You can tell Summer is almost here

We had a small, but dedicated group meet at the church building on May 18 for soup, cornbread, salad and fellowship. With lots of us having scheduling conflicts over the summer, we decided to keep meeting for meals on the first and third Sunday, and we will decide later whether or not to try to keep two studies going over the summer.

The menu for our next meeting on June 1 will be brisket with all the trimmings.

Rene did a great job of leading our discussion of Esther. And if you missed the discussion, ask someone who was there about our assignment this week!

Small Group Lunch and Study - May 18

Just a reminder that we will be meeting this week after worship.
The menu is soup.
Larry and Evelyn will be bringing a pot-0-soup.
We still need another pot +
Veggies
Saltines/Cornbread
Desserts
Drinks

Larry Wilson will be leading the "How to Study the Bible" group and Our newest member, Rene will be leading the study of Women in the Bible and will be discussing Esther.

How to Study the Bible # 2 - May 4, 2008

We started this week’s conversation with a recap of the last discussion. Most of us want to study the Bible for two reasons: 1) to gain knowledge and insight, and 2) connecting with a closer relationship with God.

Then we turned to the parallels between getting to know a person and getting to know God through a study of the scriptures. When you are getting to know a new friend, you tend to spend time together, talking, listening, and seeing how they react to the things that happen in their life. In a similar fashion, as we are getting to know God through the Bible, we spend time together with Him, talking, listening, and seeing how He reacts to the things that happened in the lives of the people whose stories were recorded in the text.

Just like we bring our own “filters” to a relationship with a new friend, we bring our own “filters” to our study of the Bible. Those filters may include our personal knowledge, our prior Bible study, our own culture, our past experiences, our hopes and aspirations. Just like these “filters” will influence a growing relationship with a friend, they will influence our study of the Word of God. For example, if you tend to approach the text assuming that the Bible is basically a rational set of rules for living, then you will tend to read the Bible differently than someone who sees the Bible as the story of God’s relationship with man.

An interesting sub-topic in today’s discussion was the role, if any, played by the shift that some perceive is happening in our culture today. Labeled by some as the shift from modernity to post-modernity, if you are just starting on that journey (that is you are more modern and less post-modern in your thinking) you will approach the Bible differently than if you are relatively more post-modern in your thinking. This is just one of the filters through which we see the Bible.


Terry ended this week’s discussion by explaining that there are 3 critical questions we must ask every time we study the Word:
1. What did the original readers hear and what did it mean for them?
2. What does it mean for us today?
3. What does it mean for me?

If you haven’t had the chance to join us in this study yet, plan to do so the next time we meet on Sunday, May 18th.

Check back closer to the 18th for information about the topic for discussion #3.

Sunday's Small Group Meeting!!!!!!!

Yes! We are meeting this week. Since it's supposed to be in the 80's we're thinking "picnic" food . . . sandwiches . . . fruit . . . salad . . . lite and airy . . . springtime . . . etc. etc. Check your email!!

The "Women of the Bible" will be led by Wendy Dickerson and the "How to Study the Bible" will continue to discuss "What Do We Bring to the Text!"

See you there!!!