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| e N E W S L E T T E R | |
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fall, 2008 IN THIS ISSUE
From Keith's Heart: Life to
The Full...Did Jesus Mean It?!?
Life to the full...Did Jesus mean it?!? Last week, I spent a couple days hanging out with college students at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I was mainly brought there to speak at a couple chapel services, but my favorite part was after each chapel, when I went to Joe’s – the on-campus coffee shop – and just hung out with students. (You know how much I like a good cup of coffee and conversation.) Some of them had questions about what I talked about at chapel. Others wanted to tell me about their experiences internalizing books of the Bible. Still others just wanted to hang out and chat about faith, life, and the fact that both Chicago baseball teams made it to the playoffs. (Only to both be ousted in the first round…but whatever…) One of these young guys said something that has really stuck with me. We were talking about reading the Bible and he said, “The days when I read the Bible and can’t point to something I learned or ‘got out of it’ I feel a little guilty. I think that guilt is probably a good thing to keep me going. What do you think?” It took me about two seconds to say, “So let me get this straight…you have to learn something every day? You can’t ever just read the Bible and enjoy it?” I think this young man’s thought process is so similar to how many of us approach the Bible – and faith in general. We say that Jesus wants to have a relationship with us, but we act as if all He really wants is for us to be well-behaved. If we just believe the right things, do the right things, say the right things, and study our Bibles every day, then we’re good to go. Why is it that before someone puts their faith in Jesus, all we talk about is how Jesus wants a personal relationship, but after someone says “yes” all talk about relationship is over? When Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” do we think He actually meant it?!? Does “life to the full” come from just learning about God? How can you have life to the full and a joyful, abundant relationship with Jesus if we never just hang out with Him and enjoy being together? If I had a friend that wanted to teach me something, challenge me, or correct me every time we got together, I don’t think we’d be friends too long. Sometimes I just want to go for a hike or laugh with my friends. I don’t think Jesus is any different. Are there days when He wants to teach you something? Sure. Correct you about something? Absolutely. Challenge your thinking in some area? Of course. But if we really believe that He wants a personal relationship with us – even after we say “yes” – then don’t you think there are days He just wants to hang out with you? Days when you can read the Bible and not “learn” anything? After all, there are some pretty crazy stories in there? (Check out Judges 15 if you don’t believe me.)
In the Message, Eugene Peterson translated John
10:10 this way: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better
life than they ever dreamed of.” What do you think? Does this describe your life
in Christ? Is your life in Christ real, more, and better – as opposed to simply
being eternal. Eternal life is certainly fabulous, but the Jesus I read about in
the Bible certainly didn’t see that as the whole deal. He came that we might
have life now. Real life. Better life. Abundant life. Life to the full. Now. Can
I get an “Amen?” New presentation! - The sermon on the mount For Lent this year, I decided that instead of just "giving something up," I would also add something. What I added was a daily reading of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7). Many people point to the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus' most clear, important, condensed teaching on how we are to live, think, and treat each other. All I can say is that it was a tremendous blessing to read those words every day. Different days, Jesus would say different things to me. One day He would speak to me on my internal attitude and focus. The next day He would speak to me about the simplicity of prayer. The next day would bring conviction about what I do with my mind and eyes. And on and on the journey went. The further along I went on this journey, the more I realized that God's desire was for me to bring the Sermon on the Mount to churches, groups, schools, and conferences around the country. So...I've been working on it some more and am thrilled to say that I am accepting bookings for the Sermon on the Mount anytime! I am very excited to share Jesus' words, thoughts, teachings, and passion in this way. Give me a call or shoot me an email and let's set something up to live the Sermon on the Mount together! only quotes - a New website Are you a writer? Reader? Pastor? Speaker? Someone who just likes a good quote to inspire you or make you laugh? Over the years, I have collected a ton of quotes and had them stored on my computer in various categories. In the last few months I decided to put all of them up on a website where anyone could access them and use them as they wish. Thus the birth of Only Quotes.
The quotes are all listed by subject and - thanks to
Google -
Also, there is a link on every page in
Check out
donating by just searching or shopping
If you'd like simple instructions on how to make GoodSearch your default search engine there are simple, step-by-step instructions here for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Thanks for helping. Prayer Requests for this fall Here are some items to keep in your prayers:
PRODUCTS
Falling in Love with God's
Word: by Keith Ferrin The cost of the book is $10. If your church or school would like to order multiple copies for small groups or classes, contact us about discount pricing. CDs Prices Finally, we've set up the opportunity for churches/schools/ministries to purchase the Books/CDs at reduced prices. Please send us an email if you think your church/school/ministry might be interested in this program. TYMK Website Here are some of the items you'll find at www.thatyoumayknow.com:
Click here to visit the website! Event Calendar This Event
Calendar is
accurate at the time it was sent. For an up-to-date schedule, please check out
the Event Calendar on our website. october
November
December
Repertoire
Long
Presentations
Short
Presentations
Workshops
Worship
Speaking
become
a TYMK partner That You May Know Ministries is financially supported in three ways:
We have partners who contribute once a year, others who donate quarterly, and still others give on a monthly basis. These partner donations are used in a variety of ways. The primary use of these funds is to produce the CDs and books. All of these products must be paid for completely at the time of production and then the money is "recouped" $10 at a time. Our partners' donations also allow us to maintain our website and produce promo materials used to share That You May Know Ministries with others. While the uses I've just talked about are important, truly our most valuable use of our partner donations is to enable me to go into places that can't afford to pay to have me come. Throughout the year I will speak at colleges, Christian school chapels, and camps and retreats. Some of these groups can't afford the full honorarium, while others can't afford anything. Your donations allow me to share the Living Word with these groups. I should also mentioned that That You May Know Ministries is a non-profit corporation and all donations are tax-deductible. If you would like to become a TYMK Partner, please send us a letter and let us know. Please make all checks payable to: That You May Know Ministries. Online Donations Page. The new page makes it much easier to donate one-time, monthly, quarterly, or annually. You can manage your donations (change amounts, accounts, etc) from the donations page. Whether or not you choose to participate financially at this time, please consider becoming a prayer partner. We need your prayers continually. If you would be willing to become a prayer partner please send us a quick email letting us know you're "on the team." Thank you so much for all your
support, encouragement, and prayers. We truly appreciate you. Blessings, Contact Us
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