Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Jesus Calms the Storm

This week we "traveled" to the Sea of Galilee and watched as Adam Hamilton joined a local fisherman in a boat on the sea that probably looked a lot like the boat Jesus and his disciples were on.  It would have been nighttime since that is when they fished.  The boat was fairly small.  No wonder the disciples were scared when the storm came!   But Jesus calms the storm and asks the disciples why they are so scared..."Do you still have no faith?"  And the disciples begin to truly realize who Jesus is.  Before this, the only one who they had ever heard that could control the wind and waves was God.  So when Jesus calmed the storm, God's power must have instantly come to mind.  Surely this man, then, must be God's son!

What are you scared of?  When you face different "storms" in your life, what is your initial reaction?  Do you doubt?  Are you scared?  Are you worried?  Do you get mad or upset?  Do you pray?  Do you talk to a mentor, family member or friend?  Do you read Scripture?

How can we make practices like prayer, reading Scripture and talking with people who are important to us habits so that when we are faced with a difficult situation, those will be our initial reactions rather than being scared, mad or doubtful?







Friday, March 1, 2013

The Healing Ministry

This week we took a look at Jesus' healing ministry.  We visited Capernaum with Adam Hamilton and saw several sites where several of Jesus' healings took place.  We discussed who cares for us when we are sick and ways we can help others when they are sick.  What effect do you think you can have on another person's healing?  When we look at Luke 5:18-19, we see that Jesus healed this man who was paralyzed because of his friends' faith and dedication to him!  Who are our stretcher-bearers? These are the "people who will carry us and pray for us and have faith for us when our own faith is weak or nonexistent" (Hamilton).  Who will you be a stretcher-bearer for?

We spent some time being stretcher-bearers by carrying one another on a "stretcher" across the room through obstacles!  Check out the pictures below.