University of Texas at San Antonio

Kristen Magruder asked for prayer for a girl that’s been coming to their Bible study who is a non-believer. The girl seems to be seeking, so pray that the Word of God would speak to her, that she would have eyes to see and ears to hear. Pray for the Christians in the Bible study too, that the Lord would give them the right words to speak. Pray that their lives would reflect the character of Christ and that as a result of seeing God’s grace in their lives, the girl will come to believe in Jesus as her own Lord and Savior.

Young Concert Artists

Jeremiah Moon is starting a Bible study with a friend of his in their youth orchestra, the Young Concert Artists in Colorado Springs, CO. Pray for them, that they will have wisdom to know how to be good leaders and that they would work well as a team.

University of Michigan

Bethany Erhardt, a cellist at the university is starting a Bible study for the music school. Pray for faithfulness to her calling to lead and a jump-start needed to get it started.

Houston Symphony

Alex Adkins, a violinist with the Houston Symphony, is starting a Bible study/prayer group this month for the symphony. Pray for her for boldness and courage coupled with love and compassion. Pray too, that other women in the symphony would partner with her.

My life as a Bible study leader … take 5

Last week’s Bible study was great! We took a little break from the book of Romans. Instead, we created art projects and drank Mexican hot chocolate! If you haven’t ever had Mexican hot chocolate, you should. It’s delicious. Besides enjoying the hot chocolate, we each made a piece of art to remind us 1) who God is and 2) who we are as His children. I bought 8×10 frames so that we could each display our artwork where we would be reminded either first thing in the morning or throughout the day. I’d gotten the idea the year before from a book. I’d written myself a letter that I was supposed to read every morning when I woke up as a way to set my mind on Christ from the outset of the day. As it turns out, I don’t read the letter every morning, but when I do, it makes a world of difference. You too, could take a break from your regular Bible study and do something creative as a form of worship. It could be singing songs, writing songs, writing poetry, spending the whole time in prayer, creating art objects, doing a kind act of service for someone, memorizing a passage of scripture or taking a prayer walk. There are many different ways to worship and many different ways to study God’s word. You don’t have to do the same things week in and week out.

I’ll leave you with some scriptures and an exhortation from one of my pastors from my church:

Colossians 3:1-3

1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

 1 Peter 2: 13-17

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Ephesians 5:8-14

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:

“ Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

Pastor Larry from my church here in Winona Lake has said on numerous occasions that if we only took one thing with us from  his sermons, he would want it to be this: that we would remember whose we are. So, you, remember to whom you belong. You’ve been bought with the precious redeeming blood of the lamb. You are His. And when you abide in Him, He abides in you. Today, and everyday, take time to consider who He is and who you are because of Him.