Finding Hope Through Discovery in Bible Study

  God’s Risk, Our Hope Responding to Extreme Heat?   July 30, 2022 Larry R Evans   Introduction   What a fascinating study we have this quarter.  It is so needed! I must also say as, with any truth, there are myriads of untruths about God that can emerge if we aren’t careful.  As you might imagine, I am especially drawn to a question Jesus was asked by His own disciples in John 9:1 about a blind man,  “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  They thought in paradigms of strict cause-and-effect.  Jesus broke with traditional thinking when he answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:3-5 (NIV) Jesus was saying that not only did they have the wrong options but the options they had chosen turned off the ver

  Tailor-Made Crucibles   July 9, 2022 Larry R Evans   Introduction   Last week we began our study of this quarter’s theme,  In the Crucible with Christ,  with the twenty-third Psalm.  We discovered that the layout of the Psalm depicted a journey on a path. The path began with the assurance that the Shepherd provides for our needs, to His being with us through the trials of the dark valleys, and all the way with us to our home. When we arrive, the same Good Shepherd serves as the Royal Host. What a promise! It was the perfect introduction for our study for today.   This week’s study reveals the kinds of crucibles that we can face—at least four of them. As a reminder, a crucible is a ceramic or metal container   in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures: the crucible tipped and the mold filled with liquid metal.  A situation of severe trial , or in which  different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new:   their relatio

  A Growing Faith in the Crucible of Trials   July 2, 2022 Larry R Evans   Introduction   Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” (A Farewell to Arms).  Indeed, we’ve all experienced moments of disappointment, hardship, and at times heartache. The implied question, “Can we become stronger because of the trials we face?” will be tested as experiences and opportunities for trust come our way.   This quarter’s Bible studies theme is “In the Crucible with Christ.” The dictionary defines a crucible as  a ceramic or metal container   in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures: the crucible tipped and the mold filled with liquid metal.  A situation of severe trial , or in which  different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new:   their relationship was forged in the crucible of war.  C. S. Lewis, a British writer, and a former atheist who became a lay theologian w