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Burning Questions, Pt. 2
By Derrick | May 20, 2008
UPDATE: New question added.
Nobody submitted any questions to be voted on before Sunday, so we will do something else this week in community group. However, some questions were submitted Sunday and yesterday, so I will include those here for you to vote on. The questions that get the most votes will determine the next several topics we address in our community group. I will add other questions to this list as people give them to me.
A) What difference does praying make?
B) Why do bad things happen to good people?
C) How do we live a holy life?
D) How do we overcome sin in our life?
E) What does God require of our calendar? (Or, what is a biblical perspective of time management)?
Topics: Announcements, Community Groups |
3 Responses to “Burning Questions, Pt. 2”
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May 20th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I vote for #3. This is something I’ve been struggling with recently. How do you all do it?
I often have very negative thoughts when imagining committing another evening or weekend to meetings or activities which I know will actually be beneficial. I know as a woman who juggles a career and (growing) family, I feel the need for time at home that is completely unscheduled. I am in amazement at you all who have something going on almost every night and on the weekends. Don’t you ever just want to “be”? Maybe that makes me a lazy homebody? This is why I struggle with it. I know I’m not a lazy person! I just know that I feel exhausted after working all day, tending to my family afterward and possibly sneaking in a load of laundry before collapsing into bed.
This all sounds so negative, I know. It is something I’m trying to pray about and overcome (if possible). Don’t get me wrong, there are activities/meetings I’d like to be a part of, and we love to be in the presence of other members of our church. Does it ever stress anyone else to be “scheduled” without much time to yourselves?
I know this “scheduled” time is productive, brings members closer together, and introduces others to Christ, which is why I struggle with my negative perceptions. There’s a lot that I’d love to be able to do, whether it’s volunteering or attending a Bible study. The logistics of “making time” is my hurdle.
Any encouraging thoughts for this pregnant woman with the rollercoaster emotions?
May 20th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Great to see you on here, Jenny! I hope you find this helpful. Your vote has been noted, though I think I will actually consider it a vote for another question since living a holy life does not equal doing a lot of stuff.
I completely understand wanting unscheduled time, which is why as a church we only schedule two regular activities - Sunday worship and a weekly community group. Anything else we plan is incidental and temporary.
This is a great topic to discuss. I do have some thoughts that I think will both encourage and challenge you, but they are better spoken in person. But perhaps someone else has some general comments that would be helpful to you…
May 21st, 2008 at 11:29 am
I vote for questions D & E.
As to Jenny’s comments, I certainly can empathize with all of what was mentioned. I suppose I don’t work outside of the home during the day but I do work hard all day and desperately desire to just rest by the time dinner is on the table.
I will speak from my own experience and what I am learning because this is something I struggle with ALL the time. And I will try to be general (although I’d rather be specific).
*Our calling in life is to be a child of Christ and to serve Him. That will look different in each person’s life depending on whether they are married, single, mother, etc. Our callings are different so the way we use our time will look different and that is expected.
I think we must examine every part of our day to determine what is necessary and what is a luxury. Things like rest, extracurricular activity, a job, straightened homes, and Bible studies are sometimes necessary and sometimes not. We must evaluate this through the eyes of Christ and His worldview not from a me-centered view. I think this can be very hard to do often and this is where I would love further discussion.
Just a thought to ponder…do we work to rest or rest to work? I think most of us are raised in the mindset that we work so that we can rest but I am not sure this is Biblical. It seems we should rest so that we can work if we have Christ’s view of the world in mind. I don’t have a particular scripture in mind but instead the picture of Christ’s life. He rested most definitely but its clear that wasn’t his goal. His goal was to build His kingdom which meant he “worked” a lot.