Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Course 5 Week 5 Tyler's Topics
Tyler,
Please place your initial posts and answers to our questions here.
Sean, please ask Tyler one or more queations here.
Visitors, click on the word, "comments," below to join the discussion.
Please place your initial posts and answers to our questions here.
Sean, please ask Tyler one or more queations here.
Visitors, click on the word, "comments," below to join the discussion.
Course 5 Week 5 Sean's Topics
Sean,
Please place your initial posts and answers to our questions here.
Tyler, please put one or more questions for Sean here.
Visitors, click on the word, "comments." to join our discussion.
Please place your initial posts and answers to our questions here.
Tyler, please put one or more questions for Sean here.
Visitors, click on the word, "comments." to join our discussion.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Course 5 Week 4 End of Week
Good morning, Sean and Tyler,
This is the last day of week 4. I hope you had a good weekend.
Looking forward to your comments, wrapping up the week,
Randy
This is the last day of week 4. I hope you had a good weekend.
Looking forward to your comments, wrapping up the week,
Randy
Saturday, December 27, 2008
To Every Thing a Season
Sean and Tyler are both gone this weekend, working with the youth of their church. They, both, through careful planning have managed to keep up with their studies along with Christmas celebrations and youth outings.
To every thing, there is a season.
Enjoy yourselves, guys.
Hope to hear from you Monday--although I understand you might be exhausted. Oh, yes, remember--there is a time to rest too!
To every thing, there is a season.
Enjoy yourselves, guys.
Hope to hear from you Monday--although I understand you might be exhausted. Oh, yes, remember--there is a time to rest too!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Course 5 Week 4 Response Postings
Good afternoon,
I trust you all had a great time with family and friends and indeed did have a merry Christmas.
In looking over your material, you are discussing varied books such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes. Yet, they do tie together.
Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything. It even says there is a time to kill! This perhaps makes us think of some military actions. Anytime you have military action, you do have enemies.
In the New Testament, we are told to pray for our enemies.
I have always thought of this meaning that we are to pray for good for even our enemies; yet in Psalms we have examples of how David prayed for some of his enemies, and he was not necessarily praying good things over them.
How are we to pray for our enemies? Is David's example a proper example for us?
Please try to respond to this in one or more of your remaining posts this week--either in answer to each other's questions or in a comment that stands alone.
How should we pray for our enemies?
I trust you all had a great time with family and friends and indeed did have a merry Christmas.
In looking over your material, you are discussing varied books such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes. Yet, they do tie together.
Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time for everything. It even says there is a time to kill! This perhaps makes us think of some military actions. Anytime you have military action, you do have enemies.
In the New Testament, we are told to pray for our enemies.
I have always thought of this meaning that we are to pray for good for even our enemies; yet in Psalms we have examples of how David prayed for some of his enemies, and he was not necessarily praying good things over them.
How are we to pray for our enemies? Is David's example a proper example for us?
Please try to respond to this in one or more of your remaining posts this week--either in answer to each other's questions or in a comment that stands alone.
How should we pray for our enemies?
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Everyone,
I pray that you are having a wonderful and blessed holiday surrounded by family and friends. If this is a lonely time for you, I pray that you will have fellowship with your heavenly Father, just as David in the Old Testment and many other shepherds did in the solitude of their jobs.
If you have some painful memories during this season of the year--perhaps a loved one passed away or some other past events bring bad memories, I pray that you will be overwhelmed with the fact that God's mercies are new every morning, that we will be able to see our Christian loved ones again, and that, though not everything is good, everything can work together for good, especially to those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose.
If you are having a great time, live it up. Rejoice!
If you are having a difficult time, hang in there. Count the blessings you do have. Remember all that Christ has done for you. We have not experienced what He did to show love to us.
The two emotions of rejoicing and despair relate to the Psalms, which we have been studying as part of this course.
In it all, rejoice!
I pray that you are having a wonderful and blessed holiday surrounded by family and friends. If this is a lonely time for you, I pray that you will have fellowship with your heavenly Father, just as David in the Old Testment and many other shepherds did in the solitude of their jobs.
If you have some painful memories during this season of the year--perhaps a loved one passed away or some other past events bring bad memories, I pray that you will be overwhelmed with the fact that God's mercies are new every morning, that we will be able to see our Christian loved ones again, and that, though not everything is good, everything can work together for good, especially to those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose.
If you are having a great time, live it up. Rejoice!
If you are having a difficult time, hang in there. Count the blessings you do have. Remember all that Christ has done for you. We have not experienced what He did to show love to us.
The two emotions of rejoicing and despair relate to the Psalms, which we have been studying as part of this course.
In it all, rejoice!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
How God Uses Short Comments to Impact Lives
Sean posted the following: "The 1st dvd finishes up on Proverbs, it gives examples of what types of proverbs there are. Then he discusses subjects of the Proverbs. One subject he talks of is wholesome words vs. desctructive words. This is something that grabbed my attention, he reminds us of how good words spoken do more than we know sometimes. This reminds me of when I was in a leadership school, my instructor came up to me and said "You need to let your light shine Sean, you have a great one in you". This has always stuck with me and helps me when I want to give up. Do any of you remember something someone said to you that 'changed' you?"
Here is my reply as posted in his comments area:
Sean, you asked, "Do any of you remember something someone said to you that 'changed' you?"
"I remember when I was a young boy only about a year or two after I was saved. (I was saved at 11). My aunt was visiting our house. All at once in the middle of a conversation between my mother and her while I was listening in and sitting on a couch just a little distance away, she looked at my mother and said, 'You know, I always thought Randy would grow up to be a preacher!'
"She did not call me to preach, but she was right. Even then I had already considered the idea. Years later when I was a senior in college, the calling was confirmed so strongly I had to accept the fact.
"I was not resistant. In fact, in some ways, that is what I really wanted to do, but I wanted to be sure of God's calling.
"However, during all those years of wondering, I always remembered my aunt's statement.
"I don't know how much it changed me other than encouraging me, but it did have a profound influence on my life."
Do any of our visitors have a similar testimony? If you would like to talk about such an event in your life, click on the word "comments" below.
Here is my reply as posted in his comments area:
Sean, you asked, "Do any of you remember something someone said to you that 'changed' you?"
"I remember when I was a young boy only about a year or two after I was saved. (I was saved at 11). My aunt was visiting our house. All at once in the middle of a conversation between my mother and her while I was listening in and sitting on a couch just a little distance away, she looked at my mother and said, 'You know, I always thought Randy would grow up to be a preacher!'
"She did not call me to preach, but she was right. Even then I had already considered the idea. Years later when I was a senior in college, the calling was confirmed so strongly I had to accept the fact.
"I was not resistant. In fact, in some ways, that is what I really wanted to do, but I wanted to be sure of God's calling.
"However, during all those years of wondering, I always remembered my aunt's statement.
"I don't know how much it changed me other than encouraging me, but it did have a profound influence on my life."
Do any of our visitors have a similar testimony? If you would like to talk about such an event in your life, click on the word "comments" below.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Course 5 Week 4
Good Morning, Sean, Tyler, and Visitors,
We will be half way through our journey in this course at the end of the week. I do realize that we have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and probably lots of family time this week. You may miss a day or two, but with good planning, you can still get in your required posts. You also even have some bonus points carried over, if you would need to use them.
I hope you hve a wonderful, merry, blessed, joyous holiday season this CHRISTMAS and New Years.
Here is a review of the posting requirements once again:
You have three assignments each week
(1) Make at least two initial posts in your posting area. The first one will be name of the course, and the names (or numbers of the DVD's) of the chapters or lectures you will be covering during the week. The second one will be a comment on one of those chapters. You will receive one point for getting the first post in on Tuesday or Wednesday. You will also get a point for getting at least one more initial post in.
(2) Go to your fellow student's posting areas, and ask them a question or questions about their intial posts. You will recieve one point for completing this assignment before 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning.
(3) Answer the questions asked.
(4) On Fridays, I will also give directions for making remaining posts during the week. Be sure and read those, and take them into account when making at least one of your remaining posts.
(4) In all, we want to make at least nine posts during the week. You will receive points for that as follows:
9 or more posts - 12 points
6-8 posts - 10 points
3-5 posts - 6 points
1-2 posts - 3 points
You will have the extra points you had accumulated by getting things in on time. Those are bonus points that will be used only to move your grade closer to 100 if you need them. They will be awarded each week if needed to move your grade up to 12 for the week. If you do not need them for that week, they will be carried over to the next week(s). Remember the posts that count for points will be at least three sentences long.
We will be half way through our journey in this course at the end of the week. I do realize that we have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and probably lots of family time this week. You may miss a day or two, but with good planning, you can still get in your required posts. You also even have some bonus points carried over, if you would need to use them.
I hope you hve a wonderful, merry, blessed, joyous holiday season this CHRISTMAS and New Years.
Here is a review of the posting requirements once again:
You have three assignments each week
(1) Make at least two initial posts in your posting area. The first one will be name of the course, and the names (or numbers of the DVD's) of the chapters or lectures you will be covering during the week. The second one will be a comment on one of those chapters. You will receive one point for getting the first post in on Tuesday or Wednesday. You will also get a point for getting at least one more initial post in.
(2) Go to your fellow student's posting areas, and ask them a question or questions about their intial posts. You will recieve one point for completing this assignment before 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning.
(3) Answer the questions asked.
(4) On Fridays, I will also give directions for making remaining posts during the week. Be sure and read those, and take them into account when making at least one of your remaining posts.
(4) In all, we want to make at least nine posts during the week. You will receive points for that as follows:
9 or more posts - 12 points
6-8 posts - 10 points
3-5 posts - 6 points
1-2 posts - 3 points
You will have the extra points you had accumulated by getting things in on time. Those are bonus points that will be used only to move your grade closer to 100 if you need them. They will be awarded each week if needed to move your grade up to 12 for the week. If you do not need them for that week, they will be carried over to the next week(s). Remember the posts that count for points will be at least three sentences long.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Course 5 Week 4 Tyler's Topics
Tyler, please place your intial posts and answers to our questions here. Sean, please ask Tyler questions here.
Visitors may join us by clicking on the comments below.
Visitors may join us by clicking on the comments below.
Course 5 Week 4 Sean's Topics
Sean, please place your initial posts and the answers to our questions here. Tyler, ask any qustions you have for Sean here.
Visitor may join us by clicking on the comments below.
Visitor may join us by clicking on the comments below.
A Psalm for Your Life?
Tyler challenged us with the following question: "I feel like the Psalms are a great collection of different feelings and thoughts. I sometimes wonder what I would say if I wrote a psalm about my life. Do you guys have any thoughts about it?"
Here is my response:
"Writing a psalm on my life: intriguing thought. I'm not sure what direction I would go, but I guess if I went back, I could possibly have written about feelings of discouragement. Then there were exciting times of unusual provision. I could have written a psalm of praise or thanksgiving." What about you? What would your psalm have been like?
Here is my response:
"Writing a psalm on my life: intriguing thought. I'm not sure what direction I would go, but I guess if I went back, I could possibly have written about feelings of discouragement. Then there were exciting times of unusual provision. I could have written a psalm of praise or thanksgiving." What about you? What would your psalm have been like?
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Darkness to Light
We have been talking about Psalms that give us encouragement. Here is one passage:
Psalm 107:10-16 (King James Version)
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
"Always Winter and Never Christmas" is a quote from C.S. Lewis in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrove, one of his famous books upon which the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia," is based. (This quote is pointed out by Mel Lawrenz, pastor of Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin.)
It may be winter for us, but it does not have to be winter without Christmas.
Days were dark at the time of Christ's birth.
Days are dark now.
Today is the shortest day of the year.
It will be winter, but the days will get longer.
The weather may be harsh, but the sun will shine.
In the midst of discouragement, there can be hope.
Hope may come to fuition in ways we thought were possible.
It may come about in unexpected ways (just as it did when Jesus came to Earth the first time).
We may experience winter, but we do not have to experience winter without Christmas.
Psalm 107:10-16 (King James Version)
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
"Always Winter and Never Christmas" is a quote from C.S. Lewis in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrove, one of his famous books upon which the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia," is based. (This quote is pointed out by Mel Lawrenz, pastor of Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin.)
It may be winter for us, but it does not have to be winter without Christmas.
Days were dark at the time of Christ's birth.
Days are dark now.
Today is the shortest day of the year.
It will be winter, but the days will get longer.
The weather may be harsh, but the sun will shine.
In the midst of discouragement, there can be hope.
Hope may come to fuition in ways we thought were possible.
It may come about in unexpected ways (just as it did when Jesus came to Earth the first time).
We may experience winter, but we do not have to experience winter without Christmas.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Praise God for His Encouragement
Tyler and Sean have found the Psalms to be a comfort in times of trouble and a reminder that our worhip is to be done in an attitude of praise.
Tyler said,
"I really like Psalm 46. I feel that is a word we can go to when we are down. I really like the author talks about the bad things that could happen, and how God is still for us in this struggle."
Sean said,
"Psa 100:1 A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Psa 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Psa 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psa 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. This Psalm I try to keep in mind when I go to church. It reminds me to go with praise in mind. WHiche leads me to expect something."
Praise God for His encouragement.
Tyler said,
"I really like Psalm 46. I feel that is a word we can go to when we are down. I really like the author talks about the bad things that could happen, and how God is still for us in this struggle."
Sean said,
"Psa 100:1 A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Psa 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Psa 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psa 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. This Psalm I try to keep in mind when I go to church. It reminds me to go with praise in mind. WHiche leads me to expect something."
Praise God for His encouragement.
Response Postings
If you haven't already, go to your fellow student's posting area and ask one or more questions.
As you answer those questions or make more comments this week, look at the different types of Psalms that Sean mentioned. Show how that one of those types relates to your life right now (or has done so in the past).
Tyler, are you off work until called back, or are you just off for a few weeks this winter? If you are off indefinitely, is there a psalm that could relate to your situation during this time?
As you answer those questions or make more comments this week, look at the different types of Psalms that Sean mentioned. Show how that one of those types relates to your life right now (or has done so in the past).
Tyler, are you off work until called back, or are you just off for a few weeks this winter? If you are off indefinitely, is there a psalm that could relate to your situation during this time?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
David's Feelings
Interesting point: that the books of history show some of the external things that David did, and the Psalms showed his feelings. We get quite a glimpse into the heart of a leader. we also get very personal looks at him when he had sinned and confessed his sin.
Remember the following:
"(2) Go to your fellow student's posting areas, and ask them a question or questions about their intial posts. You will recieve one point for completing this assignment before 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning."
Good job on all the information presented so far.
Remember the following:
"(2) Go to your fellow student's posting areas, and ask them a question or questions about their intial posts. You will recieve one point for completing this assignment before 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning."
Good job on all the information presented so far.
It Looks Like It Works
I have been having to use my othe computer for a while for this blog. Even though it is just in my office, it has been quite a hassle. It also is slightly slower than this one. Maybe, I'll get back in the swing of things a little better.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Course 5 Week 3 Sean's Topics
Sean, please place your initial comments and the answers to our questions here. Remember to go to Tyler's area to ask him questions.
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