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we have placed the studies in the order they appear in the scripture. we "quote" based on the following format. book or letter, section (large number), line (as appears in a traditional bible); page you will find the scripture in the message - we like the idea of the page - it forces us to read what comes before and after, and not just a single line. all our studies are offered in biblical context. this means we try hard not to take a line and make it a rule - it's an all or nothing thing for us.

section 8:

lines 35-39; page 259 of the message: ever feel unloved? i know i have. but what i have found is that over time, my feelings and reality seldom have much in common. what i have learned in my life is this, no matter how i feel i know God loves me. nothing on this earth could ever remove that love; nothing anyone tells me will convince me that God will take his love for me away. this came to a realization for me when i stopped comparing God's love for me with the earthly love i get from others. while earthly love can come and go, God's love is forever. others place conditions on their love, God has no such conditions.

while you may lose the love of others on earth, you can never lose the love of God - no matter what you do.

questions:

how many times have you fallen in love?

did you "get over" that love?

what do you do when people tell you they love you?

how do you act when you realize you are in love?

how does the statement "you can love someone and never have sex, and you can have sex with some one and never love them" mean to you?

other readings:

Ehp 3:16-19 (page 408) and 1 john 1:9 (504)

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section 25:

line 8; page 000 of the message: Have you ever reached a point in your life where taking a stance was important? Ever come to a point in your life where making a decision could be critical to the life and well being of others? We all have, we just might not see it as being so important at that time. We usually discount those moments as “it’s not my place to get involved” or “they have the right to do as they see fit” or “I have to do this because others expect it of me.” Never once giving thought to what would come next. For example, how many of us have been at a party and seen people leave drunk? Oh, we make excuses for it – “I don’t know for a fact they are drunk” or “I never saw them leave” or “I have no right to stop a person from driving their car.” Critical decisions that many people made at one point in time and soon learned to regret at another point in time. So, the question remains, have you ever reached a point in your life where taking a stance was important – no matter the out come? Paul did.

In this weeks reading, short as it is, we find Paul in prison and a new jailer has just moved in. Felix is out and Festus is in – and the world will change because of what is about to take place. You see, Festus confronted Paul with the opportunity to be returned to jail in Jerusalem under the control of the Jewish Leadership, and he refused. It was that refusal, and the way it was worded, that changed the course of human history. Paul’s refusal was “No, I did nothing wrong – and I want Caesar to be the judge.” That was the decision – to go to Rome and be judged – that affected the world we live in. Without knowing, and without thinking it to it’s natural conclusion, Festus was about to send the faiths greatest Evangelist into the heart of beast, Rome. It was that decision that brought Christianity to Rome in a big way, and for all times. Paul made a decision which in turn affected the lives of billions of people for countless generations over two-millennium, even the smallest of decisions can change the course of the world. Have you ever reached a point in your life where taking a stance was important? Ever come to a point in life where a decision is critical to the lives of others?