Display the Lesson Outline (Explore the Bible Leader Pack item 23), and
cut apart the case studies from the Live Honorably handout (Explore the
Bible Leader Pack item 24) if you plan to use them.
Stand for God's Truth (Mal. 2:1-2,8-9)
As an introductory activity, discuss the
kinds of obligations adults have. Some examples include making payments on debt,
educating children, going to work, attending church, buying clothing/food for
the family, praying and reading the Bible, paying taxes, caring for elderly
parents, and so forth.
Ask:
Do you
prioritize your obligations? How?
When do you
honor your obligations?
When do you
think it is all right to let things slide? Why?
Guide learners to think about their obligation to God as you
share an excerpt from “The Life Situation of Malachi,” Biblical Illustrator
Plus CD-ROM, Summer 2007:
“...Dishonoring to God is the wrong kind of worship. The
people of Malachi’s day had not abandoned worship. They kept up the form,
but they felt that neither worship nor God made a difference…The priests had
surrendered their integrity…Worship…degenerate(d) into a meaningless form.
The people were bringing, and the priests were accepting, torn, lame, and
blind animals for sacrifice.”
Enlist a volunteer to read Malachi 2:1-2,8-9,
as learners look for ways the priests were unfaithful to their obligations. Call
on a learner to explain “the covenant of Levi” based on information in the
Explore the Bible Learner Guide, pages 100-101. Explain that the partiality
shown was probably in matters of judging what was permissible according to the
law, and people had lost their respect for and confidence in the priests.
Consequently, the Lord declared a curse on the priests' blessings because they
dishonored Him by turning from His prescribed way and failing to teach the
people the truth, thus causing others to stumble.
Ask:
Why was the Lord so tough on the priests?
Is He tough on church leaders today?
Do the actions of leaders affect others? If so, how?
In your opinion, is it hypocritical for people to use
the excuse that they don't attend church becasue the leaders in the church
are hypocrites?
Does God view this as a valid excuse for
forsaking corporate worship? Why or why not?
Read the
following article:
Live
like a missionary, Stetzer urges
Ed Stetzer, LifeWay Christian Resources' director of
LifeWay Research and resident missionary, was asked by SBC President Frank
Page to "bring a charge" [to SBC Convention delegates] on how to reach North
America for Christ. But Stetzer said, "We must never think that reaching
America is so different than reaching the world." Stetzer said North America
must be treated like a mission field.
There has been much discussion about the word
"missional" and Stetzer said the essence of the word is to live as
missionaries in whatever context a person finds himself/herself. Lottie
Moon, the missionary sent by Southern Baptists in the 1800s to China, lived
in the Chinese culture, dressed in Chinese clothes and ate Chinese food
until she starved to death giving it all away.
"Instead, our churches often live just like the world
-– the same teen pregnancy rate, the same divorce rate and maybe even more
gossip and gluttony," Stetzer said. "Yet, a trip into many of our churches
is a step back into another time period of culture. Let me encourage you to
consider three simple phrases: biblically faithful, culturally relevant,
counter-culture communities."
"When every category of baptisms is trending down
except those under 5 years of age, when more than 50 percent of SBC churches
baptized no youth last year and when less than 10 percent of SBC churches
are significantly involved in church planting, there is something
significantly wrong."
Spontaneous applause interrupted Stetzer's address
several times as he preached from Acts 16:7-10. Stetzer said that Paul
immediately responded to the vision he had seen where a man was standing in
Macedonia begging for Paul to "come to Macedonia and help us," adding that
Paul immediately crossed over into that culture. "Our Macedonias are calling
us and we have not crossed over to help," Stetzer said.
Stetzer said that many times people confuse
contextualization of the Gospel message with compromising the message. "Many
people have assumed that contextualization means throwing off all restraint;
cursing like my neighbor at the opposing team while at the Super Bowl Party;
and generally, the abuse of Christian liberty," he said.
"The help we offer is Jesus Christ. The help we offer
is to act as agents of reconciliation [between God and man]," he said.
"Contextualization and relevance are tools, but they are not the goal. Place
your eye on the goal, the prize for which you were called heavenward –- the
high calling of Christ."
Stetzer acknowledged the discussion and controversy
surrounding the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 during the convention and
said that as a confession of faith it is not perfect but it must be a common
confession if Southern Baptists are to work together for the sake of
reaching North American and the world for Christ through evangelism.
Emphasizing the importance of both biblical theology
and a common confessional statement, he added, "No group without a firmly
held theology reaches people for Christ... Missions without doctrine leads
to compromise. Compromise leads to a lack of commitment to biblical truth.
Soon, we no longer see the need for evangelism because we have flawed and
weak doctrine.
"There are things we [as Southern Baptists] find
essential for the Gospel and some things we find convictional as Baptists.
We cannot reach this continent by compromising those, but we do need to live
them out in different contexts.We need to hurt for the lost to make the
needed changes and reach a lost world for Jesus."
Source: Turner, Chris. “Live like a
missionary, Stetzer urges,” Baptist Press, June 15, 2007. Full
article available at www.bpnews.net.
Accessed August 7, 2007
Ask:
How can we
stand strong for God’s truth while being culturally relevant?
Where must
churches change if they are to be culturally relevant?
How have we
sometimes confused standing for God’s truth with denominational
tradition?
How can we
better honor the obligation to stand for God’s truth in our personal
lives? (For example, would you be willing to speak out when you hear
someone say something contradictory to God’s Word?)
Set a Godly Example (Mal. 2:10-12)
Enlist another volunteer to read Malachi 2:10-12 as learners
listen for how the people did not set a godly example for others.
Ask:
What point was
Malachi making in verse 10? (God had created Israel to be a distinct
people on earth, and they had blown it!)
What might
constitute acting “treacherously against one another” (v. 11) both then
and now?
Why was God so
adamant about His people not marrying outside the faith? (See
alsoDeut.7:3-4 and 2 Cor.6:14. Treat this question and answer with
sensitivity and understanding as you may have believers married to
unbelievers. Stress that all need prayer and support as they seek to
live out their faith in sometimes trying circumstances.)
Read the following editorial:
Live Bad, Go Green
Over dinner with friends in London
the other night, the conversation drifted to global warming and whether
anything was really being done to reverse it. One guest… heaped particular
scorn on programs that enable people to offset their excessive carbon
emissions by funding green projects elsewhere. "Who really checks that it's
being done?" he asked. And how much difference does it really make?
But then he hit on an ingenious idea: If people really
want to generate money to plant trees or finance green power, why not have
them offset their real sins, not just their carbon excesses? We started to
play with his idea: Imagine if you could offset the whole Ten Commandments.
No, really,
think about it. Imagine if there were a Web site - I'd call it
GreenSinai.com - where every time you thought you had violated one of the
Ten Commandments, or you wanted to violate one of them but did not want to
feel guilty about it, you could buy carbon credits to offset your sins.
Here's how it
would work: One day, you're out in the backyard mowing the lawn and suddenly
you covet your neighbor's wife. Hey, it happens - that's why "thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's wife" is one of the Ten Commandments. No problem. You
just go to GreenSinai.com and buy 100 trees in the Amazon or fund a project
to capture methane from cow dung in India - and, presto, you're free and
clear.
Obviously there
would be a sliding scale. Taking God's name in vain or erecting an idol
might cost you only a few solar water heaters for a Chinese village, whereas
bearing false witness or stealing would set you back a pilot sugar ethanol
plant in Louisiana. As for adultery, well, I think that's where the big
money could be made. My guess is that we could achieve a carbon-neutral
world by 2020 if we just set up a system for people to offset their adultery
by reversing deforestation of tropical rain forests or funding mega wind and
solar power systems in China and India.
O.K., O.K., more
seriously, I raise this issue of carbon offsets because they're symptomatic
of the larger problem we face in confronting climate change: Everyone wants
it to happen, but without pain or sacrifice.
But the danger…
"is that carbon offsets will become, at least for some, a painless mechanism
to buy our way out of the more fundamental changes in habits, attitudes and
way of life that are actually required to address the climate problem."
Source:
Friedman, Thomas L. “Live Bad, Go Green,” International Herald Tribune
, July 8, 2007. Full article available at
www.iht.com . Accessed August 7, 2007.
Ask:
How is buying
carbon credits to offset sin like giving an offering to God after acting
“treacherously” toward someone?
What is a
better way? (Emphasize that we should set a godly example by honoring
our obligations to one another from the beginning.)
Note
that according to the USA Today article, “25 Trends that Changed
America,” two of the 25 trends that work against setting a godly example are:
Tech creates a
cult of 'me.'
Cell phones. The revolutionary switch from
cassettes and VHS to CDs and DVDs. The Internet opens the
floodgates. MySpace.com. Facebook. Blogs. It's all about
customization and personalization. Shop and watch TV programs when
you want (Amazon.com, TiVo). Download the song you want and listen
to it when you want (iPod and MP3s). Capture every moment and play
it for a worldwide audience (Youtube.com, camera phones, reality
TV).
Luxury goes
mainstream.
Enjoying
fancy perks no longer takes Bill Gates' fortune. Average Joes enjoy
$4 cups of Joe at Starbucks, guzzle bottled water, feast on Godiva
chocolates, drag suitcases on wheels, sit on heated car seats and
let GPS systems guide them
Source: "25 Trends That Changed America," USA Today. Full
article describing all 25 trends available atwww.usatoday.com.
Ask:
How do these
trends encourage us to not set a godly example?
What must
committed Christians do to counteract the ungodly culture in which we
live?
Stick with Commitments (Mal. 2:13-16)
Enlist someone to read Malachi 2:13-16, after directing adults
to find the reason that the Lord did not accept their worship. (“Attitudes
Toward Divorce in Post-Exilic Judaism,” in Biblical Illustrator Plus CD-ROM,
Summer 2007, sheds more light on these verses.)
Ask:
What sin was
separating the people from the Lord?
Why does God
hate divorce? (Remember, you may have divorced adults in your class.
This is not a time to lay a guilt-trip on them. The vast majority of
divorced Christians also hate divorce and what it has done to them,
their children, and other loved ones. The intent of this discussion is
to encourage married believers to be faithful to the vows they made to
God and to one another.)
How do the
media (TV, movies, magazines) portray marriage and divorce?
How is this
similar to God's view? How is it different?
Promise Keepers launched its 17th season of man-to-man
talks in Mobile, Ala., over the weekend with more than 4,100 men and boys.
"This year, Promise Keepers is positioned to equip and
encourage men in their transformation from promise maker to promise keeper,"
said Dr. Tom Fortson, president of the international men's ministry. "We
have located thousands of men around the world who are identified by the
word 'integrity,' as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. It's time to equip these
men to put integrity into action."
Promise Keepers' 2007 seven-city conference tour is
themed "Flood: Energizing Men of Integrity" and Fortson says, "It's time for
men to move to action."
For some, that means staying married for life.
Giving some tips on understanding women to thousands of
men at the first 2007 Promise Keepers event at the Mobile Convention Center,
Dan Seaborn, founder of Winning At Home, Inc., lit a candle flame to
illustrate that they need to do everything they can to keep that flame
burning especially when Satan is trying to extinguish that fire. Love your
wives like Christ loved the Church, Seaborn told them at the June 29-30
conference.
Seaborn made it clear that once that flame is lit, it
needs to stay burning.
"I don't care if you're a teenager or you're 47 and on
your third marriage. Stay married for life," he said. "It's God's idea."
Since April, Seaborn has been traveling across the nation
to get one million couples on board for the M4L (Married for Life)
initiative. Couples are being called to sign on to the commitment of being
married for life and receive regular e-mails with marriage tips from
Seaborn. (www.marriedforlife.net)
“I can tell how you really feel about Jesus Christ by the
way you treat your wife, and how students treat their parents," said
evangelist Adrian Despres in Mobile… wives and daughters of Promise Keepers
participants and other women have shown support for the millions of men
making the effort to be "better men."
"Throughout 17 years of interacting with men from every
background and culture, we have seen the positive difference men can make in
their communities when they apply biblical principles to every day life,"
said Fortson. "Now is the time to equip these men for integrity in action.”
Source: Kwon, Lillian. "Christian Men
Called to Stay Married for Life, July 2, 2001. Full article available at
www.christianpost.com. Accessed
August 7, 2007.
Ask:
Why is building
a healthy, godly marriage relationship hard work?
Would you be
willing to sign the “Married for Life” commitment? Explain your answer.
Say: God expects us to keep our marriage vows and do the hard
work of building and maintaining strong, healthy, and godly marriage
relationships and families.
If available, use the Live Honorably handout case studies, pack item
24, as monologues or role plays.
Guide learners to pair up (women with women and men with men) to pray for
sticking with their commitments in their marriages and in every other area of
life.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
EXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
August 19, 2007
When Sickness Strikes
Ashley Linne
2 Kings 5:1-5,8-16
Before the Session
Consider bringing a list of people in your congregation who are sick at home or
in the hospital. Think of some creative ways you and your group can let them
know that you are thinking of them and praying for them. Some ideas include the
following:
Encourage class
members to pitch in as a group to send flowers, magazines, fruit
baskets, and so forth.
Bring items to
make cards together as a group as part of your lesson.
Give a night
off to caretakers by preparing dinner or offering babysitting services.
Schedule a time
for the group to visit those who might like to see a group of friendly
faces this week.
Remember to call to schedule a visit before arriving.
Download the Prayer
Card handout and make enough copies for each member of your group.
2 Kings 5:1-5
Read 2 Kings 5:1-5.
Say: Illness and disease can strike anyone at anytime. Naaman
was an important, highly respected warrior and commander of the army for the
king of Aram, and yet he had a skin disease. This was not just any skin
disease; Naaman had leprosy. In biblical times, leprosy was one of the
most dreaded diseases. Lepers were forced to leave their families and live where
they couldn’t spread their illness to those who were healthy, and they were
considered ceremonially unclean.
Just as anyone--rich or poor, male or female, influential or commoner--can be
stricken by illness, God can use anyone to accomplish His work. A young servant
girl, who had been taken captive from Israel and was a servant in Naaman's
household, had a brilliant idea that caused her to act in faith. She remembered
Elisha, the prophet who had become known for his service to the God of
Israel, and recommended that Naaman visit Elisha in Samaria. As a result, the
king sent Naaman, along with quite a bit of silver and gold, to Samaria in
search of Elisha.
Like the servant girl, we should look for opportunities to tell others what God
can do.
Ask:
When you were
young, did you ever think that your caretakers or others you admired
were immune to illness? How has your perception changed as you’ve grown
older?
Have you or
someone close to you ever battled a serious disease or illness?
What were some
of your thoughts and feelings throughout?
How did your
relationship with God impact your perspective?
Read the following obituary excerpt:
MONTREAT, N.C., JUNE 14—Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham, beloved wife of
world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, died at 5:05 p.m. today, at her home
at Little Piney Cove in Montreat, N.C., surrounded by her husband and all
five children. She was 87. A public funeral service to honor Mrs. Graham has
been scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, in Anderson Auditorium at
the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, N.C.
“Ruth
was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team,” Mr. Graham said
of his life-long marriage and ministry partner. “No one else could have
borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our
ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without
her encouragement and support.
“I am
so grateful to the Lord that He gave me Ruth, and especially for these last
few years we’ve had in the mountains together,” Mr. Graham continued. “We’ve
rekindled the romance of our youth, and my love for her continued to grow
deeper every day. I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to
the day I can join her in Heaven.”
Ruth
Bell was born June 10, 1920, in Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China, the daughter of
medical missionaries L. Nelson and Virginia Leftwich Bell. She attended high
school in Pyongyang, (now North) Korea. She first came to the United States
at the age of seven, while her parents were on furlough. She returned to the
United States at the age of 17 to attend Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.
Shortly after his arrival on campus, she was introduced to “Preacher,” the
nickname other students gave the strapping Billy Graham from Charlotte,
North Carolina. They were married in August 1943, following their graduating
together that June.
Between
1945 and 1958, Mrs. Graham gave birth to five children, whom she
raised—sometimes single-handedly—while her husband was away on extended
national and international evangelistic crusades. The three daughters and
two sons who survive her are all actively involved in ministry, including
eldest son Franklin, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
(BGEA) founded by his father.
“My
father would not have been what he is today if it wasn’t for my mother,”
Franklin said. “She stood strong for what was biblically correct and
accurate. She would help my father prepare his messages, listening with an
attentive ear, and if she saw something that wasn’t right or heard something
that she felt wasn’t as strong as it could be, she was a voice to strengthen
this or eliminate that. Every person needs that kind of input in their life,
and she was that to my father.”
Ruth
Graham has been in frail health since suffering spinal meningitis in 1995.
That was exacerbated by a degenerative back condition that began with a fall
out of a tree while helping a grandchild fix a swing in 1974 that resulted
in chronic back pain for many years. Bedridden or wheelchair-bound since the
late 1990s, Mrs. Graham wasn’t able to accompany her husband during his last
few years of ministry, but was always a continued source of inspiration and
support for him through her prayers and wise biblical counsel.
Mrs.
Graham is survived by her husband Billy; daughters Virginia, Anne Morrow,
and Ruth Bell; sons William Franklin, III, and Nelson Edman; 19
grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.
Source: Full obituary available at
www.billygraham.org. Accessed
August 7, 2007.
Ask:
Should our commitment to
God exempt us from experiencing sickness? Explain your answer.
What lessons can we
learn about how to handle sickness in a God-honoring way from the life
of Ruth Graham?
2 Kings 5:8-12
Read 2 Kings 5:8-12.
Say: Naaman had assumed that Elisha would realize what an
important person he was. Although he was expecting a grand performance from
Elisha, the prophet sent simple instructions by a messenger. The messenger told
him to go and wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman expected royal
treatment, respect, and an elaborate ceremony, so it is no surprise that he was
angry by what happened at Elisha's house. Naaman didn't understand that we may
not understand God's ways of working. It can be difficult when He doesn’t
respond in the way we think He should, but we must remember that God's ways are
always best. Our response must be humble obedience even when we don't
understand.
Read the following news excerpt:
Ruth Bell Graham, evangelist's wife, author, dies
at 87
MONTREAT, N.C. — Ruth Graham, who surrendered dreams of
missionary work in Tibet to marry a suitor who became the world’s most
renowned evangelist, died today. She was 87.
Graham
died at 5:05 p.m. at her home at Little Piney Cove, surrounded by her
husband Billy Graham and all five of their children, according to a
statement released by family spokesman Larry Ross.
Ruth
Graham has been bedridden for months with degenerative osteoarthritis of the
back and neck and underwent treatment for pneumonia two weeks ago. At her
request, and in consultation with her family, she had stopped receiving
nutrients through a feeding tube for the last few days, Ross said.
Even as
her health declined in recent years—she suffered numerous ailments that had
left her bedridden since Thanksgiving 2006 and with little vision—Ruth
Graham remained upbeat.
Franklin Graham said in the spring of 2006 that he visited his mother every
Sunday.
“I’ll
ask her, ’How you doing, Mama?’ and she’d say, ’Oh, I’m fine.’ But I know
she’s not,” he said. “If she’s really hurting, she’ll say, ’Oh, don’t ask.’
But she says that with a smile on her face. I’ve never heard my mother
complain - it’s just not in her.”
Ruth
Graham found nothing to fear in death, as she told Decision.
“We
look on death as a tragedy, and we grieve with the family and friends, but
we don’t stop to think that God probably is not grieving,” she said. “I
wonder if He’s excited when one of his children is coming home - it’s a not
a stranger coming home, it’s a loved child.”
Source: "Ruth Bell Graham,
evangelist's wife, author, dies at 87." Full article available at
www.freep.com. Accessed August 7, 2007.
Say: We sometimes forget that the greatest healing a person can
receive is the healing that comes from being in God’s presence. When God chooses
not to heal, death should be seen as a blessing as well.
2 Kings 5:13-16
Read 2 Kings 5:13-16.
Say: Naaman followed Elisha's instructions and was cured of his
disease. Once Naaman was healed, he recognized the power of the living God and
declared his faith in Him.
Read the following article excerpt:
My Mother's Legacy
Our
family had gathered at our father's house in Montreat, North Carolina,
responding to the word that Mother had been taken off life support. For
weeks, Mother had clung to life. She seemed torn between wanting to remain
here, with Daddy and the rest of the family, and wanting to be with Jesus.
We all felt her struggle.
As her
time to go home drew near, we gathered around her bed, singing and praying
and reading Scripture. Daddy had excused himself for a brief rest. But as
Mother's breathing became shallower, he returned to her side. She gazed in
his direction, took two breaths, and entered into the presence of Jesus. Our
tears that had been held in check for weeks flowed freely. Our sorrow and
grief was, and still is, great.
But I
couldn't help reflecting at that very moment that the only person my mother
would leave my Daddy for … was Jesus. If I could have seen the other side of
the pearly gates when Mother entered, I have no doubt that I would have seen
that celestial moment as my daughter Rachel-Ruth helped me to visualize it:
millions of angels standing to applaud Jesus, giving him all the glory and
praise for the life and the legacy of Ruth Bell Graham.
I have
been asked what I will miss most about my mother. The answer is simple:
Everything! My memories of Mother are many and varied.
Her
sparkling eyes. If they were truly windows into her soul, they revealed
someone who relished life. She was full of fun, opinions, and a zest for
living that was evident until her last breath.
Her
arms outstretched. Even her gestures conveyed the warmth of her welcome and
her unconditional love, which she generously extended to each family member,
and to an expansive circle of friends—sinners and saints alike.
Her
whimsical enjoyment of the ridiculous. Small stuffed hedgehogs that peeked
out of the knots in the beams of the dining room (and were left in place
even when the President of the United States came for lunch); an assortment
of stuffed mice that lived between the railings of the steps going upstairs
from her bedroom; little wooden mice that she pinned over a tear in her
denim skirt to convey the impression that they had eaten a hole in the
fabric; a sign, with large bones stacked below it, positioned beside the
driveway to our home that said, "Trespassers will be eaten"; an old tree
stump that still had the remaining stub of a branch, which she painted to
look like the face of some old hag with no teeth.
While
my vault of memories is full and causes me even now to smile through my
tears, my mother's real legacy in my life runs very deep … and wide. Two
things stand out above everything else. The first is that Mother was in love
with Jesus—and that love was contagious. She wasn't caught up in religion or
traditions or rituals or even a denomination, although she was staunchly
Presbyterian and very proud of it. She was caught up in a personal
relationship with Jesus. While it was a relationship that was very intimate
and passionate, it was not rooted in her emotions or in her experiences; it
was rooted in the truth of God's Word and in prayer, which is the second
primary aspect of the legacy she left to me.
Mother
loved her Bible. Growing up, my bedroom was situated directly over hers. It
didn't matter what time I went to bed at night—I could see the light from
her window reflected on the trees outside, and I knew she was up. If I
slipped down to her room, I would find her on her knees in prayer beside her
bed. Regardless of what time I got up in the morning, I would find her at
her big flattop desk, reading her Bible.
Mother
spent hours on her knees in prayer. She taught me to pray expectantly. From
the time I was young she taught me to keep my prayer requests in a journal,
leaving a space underneath each one so that I would have room to record the
date it was answered. Even now I can quote the words of an old hymn she
wrote into the flyleaf of one of my first Bibles:
Thou
art coming to a King,
Large
petitions with thee bring,
For His
grace and power are such,
None
can ever ask too much.
By her
very example, Mother taught me that Jesus is everything. He was the
wellspring of her love and joy and peace that overflowed into our home. His
presence was enough to ease the pain of her loneliness without Daddy. His
power was enough to get her through the day, for all practical purposes, as
a single parent … not just somehow, but triumphantly, with her sense of
humor intact.
I have
no doubt that the reason I love Jesus and my Bible is because she did, and
she planted those seeds in my heart long ago. Her legacy in my life could be
summarized by one word: Jesus. And so I ask myself, What will be the legacy
that I leave behind? With all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength, I have
recommitted my life to leaving behind that same Legacy.
Source: Lotz, Anne Graham. “My
Mother’s Legacy," Christianity Today, August 1, 2007. Full article available
at www.christianitytoday.com.
Accessed August 7, 2007.
Ask:
What are some
ways God can be glorified through healing?
What are some
ways God can be glorified through death?
As you close the session, distribute the Prayer
Card handout (one card per person) and ask participants to list three people
they will pray for this week.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
