:21)
5.    What had Jesus given the disciples? (17:22)
6.    How did Jesus want believers to be unified? (17:22)
7.    What did Jesus want the world to know? (17:23)
8.    In what way are all Christians one?
9.    How are Christians today divided? Why?
10. Why is unity so difficult for Christians to achieve?
11. What does the world today know about the Father?
12. How is the Father’s relationship with the Son an example for us to follow in our relationships with other Christians?