Poem for a Nearly Spring Day
I see the sky
I climb
I rise
The hills are green
I tire
I fall
I sleep and rise again
Turning
Stumbling
Rising
Falling
Rising
Lost
Undone
Confused
Never abandoned
For at each turn
Each bend
I find a friend
Always the same
The same friend
Who knows my name
Who watches over me
Waiting, singing, for me
To greet me finally
To welcome me…
…my dear friend.
–Christina Wilson
Aids to Memorization
Two Methods to Help Us Memorize
Hi Ladies!
I just want to encourage us all to keep working on our memory verse for this week. It is Colossians 1:13-14 from The Message Bible
Colossians 1:13-14
God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.
I chose The Message paraphrase because it reminds me of my own personal life, most recently–Psalm 18.
You can also memorize it from the NIV. It’s shorter!
Colossians 1:13-14
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Two Helps for Memorization:
1. Repetition
a. I find that for me the best way to memorize something is to keep reading it over and over again (no memory at this point–just re-reading and re-reading.)
b. Then I begin to say it out loud by memory. I might need up to 20 or 30 tries before I remember it all.
c. When I forget, I just look at the words right away. I don’t waste time trying to remember what I don’t remember! 
d. Keep the verse handy. I have the verse printed or typed in very large letters on a small card, perhaps an index card, which I prop up where I am working or carry in my purse or pocket or wherever. I cannot practice memorizing something if I don’t have it with me at several points throughout the day.
e. Eventually, by day number five or so, I find that I am beginning to be able to say the whole verse without looking.
f. Finally, it’s just a matter of repeating what I now know, until I REALLY know it, and can say it out loud at normal speed.
g. Being able to say the verse ALOUD is an important test of whether or not I actually know the verse.
Yes! This is hard work. Dietrich Bonhoeffer tells us that in the ancient church some pastors needed to demonstrate that they had memorized the entire book of Psalms before they could be ordained! (Think of all that we have lost by gaining the media.)
2. Writing
You might find the method that Wendy suggested easier for you:
a. Simply take a sheet of paper and begin writing.
- On the first line, just write the first word.
- On the second line, write two words.
- On the third line, write three words of the verse.
b. You proceed like this until the verse has been completed, or perhaps until you run out of paper (just joking!)
The important thing is to find a method that works for you and to not become discouraged. When we say the verse aloud at our next gathering, you will be amazed that you are not the only one who may have had difficulty memorizing the verses. I know that memorization does not come easy for me, and I am not just saying that.
The advantage of memorizing verses together as a group is that we are accountable to each other. I find this accountability very necessary for myself. What I mean is, I do not have the discipline to go through this process simply on my own.
Whatever else, be blessed and have fun!
Christina
Werewolves and Fruit
Jesus will tackle those werewolves with you and prevail.
Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:16. Jesus spoke concerning false prophets. Can we extend the metaphor to include religions? We can judge religions by the fruit they produce; we can judge people’s beliefs by the person’s fruit.
Does what I believe produce goodness, including everything I keep private from others? Or, do I go around hurting others and myself?
Two examples of how people perform harm: 1) the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:1-20 hurt himself and possibly others. 2) Remus Lupin of the Harry Potter series was an unwilling victim of werewolfry. Remus Lupin suffered greatly by the harm he caused himself and those weaker than he. (Werewolves cannot keep themselves from killing others Harry Potter Wiki.) His wife loved him and his many friends loved him. He did much good in life. Nonetheless, neither their love and acceptance of him, nor his own love and acceptance of himself, neither all their combined willpower, nor their wizardry, nor any manner of ways of thinking positively about his problem could heal or change his affliction. His mental pain concerning his affliction may have diminished, but the affliction itself remained. If Remus had his druthers, he’d druther not be a werewolf. His fruit included good fruit and bad fruit. Is that the kind of fruit Jesus had in mind when he spoke of a tree as being “good?”
Jesus healed the man afflicted with demons. This man went home changed, clothed, and in his right mind. This man “believed in Jesus” after that and went home to tell his own people how much the Lord had done for him, and how the Lord had mercy on him Mark 5:19-20. His life bore fruit. All the fruit was good. He did not sometimes cut himself and sometimes not. No one ever needed to chain him again. By their fruit you shall know them.
I love wizardry. Who doesn’t? But I love Jesus Christ more, because he has real power to change me. Although those who know me well on a personal level might disagree, I no longer hurt others the way I used to do. Although the harvest may be small, my life does show signs of bearing fruit.
What about you? People are ready to invest years of their lives searching and trying to gain control over that which masters them, when the answer is so simple: Invite the Lord to come near the place where you keep your heart protected. Werewolves cannot live in his presence. Jesus will tackle those werewolves with you and prevail.
Interactive!
God Speaks And Listens
How often I pray and ask God to listen to me. We want to be heard by him and sometimes blame him if he doesn’t respond. God does indeed listen and hear everything we think and feel and everything in us of which we may even be unaware (Psalm 10:17). Wonderfully, God also speaks in a personal way through his written Word, the Bible. He doesn’t speak this way every single time we read the Bible, but he does so often enough that our prayer before reading should always include a request for our hearts and minds to hear him when he speaks to us.
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Memory Verse–Colossians 1:13-14
The Message
Colossians 1:13-14 God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.
NIV
Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Life Group: Colossians Bible Study
We are a group of under ten women meeting together on a weekday evening once each week through the sponsorship of The Shepherd’s House church in Thousand Oaks in order to study Scripture. For this Life Group session, we are studying the biblical book of Colossians, which is a letter from the Apostle Paul and Timothy to the church at Colosse.
Our meetings include: chit chat upon arrival, coffee and perhaps snack (since we are meeting in a private home), opening prayer, a weekly lesson given in a question-and-answer/discussion format, a chance to share intercessory prayer requests, and a closing prayer. That’s a lot to pack into 1-1/2 hours!
We place high value on each woman and recognize her extreme value to our Lord Jesus Christ. All the women in attendance have much experience with the Lord and each makes valuable contributions for the edification of the group as a whole.
Week 1 Life Group: Colossians Bible Study
I. Introduction
A. Why study the Bible?
1. Discussion: Why do you want to study Scripture? What does it mean to you personally? Be more specific: What do you hope to get or give from this Bible study?
2. Scripture explains itself:
a. Hebrews 4:12
b. Mark 13:31
c. Romans 10:17
3. The Bible is an interactive book.
a. God hears your heart and your mind over the course of time and always.
b. God speaks to you personally by his Holy Spirit through his Word.
“Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live…” Isaiah 55:3
c. Let’s share some personal examples of times when God spoke directly to us through the vehicle of his Word. What impact did this have on your life?
B. The first step of Bible study each and every time is prayer.
1. We always need to ask God to open his Word to us.
2. What are some things we can ask God to help us with as we pray before reading and studying his Word? Suggested Answers:
a. attention and focus
b. a soft heart to receive
c. a spirit of obedience to do what God reveals.
d. peace and calm
3. God is willing—are we?
C. Next week we will continue with the question, “What is the difference between studying and reading? Why are both necessary?
Life Group: Colossians Bible Study Bibliography
- BibleWorks 9 Software for Biblical Exegesis & Research. Norfolk, VA: BibleWorks, 2011.
- Community Bible Study. Engaging God’s Word: Colossians. Colorado Springs: Community Bible Study, 2013.
- Duffield, Guy P. and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. 4th ed. Los Angeles: Foursquare Media, 2008.
- Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
- Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller. Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament. Baker’s Greek New Testament Library. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000. BibleWorks, v.9.
- Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Colossians and Philemon. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1964.
- The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online). http://www.biblestudytools.com/colossians/.
- The Navigators. LifeChange Series: A life-changing encounter with God’s Word from the books of Colossians & Philemon. 2nd ed. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2013.
- O’Brien, Peter T. Understanding the Basic Themes of Colossians, Philemon: Quick Reference Bible Topics. Edited by David A. Hubbard. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991.
- Pink, Arthur W. Gleanings from Paul. Edited by Rev. Terry Kulakowski. Zeeland, MI: Reformed Church Publications, 2009. Accessed February 26, 2016. http://www.davidcox.com.mx/m/files/Pink-Gleanings_From_Paul(PPC).pdf.
- Shorter Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 2nd Edition, edited by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick William Danker. Copyright © 1965 by The University of Chicago Press.
- Thayer, Joseph. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Abridged and Revised Thayer Lexicon). Ontario, Canada: Online Bible Foundation, 1997. BibleWorks, v.9.
- Wright, N. T. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 12: Colossians and Philemon. Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1986.
One Small Voice 