Gifts Of The Holy Spirit

As a quick review of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit we discussed the aspect that All of the Fruit is given to All Christians upon receiving the Holy Spirit in their new relationship with God. In contrast, we further discussed that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given by the Spirit and He decides which gift each person should have (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT). We read a number of scriptures that have been identified as describing some of the various gifts given by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

• Message of wisdom
• Message of special knowledge
• Wonder-working faith
• Gifts of healing
• Power to perform miracles
• Ability to prophesy
• Ability to discern spirits
• Ability to speak in unknown languages
• Ability to interpret unknown languages
  

Ephesians 4:11

• Apostles
• Prophets
• Evangelists
• Pastors
• Teachers

1 Timothy 3:10 & 3:1

• Deacons
• Elders

Romans 12:4-8

• Serving
• Encouraging
• Contributing to the needs of others
• Leadership
• Showing mercy

1 Corinthians 12:28

• Helpers
• Organizers

1 Corinthians 7:7

• Gift of singleness
• Gift of marriage

The discussion continued with the emphasis of 1 Corinthians 12:31 (AMP) "… earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts" with love being the primary motivator (1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT) when we seek to use the gifts that God has given us. In talking about how these gifts are manifested in us through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, we learned about the illustration of Nicander's pickle. This "pickling" or soaking in the Holy Spirit could also be understood in light of "communion" spoken of in Galatians 3:27 (AMP) For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.

This concludes our group study of the Holy Spirit … but, know that there is so much more and even deeper truths that one could spend time learning and gaining understanding of. With that in mind, be a pickle and soak in what God has given you to share with others!

Blessings!!

Fruit Of The Holy Spirit

The Bible says you can recognize a tree by its fruit (Matthew 12:33) … the same goes for Christians according to Galatians 5:22-23. I think it's interesting that the topic of "fruit" is often referred to when we talk about what took place in the Garden of Eden. The specific tree which Adam and Eve were told to not eat of was the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). They could eat of any other tree in the Garden - including the Tree of Life - but that's not what they did. The action they took in partaking of that particular tree demonstrated they chose to decide for themselves what was good and evil rather than trusting and believing God to make those decisions. They could choose Life or Knowledge (death). Fast forward to today and we can see same challenge facing us as Christians - will we choose to yield to God the Holy Spirit or choose our way which leads to death (Proverbs 14:12)?

One line of thinking is that "I need more of God to do what He wants me to do". We don't need "more" of God … the day we accept His work through Jesus and trust that what He says is good, we then receive the fullness of God in us. We cannot get more of God, but, what we can do is to give God more of us. The Amplified translation of the Fruit of Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22 says "the work which His [the Holy Spirit] presence within accomplishes" … what this means is that the more God has of us the more His character is manifest in us. The day we decide to trust what God did in Jesus we receive the residency of God and the Holy Spirit begins a process of renewal in us.

When we follow the Holy Spirit, we are actively "yielding" to Him and allowing Him to guide us in what we do. One facet of becoming a Christian (a Christ follower) and trusting what God says is good will result in certain "fruit" being produced in our lives. The evidence of that renewal is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). We don't get the choice to accept only certain aspects of the Fruit and treat it like it's a bowl of oranges, apples, and bananas and pick and choose one or another. But, rather, the Fruit is more like a cluster of grapes … it's one fruit or by-product of having the renewing influence of the Holy Spirit. The question is yielding more and more and more to that influence of the presence in us of the Creator of the universe. When we hear and follow the voice of God, we will experience more of His character in us.

The process God uses is to knock on the door, be invited in, to reside with us to commune with us (Revelation 3:23). The whole act of communion with God comes in the continuation of inviting Him into all parts of our "house" - our life. It's a process and we grow in the Fruit as we grow in yielding more to Him and His work - the choice is always ours - will we choose His way or our way? This process also continues as we grow more in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit - which we'll talk about next time!

Blasphemy Of The Holy Spirit

Previously, as we continue answering the question: Who Is The Holy Spirit?, we covered the topic of the Trinity. Now we've moved on to the "easy" topic of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. We can approach this from two angles … easy and hard.

If we take the easy angle, we can merely look at the scripture in Mark 3:20-30. We see the religious leaders of Jesus' time were saying that He (Jesus) was casting out demons by the power of the devil. Jesus responds in verse 29 that anybody who says such things "blasphemes the Holy Spirit" (NLT), "slanders against … Holy Spirit" (MSG), "speaks abusively against or maliciously misrepresents the Holy Spirit" (AMP). This is a serious charge as they were attributing the works of God via the Holy Spirit as being the work of the devil. There is thinking out there that committing this "unforgiveable sin" was only possible during the life of Jesus here on earth. However, I align with the alternate thinking that, as ambassadors of God (2 Corinthians 5:20) and the residence of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), Christians can do the works of God just as Jesus did during his earthly ministry. As we do the works of God via the power of the Holy Spirit, there is a potential for others to blaspheme Him and His works.

If we, however, take the more difficult angle, there are other scriptures that might support a larger concept of rejection of the Holy Spirit himself or His work. The religious leaders may have taken this path as their accusation stemmed from a hardened, deliberate and conscious rejection of the Spirit's work. Their values were so warped and twisted they attributed to the devil the work of God and to God the work of the devil. They refused to believe that God would demonstrate His power through the man Jesus … some would call this a "hard heart". My only basis for this comes out of a few other scriptures, and I trust I'm not wrestling them to fit. First, I realize these few scriptures would be more applicable to the Christian, but I believe there might be a principle of rejection here that would apply to both the Christian and non-Christian alike. Hebrews 10:26-31 talks about a continuation of sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth. It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens us to understand the Truth of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. If we reject that, in the form of continuing in sin, then we insult the work of the Holy Spirit, and we trample under foot the precious blood of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. Hebrews 6:4-6 refers to one having experienced the good things of heaven, having tasted them and sharing in the Holy Spirit, and then turning away resulting in no possibility of repentance (caused only by the conviction of the Holy Spirit). When we look at 1 John 5:16 it talks about "a sin that leads to death". I submit to your thinking that rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit could be this very sin. By a continuing path of pushing away (rejecting) the Truth about the Son of God as it's revealed by the Holy Spirit, eventually, we will push beyond a "point of no return". This point of no return for the Christian would take us back beyond the time where we accepted Jesus. For the non-Christian it would be at the end of life on earth. At what point a person rejects that work and crosses over that point of no return is probably something only God Himself can determine absolutely due to its inner core issue and His ability to know the mind and thoughts of man (Psalm 94:11). Unfortunately, with this track of thinking, we can't press the Staples button and have it echo, "That Was Easy!"

The whole grievous point of the unforgiveable sin is that one has essentially cut off the only lifeline connection that will continue to bring conviction causing us to consider God's goodness compared to our evil and move us to turn back to the Lord in repentance. In simple terms, as it's stated in the Message version, verse 29: "sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing … all connection with the One who forgives". Pretty clear picture of the important work of the Holy Spirit!!

Bottom line of all the discussion above, if you are concerned about "blaspheming the Holy Spirit" thereby having committed the unforgiveable sin … your concern alone is evidence enough that you still have an unseared conscience (1 Timothy 4:2) and that the Holy Spirit Himself is still able to work conviction within you which leads you to repentance and restored Life.

Who Is The Holy Spirit?

To get started in our journey of Who Is The Holy Spirit?, we explored some aspects of the Trinity. First, we talked about what God is not as defined by some other belief systems:

• God is not one person, the Father, with Jesus as a creation and the Holy Spirit is a force.
• Neither is He one person who took three consecutive forms, i.e., the Father, became the Son, who became the Holy Spirit.
• Nor is God the divine nature of the Son where Jesus had a human nature perceived as the Son and a divine nature perceived as the Father.
• Nor is the Trinity an "office" held by three separate Gods.

What's so important about the Trinity? It distinguishes this belief system (Christianity) from other belief systems in that it demonstrates the fullness of a God that cares about His creation. At its very core, trinity is a perfect love relationship and, relationships are God's business. One God, who exists in three eternal, simultaneous, and distinct persons known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This Trinity equals perfect unity (think "tri-unity"), perfect love, perfect understanding, perfect relationship, perfect agreement. There is no disagreement or ambitious striving or disregard … the Trinity is perfect in all ways. God, by definition, is Love (1 John 4:6-8) … so, I propose, the same could be applied to the Trinity … it is, by definition, God, since He is perfect Love. This perfect love is shared amongst and with each person of the Trinity.

Richard of Saint Victor (12th century scottish monk) formed the argument for why God must be a Trinity of persons. He said there must be at least two persons in God himself for love to exist - love from one person to another person. Yet God is also perfectly good. A thoroughly good being would not jealously protect two-person love, but would generously share such love with a third. He concluded, "In order for love to be true, it demands a plurality of persons: in order for love to be perfected, it requires a trinity of persons." Wow, if that doesn't cause some brain cells to pop!!!

There are copious scriptures which can also support the Trinity concept and, this is no surprise, there are those who argue against it. One simple argument against the Trinity goes something like this … if there are three persons, then it would be the same as adding "1" three times (1 + 1 + 1 = 3). However, another way of thinking about this using a mathematical formula would be "1 x 1 x 1 = 1". So, that isn't going to prove anything either way. With each point there is often a counter-point. So, how do we resolve this?

The basic element of any belief system is one in which we are a willing party. In other words, you must believe in order to participate. So, for example, if we deny the truth, it doesn't make it any less the truth in the same way that if we believe a lie it doesn't make it any more the truth. Truth is absolute. Now, I know there is a whole segment of our world out there that will argue "truth is absolute", but we aren't going to go there at this time (feel free to Google it and see). If you are willing, let's see what the Bible has to say about this concept of Trinity.

When we look at a piece of creative art, we have an opportunity to learn more about its creator, the artist. Think for a moment of your favorite painting, picture, sculpture, or other work of art. What can you tell of its creator? What thoughts or feelings does that work evoke in you? What characteristics can you learn of the creator? Looking at Romans 1:18-23, specifically, verse 20, we can see that creation evidences God's attributes, power and nature. For example, we can look at creation from three aspects: Time, Space, Matter. Within each, there are distinctions, but all of the same nature. Time has past, present, and future. Space has height, width, and depth. Matter has solid, liquid, and gas. You can look here for more details of this idea. This is the evidence that Romans 1:20 is speaking of … Time, Space, Matter … three trinities, or creation as a trinity of trinities. God, as Trinity, is stamped all over creation. Yet, rather than being impersonal, He is very personal … He is super-personal.

C. S. Lewis, expresses the idea of God as super-personal in his book Beyond Personality:
A good many people nowadays say, 'I believe in a God, but not in a personal God'. They feel that the mysterious something which is behind all other things must be more than a person. Now the Christians quite agree. But the Christians are the only people who offer any idea of what a being that is beyond personality could be like. All other people, though they say that God is beyond personality, really think of Him as something impersonal: that is, as something less than personal. If you are looking for something super-personal, something more than a person, then it isn't a question of choosing between the Christian idea and the other ideas. The Christian idea is the only one on the market.

Ok, I've blown enough brain cells with this post … I look forward to our next discussion as we jump into the topic of blaphemy of the Holy Spirit. That ought to be an easy one, right?

What Does The Holy Spirit Do?

Ok, I've been deliquent about blogging our group discussions … I'll be combining our first two meetings (10/26/09 and 11/2/09) since they are covering the same topic: What Does The Holy Spirit Do?

After brainstorming many of the activities of the Holy Spirit in our first meeting, I attempted to guide us to grouping them together into some relatable buckets in our second meeting. But, you and I weren't seeing things the same. Though some may call this a "coup" or a "mutiny", in reality, this is one reason I so enjoy being a part of this small group … the differing perspectives and ways that people interpret their surroundings. This is what causes us to either become more solid or grow in our belief system. In a nutshell, most of the activities of the Holy Spirit can be grouped into the following:

• Relate: Our relationship with God and others is dependent upon the Holy Spirit - like a life support system. Without it, the relationship is dead.
• Witness: The Holy Spirit is our light and shines upon the Word of God (bible) to enable us to see it. The Holy Spirit allows us to understand the Word of God and, as a witness, confirms its Truth to us.
• Do: The Holy Spirit empowers us with skills, abilities and knowledge. He empowers us to be God's witness to others. He empowers us to live in the fruit of a changed life and operate in the gifts of His choosing to benefit others.
• Change: The Holy Spirit brings a change of mind (heart) to cause us to understand and see differently. We are transformed into the God-like character of Jesus Christ. He is the seal of redemption which is in progress now.

Also, in our first few weeks together, someone questioned the importance of understanding and differentiating God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is a great question and one that demands an answer. Though it seems debatable in importance, it is actually a critical distinction of Christianity from other belief systems. The "who" God is relates wholly with "what" He's done in all of creation and "why" He's done it. We'll begin digging into that in our next meeting.

Filled With Power

Welcome!! I'm looking forward to our time together ... for this season we'll be looking into what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. As a follower of Jesus, God has provided us with the “power” to do His will. This power comes from the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49).

• Who is the Holy Spirit?
• What does He do?
• How do we receive this “power”?

As Romans 12:2 tells us to change the way we think, together we’ll do the digging and press the limits of our current understanding about God, His Power, and the reason He gives it to us. In the format of study, Q&A, and provocative discussion we will see what the Bible says about the most Powerful Force of Creation.

Begins Monday, October 26, 2009
6:00pm-7:00pm Dinner
7:00pm-8:30pm Meeting

Blessings!!

Relational Gradus - Accountability (syn: Responsibility)

In our last session, we shared thoughts on "deposits/withdrawals" and how they compared to agape love (love that expects nothing in return). We discussed the differences between working in a worldly economy of relationships versus a Godly economy of relationships. When we willingly give up our life for a friend, that evidences the greatest form of love (John 15:13 AMP). Finally, I believe we concluded that when one "tracks" or has "expectations" when making deposits, that it generally failed the true agape form of love. Does anybody see this differently?

Our next phase of Relational Gradus will move to accountability.

First, a little history on where I've been. Many years ago, I was taught the definition of accountability meant that I had to confess my sin to my "friend" and then after coming clean, he would check up on me to see how I was doing. The questions asked went something like this: "Did you sin in (fill-in-the-blank) area of your life this week?" Another instance was: "What life dominating sins have brought us to this point?" I don't know about you, but this kind of interrogation from another (frail, sin-inclined, fallen, etc.) human is a little disconcerting to me. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't think it's wrong to confess your sin to another person as we're instructed to do so in the Bible (James 5:16 NLT). However, when that other person "lords" it over you and treats you as if you are the "sinner" and they are the "holy person", then there is a problem.

A healthy relationship is when people mutually respect each other, are caring about each other, and will share their own struggles, sin, virtues, and victories. All of this is a normal part of healthy growth in the Lord. Back to the scripture in James … what I find VERY interesting is that is not only directs us to confess our sin, but it also directs us to pray for each other (versus preying upon each other). Finally, it talks about the prayer of a "righteous person" having great power and producing wonderful results. Now, my own personal opinion of "who" that righteous person is defined as the individual who stands in, and relies upon, the righteousness of God we have in Christ (Romans 3:22 NIV). It is this prayer that works the healing and restoration (see the Amplified version of James 5:16 for an expanded view of all of this).

On the topic of accountability, there is a synonym that can be used as well: "responsibility". I've found that an older definition of responsibility from 1836 is more in line with where we're heading and goes like this: "morally accountable for one's actions". In addition, we can consider the adjective form of accountable, "liable to account for one's actions". So, we can rephrase it like this: "accepting responsibility for your actions and the resulting consequences, both short and long term". We live in a society in which people often shirk their personal responsibility. This demonstrates a continued weakening of our moral fabric, which will result in a complete breakdown.

So, when we take personal responsibility for our actions and the results of those actions, then we are being accountable. That accountability emanates to everybody, including the Lord, as we live a life that honors Him in all we do. At the same time, we'll find people are less reticent to share their own failures, faults, and sins. In a nutshell: Being accountable opens me up and exposes me to another. It doesn't allow me to force another to expose him/herself to me.

Homework assignment for Monday, April 20th
Consider the following and come prepared to discuss:

• What definitions do you find on "accountability" and/or "responsibility"?
• When do you observe YOURSELF being accountable/responsible or not?
• Come prepared to share your observations (at least one for each of the above).
• Let me know if you have questions about this week's assignment.

We are rounding the corner on this part of our journey together. I count it my privilege to have you join me and help our growth in relationships. God bless you as we take the next few steps together toward the grand finale!

Blessings!

PS - You've asked for the next few dinner themes to be posted, here they are:
4/20/09 :: Chicken (baked, fried, etc.)
4/27/09 :: BBQ Picnic
5/4/09 :: Comfort Food (meat & potatoes)
5/11/09 :: Breakfast

If you haven't signed up for a main dish, please bring a salad or dessert to share. See ya!!

Relational Gradus - Compassion (continued)

Ok, we did some role playing and found it somewhat helpful for a few folks. I'm thinking that as we progress that you'll find a greater use for this kind of activity and perhaps your comfort level will increase. At the same time, we can't force somebody to do something they're not comfortable with. Since we all grow at different rates and are at different places in our journey with the Lord, it seems right to let others growth as they can in God while continuing to offer opportunities and encouragements for them. We each have areas in which we are more mature than others … it's ok that we don't look like each other (you should be thankful that you don't look like me!). Our call in Jesus is to look more like Him in character as we grow according to Ephesians 4:13 (MSG or NIV).

Following the role playing exercises, we got together in our small groups to discuss our assignment about where we observed ourselves either being compassionate or not. We closed our time together sharing the highlights from each of the small groups ... a great discussion that we'll continue it next week.

On a slightly different tack … I've heard it said that life is like a bank, that what you invest in it will pay back in dividends. However, I don't think it translates well to relationships because I'm finding it difficult to support the idea with some scriptural foundation (though I haven't done an extensive study). I am interested in having a discussion in our group about the concept of relational "deposits" and "withdrawals".

The agape love given to us from God (Romans 5:5 NIV) is the well from which we draw in our Relational Gradus journey. My reasoning is simply based upon the definition of agape love: unconditional and self-sacrificing. If we attach "withdrawals" to this kind of love, it becomes "conditional" in my mind. What do you think?

When we consider the "dividends" back to God in response to His "investment", I see that we come up short (Romans 5:6-8 MSG). Do you see it differently? How does our thinking on this line up with scripture?

Homework assignment for Monday, April 13th
Consider the following and come prepared to discuss:

• Visualize a spectrum - on one end there is the "deposits/withdrawals" concept … on the other is the unconditional "deposit", without expecting anything in return.
• See what scripture you can find that supports anything on the spectrum either one end or another or something in between.
• How does this influence our thinking on "transparency", "curiosity", and "compassion"?
• How does this affect our living in God's relational economy versus a worldly relational economy?
• Let me know if you have questions about this week's assignment.

Perhaps this next scripture is a little out of context, but I'll risk it: James 4:2-3 (NIV) says "… You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives ...". In James 1:5 (NLT) it says "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." So, let's ask God for wisdom on this and be prepared to have a blowout discussion!!

Blessings!

Relational Gradus - Compassion

I've heard a saying that goes something like this, "When you're full of passion, you're empty of compassion." At first, I didn't agree with that, but as I've traveled this Relational Gradus pathway, it has become more apparent to me I was mistaken to think that there MUST be something related in the two words. Realizing that they share the same basic word (passion), it seems they would be more related. What I originally objected to in the quote above was the idea that you couldn't have both passion and compassion active at the same time.

My reasoning for this was when I think "passion", I think of our Lord Jesus Christ as He spent His last week - from the last supper with His disciples to the Cross - and how this is often referred to as Christ's Passion Week. I also consider the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion Of The Christ, and though I've owned the DVD for quite some time, the one and only time I've seen the movie was in the theaters. The movie was strong and quite compelling to me. It also set a capstone in my own personal healing of a relational break that occurred more than seven years ago. I'm still processing the healing that God has brought me and have gained greater understanding of my responsibility to Him in all relationships. I'm also getting closer to taking what I believe will be the next step in restoring that broken relationship.

As our group discussion unfolded, we talked about how passion is most often characterized and defined as "self" oriented … with the exception of the final dictionary offering: "Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr." In other words, our society has shifted the understanding of passion as something away from what Christ manifested in dying on the Cross and restoring our relationship with God the Father.

Alternately, our discussion on compassion went most often in the direction of "others minded". Which, if you think of the Passion of Jesus, that's the epitome of what, why, and how He did what He did … for others. That's where my original objection to the above quote stemmed from. Additionally, our discussion revealed that compassion demands action. The word itself is founded on doing something about what you're feeling - to the benefit of the recipient.

We will continue the topic of compassion as we join together again on April 6th along with taking time for some role playing.

Homework assignment for Monday, April 6th
Observe relational interactions with others and note the following:

• Read the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) and refer to the definitions of passion and compassion.
• When do you observe YOURSELF showing compassion or not?
• Come prepared to share your observations (at least one for each of the above).
• ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT: Come prepared with a real life situation that you would be willing to offer as a role play. We'll do one in the "big" group and then afford time for another one in the small group break out.

Thanks for joining me in this journey!!

"Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will." - William Cowper

Blessings!

Relational Gradus - Curiosity (continued)

Once again, we didn't have opportunity to role play. A question that one might ask is: "What is so important about role playing?" or "What is your obsession with role playing?" Well, first, I have many obsessions, so I don't want to take you down that road. :)

Now, let's think of role playing as trying on clothes at the store. In that process, we ensure they fit properly, we check out our overall appearance, we decide if alterations are necessary, and if our significant other or friend agrees with our assessment. Sometimes, we think we look pretty sharp, only to answer the knock on our door one day to see Stacy and Clinton standing there (What Not To Wear)! The process might be easier with clothes and a mirror. But, when it comes to how we think, talk, and act it's nearly impossible, without help, to get an accurate assessment in our interactions with others. (You may recall that we touched on this "think, talk, act" concept of free will when we had The Garden Model discussion. If you're interested, please feel free to bring it up and we can take a few minutes to review the concept.)

Role playing allows us to consider the mental and perception reflections from others much as a mirror affords the visual reflections. When we hear and consider what folks think and perceive as they observe us, we can learn some invaluable insight. As it has been said, what people perceive you to be is who you are to them. Now, don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that we become obsessive (remember, I have lots of those points) about what others think of us. However, we would be remiss if we simply ignored input from others. Okay, enough on that.

In our March 16th session we talked about what genuine curiosity is about. Here is a simple diagram to help refresh your memory. In it we can see that curiosity spans a spectrum from bad to good. The highest goal would be to align ourselves to a thinking that Jesus extols in Luke 18:16 MSG by taking a child-like attitude to our approach to the Kingdom - which is exclusively relational in essence. As the diagram portrays, our curiosity can be veiled in many ways. The more we become aware of our curious nature, the more we can effect positive change of that nature.

Homework assignment for Monday, March 23rd
Observe relational interactions with others and note the following:

• When do you observe YOURSELF showing child-like curiosity or not?
• Come prepared to share your observations (at least one for each of the above)

We are on a learning journey with God. He has so much to teach us and we have so much growing up to do when it comes to relationships. Be challenged to change your thinking to align more with God's thinking (Romans 12:2 NLT). Thanks for reading and joining me in this journey!!

"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes


Blessings!

Relational Gradus - Curiosity (continued)

Ok, we didn't get a chance to do our role playing, but we will!! We did, however, begin our discussion on curiosity and its connection with transparency. The theory on the table right now that we're testing is "What Happens When God Asks Why?". I propose, based on my own study, that God asks "why" of humankind for two reasons. One, to turn us from sin, or, two, to reveal the results of sin. I'm encouraging anybody and everybody to look at scripture and see if you understand it differently.

We finally reviewed a few clips from the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice in regard to Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. We saw how their relationship evolved and how the transparency and curiosity grew with it. Does anybody have other thoughts they'd like to share on what you observed?

We'll continue our curiosity dialog next week ... keep this in mind: When Jesus said we must be like little children in our approach to the Kingdom, what do you think He meant?

Homework assignment for Monday, March 16th
Observe relational interactions with others and note the following:

• When do you observe the other person being curious OR not curious?
• When do you observe YOURSELF being curious or not curious?
• Come prepared to share your observations (at least one for each of the above)

As we continue our Relational Gradus education, we'll have greater opportunity to allow God to expand us and challenge us in what we're learning. As Albert Einstein echoes Romans 12; "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.", the more we learn, the more we're responsible to live. Allow your thinking to change so that you can become all that God wants you to be for His purpose and His glory!! It's an exciting time to live for Jesus, right?

Blessings!!

Relational Gradus - Curiosity

In our Relational Gradus journey, we've covered the concept and initial exercises for "transparency". For our next meeting on March 9th, we'll wind down the topic of transparency with some role playing. I'm thinking you'll find it entertaining and revealing at the same time because it's amazing how non-transparent we can be in some of the simplest aspects of life. You'll have opportunity to share your perspectives on this as well. Don't worry, it's not that we won't touch this topic again, as we will.

Additionally, we'll be doing another movie analysis as an introduction to the "curiosity" level of our relationships. We'll also discuss what is revealed when we ask "why" in our relationships. It's a packed agenda, if you agree to go there together, and I'm very excited about the journey we're on and looking forward to seeing you all again.

Have a great week and God bless you!

Relational Gradus - Transparency

Another interesting Bible: Out Of The Box meeting has passed. In our continuing discovery on Relational Gradus, we discussed the topic of being transparent (or genuineness; or vulnerability; or openness; or honesty - pick a word that may more meaningful to you). We did an exercise to enlarge our thinking through observation of what being transparent is and how it can benefit a relationship. In watching a movie clip we talked about what we saw, heard and even proposed what a person might be thinking, it can help us be more open to others. Being open is risky - that's were the gamble comes in - but, as we've talked about before, it pays huge dividends in the end!

Homework assignment for Monday, March 2nd
Observe relational interactions with others and note the following:

• When do you observe the other person being transparent OR not transparent?
• When do you observe YOURSELF being transparent or not transparent?
• Come prepared to share your observations (at least one for each of the above)

We will continue to solidify our learning with some role playing during our meeting. Don't be afraid of role playing, look at is as an "adventure" or on-the-job training for life!!

Also, please take advantage of reading / using this blog. Talk with y'all later!!

Blessings!

Hey there!!! It was GREAT to see folks on Monday night. I trust you found the "review" of the past material helpful to set a base for where we're going over the next few weeks.

Here is the homework assignment due Monday, the 16th:

• Read Galatians 5:19-21 (Works of the Flesh)
• Read Galatians 5:22-23 (Fruit of the Spirit)
• Select a couple of items from each group that "click" with you
• Observe your life for the next week and note where you demonstrate the characteristics you've chosen
• We'll have folks share their observations
• We'll be talking about this and the relationship to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life

Don't forget to check out the video for fun and the Dictionary.com definition of "gradus" as it will help you get a sense of where God is taking us as we all work relational gradus! Also, please take advantage of reading / using this blog. Talk with y'all later!!

Blessings!