CCC Gainesville | Blog
Our women’s ministry is excited to announce that both Tuesday AM/PM women’s groups will be studying Nehemiah this Spring. Two different studies are being offered. You can preview the morning group’s book on amazon, and read more on Nehemiah from Kathleen Nielson, director of women’s initiatives for The Gospel Coalition and author of the book. The evening study will use Nehemiah: Experiencing the Good Hand of God by John MacArthur, which takes readers on a journey through biblical text to discover what lies beneath the surface.
Women’s Spring Bible Study Details:
- Tuesday Morning study meets at the church from 9AM – 11AM, April 1st – June 3rd. Free childcare is available with advanced notice. Contact Sharon Stankunas (sstankunas @ gmail.com) or Paige French (pbemfrench @ gmail.com).
- Tuesday Evening study meets every other week, 6:30-8:30PM. Please purchase book online or at a retail store. Sorry no childcare provided. For details and directions please email Laura Smoot (lauracsmoot @ gmail.com).
The Gospel Coalition 2014 Women’s Conference plenary talks will also take us right through the book of Nehemiah. We’re hoping those who attend will want to study further—and worship with us at this incredible conference in June. More information on the upcoming studies and the conference can be found on our website: http://www.cccgainesville.
My father was a wonderful story teller. Mostly they were stories of his grandparents, parents or his childhood and adolescent years. Much of what I know about my lineage is not in the details of a family tree, it is through stories that captivated my imagination as a child sitting at the dinner table.
Spiritual parenting is learning how to become a storyteller as one who is connected to a larger story. During the Friday evening session we will learn about creating an environment of storytelling and an environment of identity (rooted in Christ). Much like my dad teaching me about our family lineage through story and me knowing where I came from, there is another story that must be told to our children. John Westerhoff says, “At the heart of our Christian faith is a story…Unless the story is known, understood, owned, and lived, we and our children will not have Christian faith.”
During this session we will be introduced to the Big God Story. This is telling our children the story of God’s promise to his people. For those of you who read the Jesus Storybook Bible or The Big Picture Bible with your children, you have seen how the promise of Jesus, or God’s covenant, is weaved into each story — this is God’s covenant to His children. “If we consistently tell our children the Big God Story and help them to see the bigger story that has been lived out for thousands of years, they will have the privilege of catching a glimpse of the wonder of it all. The wonderful mystery of who God is and how He has chosen a part for each of us to play.” Also during the Friday evening session we will learn how to create an environment of identity. It is through learning about our identity as part of God’s family, that we learn about God’s promise to send the rescuer and about our Christian lineage.
The world tells our children that their identity is found in who their friends are, what sort of car they drive, the clothes they wear, their academic or athletic abilities. They can struggle to understand what it means to find identity in Christ. During this session we will learn how to create an environment that helps our children think differently about themselves, to help them see that not only are they image bearers of God, but God is their father.
“As we live in our identity, seeking to live out the life we were created to live in Christ, then we can genuinely ask the next question: ‘Who did God create my child to be?’ It is here that we begin to understand the Father’s heart for spiritual parenting.”
Spiritual parenting is helping our children see God’s Big Story and to see that God has a role for them in that story.
We would love to have you join us for the Friday evening session (as well as Saturday), registration has opened! You may register at this link.
My Big, Fat Greek New Testament, 9:00AM, Room 124
The Challenges of TranslationLast week we saw what can happen when two Greek words are translated by a single English word. This coming Sunday (2/16) Richard Horner will help us look at what can happen when a single Greek term gets translated (or should get translated) into two different English words.
Norman Wirzba, author of Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating, will be speaking at the University of Florida this week as a guest of the Christian Study Center. Wirzba’s book is the focus of one of Christ Community’s current adult education classes – Eating as Prayer. Details:
“Theological Reflection on Justice and the Land”
Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology and Ecology, Duke Divinity School
This week – Thursday, September 19
UF – Little Hall, Room 101 @ 5:15 pm
This event is free and open to the public and is part of the series co-sponsored by the the Christian Study Center of Gainesvillle and the UF Department of Religion entitled, “Seeing Justice, Seeking Justice.” In preparation for his visit, please enjoy an interview with Dr. Wirzba regarding food and faith, courtesy of Mars Hill Audio.
For more, see http://christianstudycenter.org/
