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Education Ministry

Posted on March 21, 2006 ...

Life. On the surface, it seems fairly straight forward: Play by the rules, keep your nose clean, work hard, don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t rock the boat, and if you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re good, you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll go to heaven. Of course, we know there is a lot more to it than that; especially the part about going to heaven. But for a lot of people, that about sums it up. They would rather not be bothered by the complexities that lurk beneath the surface of life. And so they read books and seek ?¢‚Ǩ?ìexperts?¢‚Ǩ¬ù who will show them the easy path, the popular road, the way that seems right to human understanding. They want a view of life that requires very little thought and includes a convenient god; a god big enough to solve their problems, but not so big that he cannot be managed. They want a ?¢‚Ǩ?ìgenie in a lamp?¢‚Ǩ¬ù kind of god.
The Bible does not support this kind of perspective on life. It does not ignore life?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s difficulties and complications. Nor does it allow us to cast God in an image of our choosing. On the contrary, we find an honest assessment of the human condition and a God who insists that we bend to His will. One of the greatest steps toward spiritual maturity is to realize we are not in control. When this happens, we open ourselves up to accept life on God?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s terms. Only then are we able to learn life according to Jesus.
On Saturday, April 8, we will be offering our third D-Day experience. The theme for this day of discipleship is Life According to Jesus. Four sessions will be offered, each based on a section of Jesus?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ Sermon on the Mount. You will have opportunity to attend two of these sessions. Here is a summary of your choices:

?Ǭ? Severe Morality. More than just keeping rules, God wants us to live according to a deeper spirit of true morality. Dare to practice peace, purity, loyalty, and honesty the way God intended.

?Ǭ? Loving the Other Side. Living in a divided world caught in a tug-of-war of ideas and convictions, it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s easy to view those on the other side with contempt and suspicion. Explore Jesus?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ radical command to love our enemies.

?Ǭ? The Secret Lives of Saints. It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s easy to say and do the Christian thing when we are in the company of our church family, but what about when no one is looking? Go beneath the surface of outward Christianity and explore the secret life that only God sees.

?Ǭ? God?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Economy. Is the American Dream compatible with God?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s call for denial and sacrifice? Discover God?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s unexpected perspective on the ?¢‚Ǩ?ìgood life.?¢‚Ǩ¬ù

I hope you will make plans to attend this important discipleship event. Please help us make plans by indicating your intent to participate and any childcare needs on the back of your registration form or call the church office. --Michael