Category: Starting Friday study

This morning I went on an early morning run around one of the local golf courses in our neighborhood.  My plan was to run the cart paths that traced around the entire 18 hole of the course.  As I was running, enjoying the stillness in the crisp winter air, my mind started thinking about all the things I needed to get done today.  My ambitions of running the longer distance waned away when I turned the bend around the 9th green.  Sadly, I caved and headed back home after only accomplishing “half” of what I had set out to do!  Ugh!

This week’s lesson might incur similar thoughts from you.  Have you ever started something “grand” only the get half of it accomplished?  Humor me and admit that I’m not alone in my earlier morning short-coming today!  As you read through this week’s homework, Chapters 31-31, listen the the author’s message about “confession”.  If we only “confess” but do not truthfully “repent”, then we’ve likewise only accomplished half of what God has instructed us to do.

Hmmmmm…..more on that this week as our weekly leader, Rob Miller, will guide us in our discussions.  This is the wrap up for our current theme of “Be Strong”.  Next week, we’ll start the final theme of the book, “Do Everything in Love”.

See you this Friday at 7:30 am at The Cornwell Center.  Rob will kick things off promptly at 7:45 am.

Peace!

We’re over half-way through the current section theme of “Be Strong”.  This week’s lesson will come from reading chapters 29 and 30.  In both chapters, the consequences of King David’s behavior is discussed.

To put it lightly, David really “stepped in it….” and the more he tried to hide his bad decisions, the more things worse.

In my backyard, we have chickens….who can be very messy animals.  When you accidentally step in their poop….you’d better be mindful that you don’t track that into the house.  Trust me…..I know!

Focus this week on the story of David and the moral fences that our author describes.  Mike leads us again this week.

See you at 7:30 am in fellowship.  Lesson starts at 7:45 am.  Cornwell Center.

Peace!

We’re continuing on with “Be Strong” as our theme for the next several chapters.  This week’s homework is to read chapters 27 and 28.

Our author tells a great story about Sampson.  Growing up, I knew of this Biblical character, “Sampson”, as a dude who had massive strength…but when his hair was cut, he lost all his powers.

Well…..that’s sorta the G-rated version of the story.  I won’t give away the plot line, but you’ll understand more when you read this week’s chapters.

Mike leads us this Friday.  Ironically enough, I’m told he rescheduled his haircut appointment for next week.

Coincidence?  Maybe.

See you on Friday.  Gather at 7:30 am at The Cornwell Center.  Lesson starts at 7:45 am.

Peace!

New section of our series this week called “Be Strong“.  If you’re like me, you probably immediately thought about physical strength.  The author, ever-so colorful, opens up chapter 25 with a visual of ESPN’s World’s Strongest Man competition.  But, truthfully, as MacDonald goes on to say, “being strong” is not about how much you can bench press, stairs you can climb, or the number of Ironman triathlons you’ve finished.  How so?

I won’t give away the entire messages for this week’s homework, chapters 25 and 26.  But our author is very real and somewhat graphic as he explains men’s downfalls when it comes to sexual impurity.  And at the end of the day, MacDonald says we don’t need to be strong enough to battle these urges that all men face.  We only have to lean on Jesus who is the ultimate “strongest man” of all time!

Good stuff this week, men.  Jason Schubert will lead us in the discussions.

Gather at 7:30 am.  “Buckle up” by 7:45 am.  Cornwell Center location.

Peace!

This week, we’re “flying” into the next two chapters (21-22) AND meeting at the Flying Biscuit for fellowship!  Like that “play” on words….??

Our author tells one story this week about riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and taking his eyes off a truck in front of him for what seemed like a brief moment.  CRASH!!!!  Can we relate to this in our daily lives?  How are we keeping focused on what our Heavenly Father has told us to do?

Jason Schubert leads us this week.  We’ll discuss this and more over biscuits and gravy….!  Meet at The Flying Biscuit in the Park Road shopping center around 7:30 am.

See you then!

Peace!

Last week, we kicked off the latest section of our study of “Act Like Men” with the theme of “Stand Firm in the Faith”.  Recall the analogy of digging in your cleats….the singular protruding cleat located at the top of the bottom-side of the shoe, allows football players (especially linemen) to really…”dig in”.

And this week we’re transitioning to answering the questions about “why do we need to dig in”?

Well…..crisis is coming, according to our author.  And for us men, somethings that crisis is what’s necessary to get our attention.  And with that attention grabbing….God gives us clarity.

Ironically, my wife and I are teaching a Sunday school class this coming weekend to a group of 8th graders with the topic of “why to bad things happen to good people“.  I think there’s some parallels to this week’s homework, Chapters 19 and 20, that will help with this weekend’s audience of 8th graders as well.

So, read the short chapters in advance of Friday’s gathering at The Cornwell Center.  Mike leads us again this week, due to Rob’s surgery on Friday.  Please keep Brother Rob in your thoughts and prayers!

See you tomorrow…..7:30 am to gather; 7:45 am start time.

Peace!

We’re kicking off a new section of the book this week; “Stand Firm in the Faith“.  Our homework this week is to read chapters 17 and 18.  The last section talked about how a quality man watches over his family; “be watchful…“.  However, this week, we’ll see that being watchful can be directed in the wrong areas if that urgency is pointed to the wrong stuff or wrong time.

Are you confused yet?

Fear not!  Here’s where you need to focus this week.  In chapter 17, think about our tendency to pray for what our author calls “easier paths” instead of “stronger shoes (cleats)”.  And in chapter 18, the key message is the discussion on the five most important Gospel words that provide an essential level of clarity for that firmness.

So, standing firm (in our faith) and having clarity (in our convictions) are the key pillars for this week.  Mike leads us this Friday and will drill down a little deeper into those concepts.

See you at The Cornwell Center starting at 7:30 am!

Peace!

We’re slowly edging up to the Christmas celebration but not before we tackle this week’s lesson from “Act Like Men”, chapters 15-16.  John Ramey will lead us this week where the author discusses, among other topics, Jesus’ ability to be the manliest of men by “stepping up” during situations that called for immediate action.

Don’t believe me?  Consider the following actions by Jesus (which the author point out as well):

• Making a whip out of cords to drive charlatans from his Father’s house
• Standing up to an adulteress when others wanted to stone her to death
• Walking on water….I mean, is there anything more manly than that…!!??
• Calming the troubled seas with the sound of his voice

How do we measure up as “manly” men?  Are you rugged enough?

Gather in the front parlor at The Cornwell Center beginning at 7:30 am.  John will kick things into gear at 7:45 am.

See you then!

Peace!

Recognize this week’s title from the line of a famous movie?  The original 1984 Terminator movie pits a robotic cyborg-villain played by Arnold Schwartzenegger on a quest to kill Sarah Connor, played by actress, Linda Hamilton.  The Terminator goes on a terror path of death and destruction in his efforts to destroy Sarah.

Famously, the Terminator enters the police station and tells the desk sergeant that he’s a friend of Sarah Connor.  The dialog goes like this:

The Terminator:
I’m a friend of Sarah Connor. I was told she was here. Could I see her please?

Desk Sergeant:
No, you can’t see her. She’s making a statement.

The Terminator:
Where is she?

Desk Sergeant:
It may take a while. Want to wait? There’s a bench over there.

The Terminator:
[looks around, examining the structural integrity of the room, then looks back at him] I’ll be back.

We all know what happens next….where the cyborg drives a car through the front door of the police station.  Luckily, Sarah escapes!

As I was reading through our homework for this week, Chapter 13-14, there’s an inference to Satan in our lives that reminded me of this movie.  In Chapter 13, our author refers to Satan’s efforts as first a “disguise“, then a “division“, and lastly a “destruction“.  The only difference, perhaps, is that Satan hardly ever comes into our lives as ominous as the Terminator!

Be aware!

Jason Schubert leads us this week and will discuss Chapters 13-14 from our book, “Act Like Men”.  Gather starting at 7:30 am at the Cornwell Center.  Jason will kick things off at 7:45 am.

I hope you’ll all “be back” this week!……

Admittedly, I have a distinct liking to country music; drives my family nuts, especially!  But then again, I drive a pick-up truck so that genre of music goes hand-in-hand with my F-150!

One the singers I used to love is a guy named Toby Keith.  Originally from Oklahoma, but certainly overlaps into Texas.  Either way, just looking at Toby, and you know he’s country!  One of his earlier hits was a song called, “Talk About Me….”.  Reading this week’s homework, chapters 11 and 12, might have you singing the same tune.

Here’s a taste of the lyrics:

I want to talk about me
Want to talk about I
Want to talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
I like talking about you, you, you, you usually, but occasionally
I want to talk about me

Similar to Toby’s song, both chapters this week have a distinct message as it relates to our current section’s theme (“Be Watchful”); and that message centers around “watching me”.  In other words, if we want to start having the conversation about being watchful, then it needs to start by examining the person in the mirror!

Rob Miller steps up to bat this week and will lead us in the discussion.  Looking forward to getting out of the cold (here in Charlotte) and digging into Rob’s review of this week’s lesson!

Gather at 7:30 am.  We’ll start promptly at 7:45 am.  Cornwell Center front parlor room.

Peace!