No One Else Can Take Your Turn-PH


We have a game: we’ll find the name of it later in the titles of our lessons in the book: IT ALL GOES BACK IN THE BOX. It’s called “Find Your Mission”.
Look there for answering the question HOW DID I GET HERE IN THIS GAME.
Clue….It’s the choices U make.

You see. In this book, “It All Goes Back In the Box”, we find lessons that help us understand our really good book- THE BIBLE. But you see; the reason we use books like this is because:
We have a hard time concentrating.
We don’t always understand.
We are impatient with ideas----with our own understanding, or lack of it.
We like, we think we need to be entertained. Ex: those books about looking at
things backwards, “Parables from the Backside”; this 1 about “It All Goes Back in the Box”, these stimulate our attention and we think more---learn more.

I may not say this, I don’t want to insult us, but it’s about taking baby steps.

It’s hard. WE keep going back to Rule No.1. We have to learn it. Anybody remember?---------pause--------We loose sight of what is important
& what is not……..

We’re learning. The Object of this Game: Be Rich Toward God. Remember, when the Game is over, what we keep forever:
4 things….(wait for response from class……)
God, Other People, My Soul, & Deeds of Love
The rest goes back in the box

We learned to keep score in Setting Up the Game. It’s about counting & climbing. How the real score will come out is-- Jesus/God is coming down to us- not us climbing to Him.
We learned we need to recognize our smallness, accept that smallness, & that is what is recognized by God.

Mastering the Game is where we learned who we really are. It’s about being in the zone…..

We got to the part Untie Your Ropes & we had to figure out what holds us back.
Our excuses
Do what it takes to untie that hold.

Last week we learned we need to Resign as Master of The Board: we learned who is in control. We find freedom is experienced when we loose control. We learn the beauty of God’s control of our lives.

This brings us to today’s lesson: No One Else Can Take Your Turn.
1st, remember the reminder of Rule #1. What was it? Anyone?
(-----listen to someone say #1--------)
Yes, our predicament:
Over and over and over and over, we lose sight of what is important & what is not.

No matter what happens, things come back to Rule #1.
……………………….When it’s all over, everything goes back in the box.

This lesson today is in-between…between Rule #1 & The Box at the end.


Everyone holds a card and a pen. Now I’ll help you write on it.
(do top of card)
At the top left write letters “D & A”
This is not DNA, it’s D & A

Stands for dust and ashes
What you came from:
Your card will look like this.
_________________________________________
D & A Dust and Ashes
(what you came from)


“U R Y” Because of you, God created the
universe.
You are the apple of His eye
You Are Why
___________________________________________

You are why
Because of you, God created the universe.
You are the apple of His eye…..URY

Many have said, “We have no say over the hand dealt us in life, but, we do have a lot of control over how the hand is played.”

It’s not what U do with it that counts----BUT, play, we must. God does not make mistakes.


Are we lost again?
Go back to the card you hold:
__be sure to comeplete it (as above)
Since we are all different & God didn’t make no junk,
then UR not wrong 2 B here. Why R U unique? What would you do differently?

Why Taking Our Turn Matters:
God gave us all a little bit of what He has an endless supply of……..choice.
Do you know what choices look like?

Ex. from Greg’s message this AM…there were 11 desciples that went with Jesus to the Garden to pray. Why 11? We remember 12. 1 made a choice to not be there. He sold Jesus, his whereabouts. That’s an example of 1 kind of choice. Then, HE decided he didn’t like his choice. HE killed himself (for betraying Jesus.)

God says, If you will be responsible in a few things, I will.provide you with more.
HE loves us. He believes in us.

……Someone share from The Message, the scripture of the Parable of the Talents—just that sentence Matt. 25- just verse 23……

After the master returned to his vineyard and found how different workers had handled what he left them to do…we read in Matt. 25:23:
“His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”


See on your card…U R Y? ( It means ….you are why!)

Now, go back to D & A:
Some people have eaten too much of “humble pie” that result is-
It’s not really “humble pie.”
It’s chicken stuff
(You know that stuff in the chicken nobody eats? Junk!
You’ve seen it in people: They wait, hold back, don’t believe they can, have tried so few times or listened to wrong voices so much, that their lives have become learned helplessness. That’s chicken stuff—helplessness!

And that’s another reason why taking your turn matters.
Believe U R not helpless. There is a U in there (that) nobody put there- but God.

God said:
Be your best.
He didn’t say be the best.
There was only 1 that was perfect in this world- Jesus.

God said:
If you will be faithful
With a few things
I will ….give you more…
And make you faithful with many things.

That’s how He plans to reward us. U R Y
Go back,
Rule #1---
Over and over our predicament is---
We lose sight of- (wait on class response)
-what is important
& what is not (important).

So, what’s important?
(ther following,,,)
In this game:
It’s important to take your turn because:
· It’s Our responsibility
· It’s Our choice (our God given gift)
· We’re Not helpless nor hopeless
· We have nothing to lose by trying
· It Gives us freedom

So the question: (you write on the back of front of your card)
If you could do something, anything,
& you knew you could not fail,
What would it be?

It does not matter-
Start little
Aim high

Either way you win!

Devotional 03/16/08

Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Prodigal Who Stayed at Home-

Dan & Tami Bernhardt

Luke 15: 25-38

We revisited this story from yet again, another side: considered the "neglected side." Class members, relating to the older brother, offered many versions of how he might have felt:

1- The often overlooked "good kid" -

who didn't understand all the fuss over the younger brother because he, himself, had "always done what he was supposed to do";

2- The clueless older brother -

who felt justified in being annoyed with attention to the returned little guy -

who never understood the restless feelings of the younger brother who lived inthe shadow of "Mr. Could Do No Wrong" big bro;

3- The lost older brother-

who never really knew his own father who loved him, respected him; yet had enough love to love the younger brother through all his faults and shortcomings.

Still fascinated with the younger brother's tale, his tale continued to be revisited from as many angles to try to unlock it's secrets.

Many examples were offered by Journeymen and Journeyladies to help everyone understand yet another angle from personal perspectives. Thanks for sharing & trusting classmembers with your own personal stuff. Just another peak at how special this class is to each other. Don't stay away, people. Always come back.

Thanks, Jesus, for leaving it open-ended so we can think and learn from Your teachings again. You give new meaning to "gifted kid".

We look forward to next week with Mary Lou & Ch.10- Case for the Unhired Hand.
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