Month: March 2018

This Friday, we’ll gather in fellowship at the Charlotte Cafe in the Park Road Shopping Center to celebrate wrapping up another great series!  Please gather at the normal time….around 7:30 am.  I will be their briefly, but have to be behind a computer screen at 8:00 am to sign up our boys scouts for this year’s summer camp.  Registration for merit badge classes opens up at 8:00 am so I’m committed to getting that done for our troop.

Unless there’s any objection, I’d like to recommend we tackle our next study by exploring the book, “Jesus Outside the Lines” by Scott Sauls.  Great topic for our world that seems more and more polarizing every day!  The author explains how to find Jesus without having to “choose sides”.  Please order the book at your earliest convenience.

Lastly, next week is Holy Week so we won’t meet on Good Friday.  And we’ll take the following week off as well since that’s Spring Break here for many schools around Charlotte.

Our next gathering after this Friday will be on April 13th at the Cornwell Center.  Think about who you’d like to invite to join us for our new series staring in April!

I look forward to seeing the gang Friday at the Charlotte Cafe!

Peace!

This week marks the formal end of our study of “Twelve Ordinary Men” as we cover the twelfth disciple, Judas –the traitor.  It’s been a great study, not just from my point of view, but by the comments many have responded to me.  And this week, we cover the “outsider” within the group of apostles; the one, solely responsible for the betrayal of Jesus.

The quote, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” probably has a few different origins.  However, it’s famous from the movie, The Godfather 2.  But why would we keep our enemies closer to us than our friends?  Is this to say that we should treat those unkind to use, our enemies, much better than those who are kind to us?

One might say that the reason you keep your enemies closer is because it gives that “enemy” a false sense of security.  It allows them to drop their guard.  So, of course, in that regard we should always keep our enemies closer.

Jesus knew well in advance that Judas would betray Him.  Yet, he allowed him to become close to all the disciples.  And maybe in this way, Jesus too was keeping his enemies closer.

We’ll find out this week as Aaron Harper leads us in the final week’s discussion.

As for next week, we’ll wrap up the book, informally, by gathering at The Charlotte Cafe off Park Road for breakfast.

But that’s next week…..

This Friday, meet at The Cornwell Center beginning at 7:30 am in fellowship.  Aaron will kick things off around 7:45 am.

Have a great week until then!

Peace!

Ironically, as we lean forward towards another NCAA basketball playoff tournament, we are also down to our own “final four” when it comes to our study of the twelve disciples.  This week, we’ll look at three of the last four, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas (not Iscariot).  Let the “March Madness” begin!

Chapter 9 is a fairly easy read with much of the focus on the durability of the disciples’ faith, especially as it relates to the final group where not much is written about them.  This chapter, more so than the others, is really about drawing out some extrapolations based on what “IS” written.  Big word, I know…..extrapolation…!

Final three weeks also means we need to start thinking about our next study.  Come with a few ideas, if you want.

Rob Miller leads us this week.  Gather at 7:30 am.  Rob will lead us beginning at 7:45 am

Have a great week until we meet on Friday!

Peace!