Category: Faith

Proposal for Online BSF Study

by atozmom, posted in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), Faith

To the Bible Study Fellowship Board of Directors and Director of New Start-Up Classes:

I am proposing starting an online BSF class strictly for those who are unable to attend a regular BSF class (disabled, elderly, can’t drive, rural communities, etc).  This would follow the BSF four-part model:  lecture, notes, discussion, personal study and questions but be available all online.

A BSF lecturer could videotape himself/herself (like at our class that is videotaped) and post it online.  You listen to the lecture and then can download the notes and next week’s questions.  Then in the forum you can discuss with others your findings.  This forum could be restricted to being open only on the designated meeting day.  Similarly with the notes.

I know this will challenge BSF’s paradigm and maybe financially but the I think the benefits will far-outweigh the costs.

With regards to the paradigm:  Times change.  Think of all the innovations since Jesus first walked the earth:  we’ve gone from camel and horse travel to train travel to cars and planes.  The printing press has allowed us to own a copy of God’s word.  Improvements on the printing press have allowed the Bible to be the biggest best-seller ever.  Now, you can even read the Bible on the Internet and on your phone!

Enrollment can be qualified.  For those who live in remote communities; those who attending a BSF class would be an inconvenience (flying, hiking, snowmobiling, driving over a certain number of hours, etc); disabled or elderly; those with kids in different age groups who can’t attend because they have both school-age kids and preschool age kids; those who can’t afford to pay for the gas to get to the class; and other extenuating circumstances, etc.

My story:  I had a very tiny blog.  Not many hits and few subscribers.  After my first day at BSF, I blogged about how much I loved it and was looking forward to it.  BAM!  87 hits.  So, I thought to myself I may be onto something.  I started posting my answers and my blog has skyrocketed to beyond belief.

Obviously, there is a need of some kind out there.

I have people from all over the world follow my blog.  One lady is going on a mission trip to Uganda.  She “met” a lady who lives in Uganda who is enrolled in BSF who posted on my site and now they are going to meet in Uganda!  How cool is that!

One lady who has severe health problems and is unable to attend classes at times uses my blog as her discussion time.  She swap prayer requests even.  She is just one among many who use my blog as such.  The Internet never shuts down during inclement weather.

One member whose friend lives in Hawaii would have to fly to her nearest BSF class.  When I move (our move has now been delayed), I would have to drive 6 hours to my nearest one.  Think of Alaska:  you’d have to snowmobile up there!

Funding:  I believe BSF could solicit funds specifically for such a purpose.  I for one am willing to donate to such a project.  You could have a designation added to your online giving system fairly easily to facilitate donations.  This money would go to help pay the initial start-up costs.

Someone can be trained to administer the program once it’s up and running.  This could even be a volunteer willing to post the videos, etc.

Please read some of the comments on my site about how much being able to have a discussion group 24/7 facilitates learning and ultimately growing with God means to others.  For some, it could be indescribable (I know it is for me!).

BSF Statement of Beliefs #14 (according to your website) says how BSF believes we are all called to study the Bible personally through the power of the Holy Spirit until each one is matured into God’s purpose for their life.  How better to aid in this for those who for whatever reason cannot physically make it to BSF classes?

I am asking you to please pray about this as with everything in BSF.  A pilot year could be set up to see if this idea works or not.  Limit the number of attendees and see what happens.  She what needs to be improved, changed, or scrapped all together.  A year to work out the bugs, evaluate at the end if it accomplishes BSF’s vision, and go from there.

I can only imagine the number of people who can be reached through the Internet (another invention God gave to someone).  His kingdom can grow by leaps and bounds through this measure.

Part of BSF is community.  Well, I can attest to the fact you can have a community over the Internet.  There are followers of my blog whom I consider some of my dearest friends.  They regularly offer words of sage advice that I appreciate beyond belief.  Even though I can’t see them and they can’t see me, this is vital to what my website has become.  Without them, my blog is empty.

Facebook is the second-highest ranked site (according to Alexa) in the world–a website dedicated to facilitating connections–existing only in cyberspace as this BSF class would do.

Community is what you make of it.  BSF is what you make of it.  I think a BSF online could thrive.  And grow.  But still remain true to BSF’s and Ms. Johnson’s vision.

I have been praying about this ever since the idea popped in my head.  I only ask you all do the same.

Thanks for listening, considering, and praying with regards to this proposal.

Do the End Times Really Matter?

by atozmom, posted in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), Faith

In BSF, our leader talks a lot about the end times, the Apocalypse, the second coming, and signs in the Bible.  I tend to tune out when she does.  Why?

No one knows when Jesus is coming again.  Period.  The Bible is very, very vague.  We know it’s going to happen.  Yet man has this need to predict the future (something only God can do) so man tries to tell us, “The End is Near!”

Here’s my view:  If I’m ready for the Second Coming and so is my family, does it really matter when it happens?  Sure, it’d be great to be here when Jesus comes again.  But if He doesn’t, I’ll see Him soon enough in Heaven.  So why worry about it?  The Bible tells us not to worry about anything.

I’m glad that Isaiah told us to expect the Messiah and Revelation reveals what’s going to happen once Jesus does return.  It gives me hope when the world is in chaos.

Yet, I don’t dwell on it.  I don’t sit around worrying.  I try to take my life day by day and strive to be like Jesus.  I’ve learned even planning for the future can sometimes fall apart as quick as a stock market fall.

We don’t have TV in my home.  I get all my news off the Internet and lately I’ve barely been reading it.  I just can’t stand it.  One, I think it has become a bit of an idol in my life (the Computer in general) so I’m trying to limit my time on the Internet.  And two, I can barely stand reading the tragedies around the world, the idiocy of our government, and celebrities who have nothing better to do than ruin their lives and their families.  It drives me insane and I got enough of that in my life already!

So when my BSF leader asks if we’re paying attention to the signs, my reply, “No.  I’m not.  I got other things going on.”

I believe in my heart Jesus will come again.  I don’t really think it will happen in my lifetime but if it does I’ll be ready.  Through my daily life and not through any other special preparation or worry.

Any other thoughts?

Homiletics

by atozmom, posted in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), Faith

What is homiletics?  I was stumped too at first.  So I took the seminar offered by BSF a while back.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, homiletics is the art of preaching.  BSF defines homiletics as analyzing and studying the Bible passage in preparation for teaching this to others.

In essence, you figure out what the passage is saying and then narrow it down into the main thesis of the passage and then apply application questions to those whom you are speaking too.

Come to find out, I was doing Homiletics all along; I just wasn’t writing it down.  My summary is basically the content of the whole passage and my conclusions is the thesis or what I got out of it–what the passage says to me.

I think some are intimidated by homiletics (the name alone does it for most people–blame the Greeks) but it’s really not that bad. It’s just what the passage is saying and what it means to the Biblical world and how it can be applied today.

I would wager most of us do at least some of form of an informal homiletics when we do our questions.  You have to to get an answer and be able to explain it to others.  I’ve ran into a couple of people who thought themselves better because they ‘did’ homiletics every week.

I wish BSF would change their final question because at first I thought it was just for the leaders and we weren’t supposed to do homiletics.  That’s what the question says, right?  “For Group and Administration Leaders.”  Well, that’s not me, I thought.  It seems unnecessarily restrictive when put this way.

No one explained homiletics to me or the last question.  We never talked about the last question in our small group or in lecture or in the notes even (I never heard the word even mentioned until the seminar came up and I had to attend it to find out what it was).  So why have it on the “Discussion Questions” if its never going to be discussed?

Homiletics is for everyone–not just the leaders.  You don’t have to be an expert in the Bible or have been in BSF for multiple years to do homiletics as I believe BSF implies.

As most of you know, the BSF process was never explained to me. I was just thrown in, handed the questions, and wished good luck.  I think Homiletics needs to be explained on the first day.  I think everything needs to be explained much better.  I think BSF assumes attendees know it all or you’ve been attending for a while.

I think we all need to go over this stuff every year so we’re all on the same page.  For an organization who adheres to their way of doing things stronger than super glue, you think they’d be sticklers on such things.

This year in Isaiah we’ve talked a lot about control–a lesson I think BSF could learn from.  I think BSF needs to loosen their grip a bit and let God use the tools of the modern age to bring more to Him.

BSF does not exist without the generosity of those giving and supporting what they do.  Still, I’m left wondering how many calls they do get from those desperate for Christ who are turned away because “we don’t do that here.”

What Does “Self-Righteousness” Mean?

by atozmom, posted in Faith

I think there’s a lot of confusion when this term is thrown around by others and many don’t know what it means.  I think many equate self-righteousness with thinking you are better than others, morally or in other ways.

Webster’s definition of self-righteous is this:  convinced of one’s own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others; narrow-mindedly moralistic.

Zondervan’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary gives the theological definition:  belief, attitude, or behavior of persons who seek God’s acceptance by their own efforts, that is, by doing good works and keeping divine statues.

Bible passages where the concept of self-righteousness is discussed:  Luke 18:9, Romans 10:1-3, and Philippians 3:9.

Zondervan continues, “A self-righteous person is righteous neither in the religious nor moral sense.  Those who trust in themselves do not have right standing with God through self-effort nor are they morally upright since their attitudes are not affected.”

From my understanding, righteousness is a gift from God that we received from Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.  The “self” goes directly against righteousness since we humans have nothing to do with God’s grace.

If someone is being self-righteous, they are basically being self-reliant and in relation to others portray a smug and prideful attitude which is where superiority creeps in.  They waste precious energy, time, and resources trying to earn God’s grace and mercy when it was freely given.  And because they are striving so hard to earn God’s love they create a feeling inside of themselves that they are better than others because of their good works.  It becomes a numbers game and they end up judging themselves against others–again, something God should only be doing.

Self-righteousness is a sin because we are relying on ourselves and not accepting what Jesus has done for us on the cross.  And when coupled with others it is an act of judging others and only God can do that.

Self before righteousness is like putting you before God–self-reliant instead of God-reliant.

Examples of self-righteousness:  thinking you are better than others because–you believe in God, do more good things than others, are a better person in your view, etc.

Self-righteousness is another form of the wrong kind of pride and as Jesus says, “…he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

End Note:  Definitions and examples of Bible passage are from Zondervan’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary by JD Douglas and Merrill C Tenney.  I would not have been able to explain this concept without this help!  Thank you!

I would love any other ideas or clarification points added!

Where Do You Look for God?

by atozmom, posted in Faith

“In the hearts of others,” my 7 year old answered.

What Do You Think Makes God Sad?

by atozmom, posted in Faith

“When people don’t believe in Him,” said my 7 year-old daughter.

Creation Part 2: John 14

by atozmom, posted in Faith, Life

John 14:10-14  Jesus is speaking to Philip and says, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?  The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing the work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father….You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

John 20:22  “He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Translation:  Because we have Jesus (those who have accepted Him into our hearts) the Holy Spirit now dwells within us.  Jesus explains whoever has faith in Him will do what He has been doing and will do even greater things.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

I believe God can do anything through me.  My mind, my hands, my body are His.  I create with such.  He has granted me the gift of creation because He dwells within me.  I create on a human level, in an Earthly world.  God creates both in Heaven and on Earth.  I create what God has allowed me to create; what He has ordained to fulfill His purposes for me here on Earth.

A Gift Given

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith, Life

I think ‘give’ is one of the most powerful words in the English language.  All the self-help books I’ve been reading say, “If you’re depressed, give.  If you’re selfish, give.  If you’re prideful, give.  If you’re empty, give.” God gave us His most precious gift, His Son, which I think is a good reminder of the power of a gift.

The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola says just this: “…any gift is beautiful because it is given. Whatever you give, the Baby Jesus will love, because it comes from you.”  This was sage advice an old woman was giving to a young girl who was sad because she didn’t have a gift for Jesus on Christmas Eve. So the young girl picked weeds, which turned into the poinsettia plant after she prayed.

For those of you not familiar with kids books, Tomie dePaola is a classic in the field.  He wrote and illustrated Strega Nona amongst many other tales.  He also writes and illustrates a lot of stories with Biblical themes such as this one and on the Saints.

The message is powerful.  It’s a great reminder of why we are here: for others and not ourselves and when we give, we get a glimpse of Heaven.  This is something I constantly need to be reminded of because for me this does not come naturally.  I’m constantly fighting my selfish tendencies and I’m hoping by reading all of these books my kids won’t be quite so much like me.

What Does Righteousness Mean?

by atozmom, posted in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), Book Reviews, Faith

Our BSF lecture focused on righteousness and our third principle stated, “God’s way of salvation is the only way to turn from sin and turn to righteousness.”

Well, I was stumped.  I had always thought of righteousness as being right.  But this obviously isn’t the case in this sense so I decided to find out what I was missing.

Webster’s says righteousness is “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin; morally right or justifiable; or arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality”

The synonym listed is moral.

So in my upbringing I had missed the “God” in the sense of the word.

In the statement above, God’s salvation allows us to be righteous (or free from guilt).  Jesus erased our sins. And being righteous means to act in accordance with God’s law–to continually strive to be like Jesus.

God is righteous because He is free from sin.  Isaiah 46:12-13: God says “…you who are far from righteousness, I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed.”

I made the mistake of going to Sam’s Club again (I really need to stay away from that place.  I think I would be a fiend if I went to the Bible BookStore as regularly) and I bought Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary by J.D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney.  I had seen it before but decided to wait–until I looked up righteousness and it had the definition I had been seeking!  So, I bought it!

This Dictionary says righteousness is “any conformity to a standard, whether that standard has to do with inner character of a person or the objective standard of accepted law….Lord God always acts in righteousness because He always has a right relationship with people.”

This also explains righteousness in terms of Jesus.  Fascinating stuff and I’d highly recommend it.  I can’t wait to dive more into it.

In essence, being righteous is being like Jesus or being like God.

What’s Wrong with Self-Help Books?

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith

Our BSF lecture last week insinuated there was something wrong with self-help books.  I immediately bristled.

As some of you know, I’m working on myself, trying to grow and fix some of “me”, smooth out the rough edges and I have chosen to do this through God’s word, prayer, and books.  Most of these books are self-help books.

The argument was made, “People look to themselves rather than God when they read these books.”  I think this is a valid argument if you do indeed rely on self-help books only instead of God.

But self-help books combined with God is a powerful tool.  I read books and I get ah-ha moments.

God speaks through people.  People write books (like myself).  And I believe God helps me write and He uses me to convey His message.  So why wouldn’t He help others?  Why wouldn’t God give us the gift of books through others to know Him better?  It sounds a lot like what the Bible is, doesn’t it?  Others words inspired by God and a chronicle of Jesus’s life–words written down so we can know Him.

Most of the books I read have God as a critical component in it.  It’s psychological advice accompanied by a strong message of faith and prayer.  It’s powerful.  It gives you ideas you normally wouldn’t see (I haven’t studied psychology) so you can become more like Jesus.

I believe God knows just what to put in my hands at just the right time.  Besides His word, books that teach life lessons that you can apply are powerful.  They challenge me to think, to analyze, to delve into my past, to see things through others’ eyes, to see me through others’ eyes.  They tell me things people would never tell me.

I agree self-reliance can lead to a powerful fall.  But I see nothing wrong with the desire to improve yourself and looking at other places in addition to the Bible and prayer.

Your thoughts?