Additional Help for the Jeremiah Journey

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor

Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)

Now is not the time to quit.

We are just getting started on the Jeremiah Journey and we have an entire year ahead of us.

We can find ourselves stuck when we do not have the necessary support to go the distance. We get weary and leary and we want to quit. We are ready surrender under the weight of the responsibility of carrying on and going any further. But as Norman Vincent Peale said: “It is always to early to quit.”

Accept this as our connecting and collaborating on the Jeremiah Journey together. As I have openly and honestly shared in the past posts, I have come this way before. I have been on this journey in my past, and I lost my way and caved in to the urge to surrender.

Not this time.

We are on this journey together. Whether you want to learn more about one of the major prophets or you simply seek an extensive study that covers the entire year, the Jeremiah Journey fits the bill. It covers the entire year. It covers a major prophet in Jeremiah. However, life will still happen. Illness will still attack your body. Stress will remain a factor. Tests and trials will still pop up throughout our days. I offer you support to help you go and grow.

Join us for our Bible discussion on Jeremiah Chapter 1 via YouTube today at 9:30 AM PST

Dive Deep into the Text via Discussion

Our Live @ Lunch Bible Study is a weekly livestream that incorporates a discussion on the biblical text and a relevant topic to today’s Christian. This is not designed for theology majors and seminary students. This is for the everyday Christian believer and those who are interested in learning more about the Christian faith. Let this discussion help you gain more perspective on the Bible and its contents. Use the chat and comments on YouTube or Twitch to pose questions and your own ideas to help you along the Jeremiah Journey.

Dig Deeper into the Text with Bible Study Resources

We developed the Bible Study Resource List to serve as a help to those who might get stuck and feel like they need to stop. Tap into the resource list and its contents to push you to dig into the text at a deeper level. Use this resource list to expand and enhance your study of the Bible as you continue on the Jeremiah Journey.

Get your FREE copy now Jeremiah Journey-Bible Study ResourcesDownload

Additional support can be found via other blogs such as The Simple Preacher and the Devotional Guy. They offer straightforward reflections on the Word of God that you might find of interest. Also, other blogs offer insights into the Book of Jeremiah, too. You find out what the Book of Jeremiah teaches us or gain a political perspective on the Book of Jeremiah with the Christian Mind.

Whatever you do, don’t quit. We’re just getting started. And we’re on this journey together.

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Detox Challenge Day 6

He who gives to the poor shall not lack. . .

proverbs 28:27

Day #5 Reflection

The end of the workweek was a welcomed day, especially since it ended my seasonal session for after school programming and provides me with a bit of a respite for a few week. I will probably get some running and golf in when and where I can during the next two weeks. I have already been tuning up at the driving range, so I think I am ready to hit the course again.

Focus on Faith

I pondered on Proverbs 28:27 for a moment as I prepared to support a shoe drive today. I do not have much to give, but I am giving up a few pairs of running shoes that rarely ever get any action. In the text, the focus is on the act of giving and not on the amount that is given. I had to recognize that. Then, I also had to realize that part of my responsibility includes giving a portion of what I would have spent on snacks and junk if I wasn’t doing this detox challenge right now. Based on some of what was shared in All Things Charity, I will calculate what I normally would spent on unhealthy snacking and donate either the food or the funds to fight food insecurity.

from-the-sanctuary-to-the-streets-helping-the-poor-and-needyDownload

Focus on Fuel

Today I plan on keeping an eye on my portions and spacing out my meals and snacks. No work and plenty of free time makes for a dangerous point in the midst of this challenge. In my preparation, I accounted for my workdays more than I considered my days off. I have to retain my focus on the plan and the purpose to keep going strong through the day and the weekend, especially as I seek to add more physical activity.

Focus on Fitness

Like I said, with no work, I have plenty of time to fill my day with physical activity. After my livestream focused on GYNECOLOGIC CANCER AWARENESS and my guest Mz. Sharifah a cancer survivor and cancer patient advocate, I will drop off my donation for the shoe drive and perhaps stop at the driving range. I might end my daylight hours with a short walk around the block to match my morning routine, but I know that I will definitely get in some deep stretching touching in the hopes of doing a long run tomorrow.

An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

henry david thoreau

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Detox Challenge Day 4

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “ 

Matthew 4:4 (NKJV)

Day 3 Reflection

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

I found myself digging deep yesterday. Nothing was ultimately wrong. I just went there. I took a moment to take my mind off of everything that I had going on and coming up, and I simply sat still for a moment and enjoyed the sun beaming down on me in the stillness of the moment.

That’s not my normal modus operandi. That’s not the way that I regularly handle a highly compacted schedule. But I found it both necessary and refreshing. In that brief moment, I was able to refocus and take my mind off the fact that I had not eaten bread in 4 or 5 days. I did not even think about not having meat since Saturday night. In fact, I paused and reflected for a moment on how much I did not feel like I was missing meat. I thanked God for encouraging words from others like Natalie Cone as I pushed through Day #3. It was necessary time to refocus.

Focus on Faith

Matthew 4:4 helps me to negate any notion that our lives hang in the balance without any support from heaven. Let us recall that the Lord is a Provider, often called Jehovah Jireh in the Old Testament. And what the Lord provides is sufficient, enough to carry us through until He comes through again to amply supply our needs and answer our supplications. No, we do not live by bread alone. And the Lord is the source of our daily bread no matter who He might use to get it to us. But we are to daily depend on “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, NKJV).

Focus on Fuel

I will refer back to Matthew 4:4. We don’t live by bread alone. If this remains unclear for you, think about the wide variety of vegetables available to you. Take inventory of the varieties of legumes and nuts. Try to keep track of all of the pulses and types of seeds available to us day after day. Let the vast amount of choices provide you with options for your meals and snacks.

Focus on Fitness

Things went a little different yesterday. Instead of a standard walk for a fitness break, I played with the dog and she kept me busy dodging and dipping as we covered about 3/4 of the backyard. Today, I might take another detour from the norm. If nothing else, I know that I have not lacked motivation. I have remained consistent with my mornings of modified pushups and my evenings with some deep breathing and stretches. I have been sleeping more soundly and feel no loss of strength. By this weekend, I might go for a longer run and possibly walk a par 3 golf course. I have yet to decide, but I know that if the last 3 days are any indication of what today brings then I am more than ready to fully engage.

“Success is knowing your the purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.”

John c. maxwell

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Recap and Reflections on Giving Thanks by Giving Back

Going into the weeklong campaign of Giving Thanks by Giving Back, I handed it over to God and trusted God to lead me in a new manner of approach and address within the scope of ministry. COVID-19 did its part by giving me some restrictions that I had imagined would have been lifted or lessened to a degree by then, but I had to maintain my trust in God going into this. For anyone seeking to anything B.I.G. in the name of God, always remember to remain Bold In Grace (B.I.G.) as I learned from Hebrews 4:16.

Giving Thanks by Giving Back incorporated a formula that helped shape the campaign and make for an ease of communications and social media sharing. We used daily themes related gratefulness, expressions of thanksgiving, leaning heavily on the Book of Psalms, and items in 3 major categories. We placed these into a calendar which we made available for download online.

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks gave people an opportunity to reflect on God’s goodness and to take time to spend time with God. Personally, I thought that this was a key component for setting the tone alongside the daily theme. Our personal time with God sets up our worship and works. Giving thanks gave an open opportunity to settle into a a mode where we might search our own hearts or look into the Scriptures for where we truly need to acknowledge and appreciate God for His everlasting love towards us.

Our campaign promotion was primarily through social media

Giving Back

We spent some time with a focus on giving back in various ways. We even looked at why and how to give back. We provided a lot of support here, providing examples and training videos on conducting good works. I sought out a lot of references to other bloggers and authors of the faith to lend support and examples linked throughout the series of daily posts I have archived on this blog during this past week.

During this week and beyond I had the privilege of sharing the campaign components with Christ Temple of San Diego and Pastor John Powell. I was also able to join in service with my beloved friend Pastor Terry W. Brooks and the Bayview Church as they served over 700 meals to local families with the support of Saddleback Church. Additionally, I was able to connect with Dr. Foley Parker and the Lamb of God Food Bank to assist in unloading food for needy families in North County San Diego. These are just examples of some of what we got to get into with this campaign in term of giving back.

An Endearing Example of Gratefulness

An example of gratefulness on full display in a modern context would Amy Frohnmayer Winn. I read her story a few years back in Runners World Magazine. Amy suffered from the debilitating effects of Fanconi anemia (FA) and it plagued her with a high risk of cancer and no cure due to what is considered a recessive-gene disorder. Despite all of that going on with her medically, Amy relished life and its every moment with her husband and her family, especially while she was able to continue running. In essence, Amy’s story taught me a few things about gratefulness.

First, I learned that gratefulness comes out through your composure despite your condition. Let your countenance show that you appreciate life, even the little things that will vanish into thin air when you are gone. Secondly, I learned that gratefulness comes out through your communication despite your condition. What we say oftentimes does not match what we show on our face. Let your words and writing express more gratitude than grief as you deal with life and any condition that you might face. Finally, I learned that your gratefulness will come out through your contentment despite your condition. Paul speaks of this eloquently in the epistles when he wrote: Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (Philippians 4:11). Our gratefulness does not have to be hidden. It should not be hidden. It should be shown to others, encouraging and inspiring them to hold fast throughout the storms of life embracing more than enduring through it all.

Thank you again to any and all who were involved and supportive of the campaign. We will continue going forward in faith with more to come in the coming month.

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Giving Thanks by Giving Back Day #4

Tune in to Live @ Lunch Bible Study today at 10 AM

Daily Theme

Thank God for your support system & encouragement.

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. – Hebrews 3:13

Giving Thanks

Right now reveals just how crazy things seem to get day by day. COVID-19 and quarantines or lockdowns are a reality for the holidays. People are bracing for a day of family tradition with limited numbers and loads of restrictions. It’s truly driving some folks COVID crazy. The Devotional Guy posts to what he calls the COVID-19 Devotionals. Think about those who truly serve as a support system to you and who encourages you when you need it. Be thankful for that system and those individuals. Write a list of them. Read their names aloud as you remember them in your prayers. Keep them showered with prayers for strength and endurance, praising God for how much they mean to you. Never forget how we are called to support one another with encouragement day after day.

Giving Back

Return the favor by supporting someone else. It could be one of your friends or co-workers. It might be one of the elders or deacons at your church, even one of the Bible teachers or youth counselors. Support them with words of encouragement. Express it in a variety of different ways. Share an e-card via email. Drop a note in their social media inbox. Tag them in a post on Facebook or Instagram. Include words of encouragement, a Bible verse or just a thank you for what they mean to you. What’s important is that you take the time to share it with that person.

Go Beyond the Norm

Now consider this and see if it you can take it on today. Think about someone who has not been there for you. Offer them support & encourage them. Step up and encourage them today. Share words that might stimulate them to make moves today or just simply get through another tough and demanding day.

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Giving Thanks by Giving Back Training Session

I had the pleasure of presenting our Fall 2020 campaign Giving Thanks by Giving Back yesterday. The livestream was an opportunity for me to present and pray over the project with an open and earnest heart for the work ahead. As always with our Life Path Multimedia livestreams, the recording remains available via YouTube. A copy of the presentation is available for download online.

Good works are part of our calling as believers. StopAndPrayTV speaks on being fruitful in our good works, every single one of them. The reference to Colossians 1:10 centers the post and makes for a compelling read. I truly love how Kim Petitt lays it out there and explains good works. Naturally, Being Benedictine would reference Saint Benedict as it explores the topic of good works. I guess part of my take on it is aligned with the combined stances and approaches to good works, summing up my views by quoting NT verses from Titus 3:14 to Ephesians 2:8-10. I believe good works are the fruit of our faith, not the root of our faith. (One of my preacher friend’s will steal that and use it, and it’s okay.)

Part of Giving Thanks by Giving Back was covered in the previous post, but yesterday’s training session allowed for me to delve into finer elements of the campaign. This post gives you some of the highlights from yesterday’s session.

Inbox Inspirations No. 6 – https://t.co/Wc4ifWgdkJ
Good works and doing good for others. #GivingThanks #GivingBack pic.twitter.com/BgarJFdPDw

— RevBruceJ (@RevBruceJ1) November 9, 2020

Our Latest Inbox Inspirations promo tweet

The Campaign Includes Guidance

What we presented is designed to serves as a guide for generating ideas and stimulating conversations around how to give thanks by giving back within your local congregation and community. It is by no means designed to serve as the only source material or resource for doing good works or charitable service. Every congregation and community is unique, so it would behoove anyone seeking to do something with this campaign to identify local issues and priorities that fit with the theme of the campaign as they plan and strategize any kind of project or event.

You Have to Keep COVID-19 in Consideration

The numbers don’t lie. There is a major upswing in COVID-19 deaths and case throughout the United States. In California, we have many counties shifting into the most restrictive tier due to the rise in COVID-19 cases. It is difficult to plan and organize any project or event without considering the implications of COVID-19 on those plans.

Some advice on how to handle COVID-19 restrictions and precautions comes from the CDC. As many of us have learned over these past months, be sure to check with your local public health officials for restrictions and guidance related to large gatherings and events. Some of the most basic precautions such as face coverings, social distancing, and hand washing have been touted to help limit the spread. Always check and keep updated and abreast of the latest restrictions and precautions as you plan and organize.

Develop Connections within Your Community

Whether it is working with the local food bank or another church in its efforts to distribute turkeys, make connections that provide a win-win for your group or church as well as whoever you might partner with to make things happen. Do not neglect the idea of serving as resource to your congregation and community by providing updated information for clothing drives, food distributions, turkey giveaways, and special events happening within and around your community. Make connections that help make a difference and make an impact.

I like how another blog puts it out there with Psalm 100 and “Daily Service: Give Thanks.” It ought to become more natural for us to serve and give thanks. It should become part of our Christian DNA. Similarly, another blogger references Simon Sinek when speaking on a lifetime of service. No matter how you see it, giving back a way that we can show our gratitude and our own way of giving thanks that touches someone else’s life.

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What God Wants

We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.

They are the people he called, because that was his plan.

– Romans 8:28 (New Century Version)

It is all due to His plan.  he has a plan and things work out in accordance with His plan.  Anything outside of His plan is outside of His will.  That’s how it works out with God.

God wants something, though.  He desires it both from us and for us.  In essence, God wants something for us and from us.  God wants us to be a blessing and to be blessed.  God wants us blessed, and God wants us blessing others.  God wants us getting all that He has to offer us.  God wants us giving all that He gives to us to offer to others.

Maybe you are having a problem getting what God wants for you because you refuse to give what God wants from you.  I know it sounds cold, but it’s a reality.  You cannot get what you need or want because you have not released what God has told you to give up or give away.  Maybe you need to make a change for the better and get back with God’s plan that it in His will.  That would get you back to the point where all things work together for good.

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Multigenerational Ministry

 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
  -Titus 2:1 (ESV)

There is nothing that comes naturally to us in this new life.  Our rebirth as children of God leads us to enter into a new life with a blank slate.  We are to put off the old man who has lived within us for so long, so that we may put on the new man who is to be developed and nurtured within us as new creations in Christ.

Sometimes it works.  At other times, it just doesn’t work.  We fail when we fail to rely upon the Holy Spirit.  We tend to not mature as steadily when we focus more on what we will get out of it or gain from it rather than simply submitting to the will of the Spirit.  We lose out when we lose sight of the unveiled mysteries that God has revealed to us through His Word and by His Holy Spirit.

Paul admonishes Titus to teach what is “sound doctrine.” In doing so, he shares with Titus how to lead multiple generations in ministry.  He offers a strategy for incorporating the people by empowering his people to teach one another in the Christian life.

Titus is to “exhort and rebuke with all authority”(Titus 2:15 ESV).  He, as the pastor and spiritual leader of the church, is to lead, guide, direct and provide the means for the older men to minister and mentor the younger men as well as the older women to do the same for the younger women.  In essence, according to Paul’s instructions to Titus, everyone has a role to play within the ministry of the church, ministering to each other in unity.

Read Titus 2 in its entirety.  Read through it, then study it.  See what God asks of us as believers when it comes to ministering to one another.  Pray over it.  Subject yourself to pastoral authority for the good of all concerned.  Do not simply go along to get along.  Give of yourself, sharing your experiences and lessons learned.  Let God use you to minister to your brothers and sisters so that the entire body of Christ will be strengthened in “sound doctrine.”

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Worship or Entertainment

“I fear there are some who preach with the view of amusing men, and as long as people can be gathered in crowds, and their ears can be tickled, and they can retire pleased with what they have heard, the orator is content, and folds his hands, and goes back self-satisfied.” – Charles H. Spurgeon

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. – Colossians 2:8 (NIV)

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. – 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)

Oftentimes, the warning of sound doctrine is shared with ministers and pastors, even missionaries, upon ordination.  Hands are laid upon these individuals and they are anointed and appointed for service.   As leaders, those teaching the Bible and indoctrinating new believers into the faith, you will see the importance of sound doctrine serving as the foundation for all that you teach others.  I think we all get that, too.

As the worship leader…?

As the choir director…?

As the minister of music…?

Yep. Yes. Yeah. Uh-huh.  Yep.  You better believe it, brothers and sisters.  We at least owe God that much when say that we are ministering in His Spirit in what we call praise and worship.  Our praise and worship selections should minister to others beyond sounding good and making others feel good.  The selections better speak of how good and how great God is to us.

Let us not fall prey to the trap of appealing to and impressing people.  We do not want to send mixed signals in the house of God.  We want sound doctrine to go along with strong voices and skilled instrumentation. 

If it isn’t biblical, how can it be part of your praise? If God doesn’t do that or do that the way that we’ve been singing it, how does that fit into our worship? We need to get with the church staff and leaders who know the Bible better than us, then assemble the music department from top to bottom so that we can teach how to minister through music and song, praise and worship, with a biblical base and a sound doctrinal foundation.  Someone other than just the drummer and piano player ought to research the songs being played throughout the service.              

It is about worship.  It sets the stage for the Word to be preached.  It ushers souls to the point of readiness to receive the Word through preaching.  It is vital to the weary soul who needs to have his or her hardened heart to be broken up and softened in order for the Word to take root.

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Keep Count in 2012

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? – Luke 14:28 (KJV)

In 2012, you had better keep count of some things.  You should keep count and keep track throughout the year. Look back at how God answered prayers and provided for you thus far, holding on with hope for Him to continue to grant you such blessings of grace and mercy in 2012.

• Count Up the Costs: Know what it will require of you to get more done in God’s name in 2012.  Be sure that you seek wise counsel and pray to the Lord for guidance in all of your endeavors.
• Count Off the Blessings: Record all of what God does for you.  Use a calendar, diary or journal, even a simple notebook.  Record the answered prayers and unexpected blessings.  Keep track of these blessings so that you may recall the Lord’s many blessings bestowed upon you.
• Count On the Lord: Keep your faith and trust rooted in the Lord’s ability to do more with your availability.  Trust Him with all of your heart.  Take your prayers and petitions to the Lord and trust Him to have all of the answers.

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