In the moment you and I choose the wrong option more often than we would like to admit, don’t we? We say the unkind words, think the selfish ideas, act on our old desires, choose to yield to temptation, and forget that we really do have the option of “living in the Spirit.” Because I…… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Marilyn
THE CHOICE IS YOURS – Intro to Lesson 7 – Feb. 23 – March 1
The teacher smiled as she heard the response from Jeffrey, her 4 year old pre-school student. She had told the children that it was “clean up time” and then encouraged a small group of children to put the blocks on the shelves where they belonged. She particularly noticed this one little friend who looked at her and…… Continue Reading
Long Distance Vision – Insight for Lesson 6
Young children routinely need vision testing, don’t they? There is no way that they can understand that they are not seeing clearly what others can see. I remember going to the eye doctor as a little girl and discovering that with glasses I could read what the teacher wrote on the blackboard from the back…… Continue Reading
WHO ME? SET FREE? – Intro to Lesson 6 – February 16 – 23
Imagine what it would have been like to be a slave. Whether your chains were visible or not, there would be little or no freedom for you. Your time and energy would be spent in doing the things that your master directed you to do. Your owner would have control of where you lived and…… Continue Reading
God’s Radical Grace – Insight Lesson 5
You can’t really explain it any better than Paul did in Romans 5: 1 – 2 “Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King. Jesus leads us into a place of…… Continue Reading
WHAT DOES THAT WORD MEAN? – Intro to Lesson 5 – Feb. 9 – 16
Little children are often fascinated by very big words, aren’t they? Sometimes they are quite willing to try to use them in order to have some fun or to impress adults, but our friend Winnie-the-Pooh was a bit more honest about his vocabulary. He said to some of his friends in the 100 acre woods…… Continue Reading
NO BARTERING ALLOWED – Intro to Lesson 4 – February 2 – 9
Do you remember from your childhood days ever giving one of your toys to a friend in exchange for one of his/her toys? If you do, then you understand what it means to “barter”. Bartering is simply trading goods or services with another person when there is no money involved. The history of bartering dates…… Continue Reading
100% Certainty? – Insight for Lesson 4
Do you think that faith means 100% certainly? No doubts, no questions, no uncertainty? Perhaps it is for some people, but for most of us this is a great working definition for the word faith. “Faith is belief plus unbelief and the willingness to act on the belief part.” (R. Pritchard) As it says in…… Continue Reading
Returning to Wonder and Awe – Insight for Lesson 3
Why is it that adults generally lose much of their spontaneous sense of wonder? Their willingness to simply be amazed? Their God-given sense of awe or astonishment? Is it their need to feel in control or their subtle desire to be viewed as mature? Is it simply the “been there, done that” syndrome that causes…… Continue Reading
WHO ME? A SINNER? – Introduction to Lesson 3 – Jan. 26 – Feb. 2
Who is more guilty? The child who openly rebels and disobeys by staying out later than they promised or the child who obeys and complies and then sneaks out but doesn’t get caught? Who is more guilty? The person who gossips about a friend and spreads rumors or the one who prides him or herself…… Continue Reading