New England Synod

Comment

Comment by carol goulet on June 16, 2009 at 7:19am

Jars of clay come in all sizes and ages and can be used at some unexpected times and in unexpected ways.

Sunday school this week was for my class a time of discovering Paul's first missionary journey. I prepared for a little over an hour with something I was very familiar for the class. Bibles in hand and a map pinned to the board we began Acts 13 and 14. The students took turns reading and then with string and tacks marked Paul's journey on the map. Then one of my students said "it doesn't make sense". I thought he meant the route or something so I asked what didn't make sense. He pointed to a poster on the wall behind the map and said that "eternal life has a grave as the picture." The poster had been there all year but that morning he was finally seeing it and questioning it. A class on Paul's missionary journey had just changed to a discussion on my student's life journey. The Apostile Paul says in one of his letters that we should always be ready to share the good news at any time. We talked about eternal life, what it means and how to know if we have it. It brought to mind a elderly women's question on final judgement from our adult bible study and another who I am ministering to in her last days who has expressed her fear in dying. It also served to remind me of what God says in His word, "If we believe in Jesus, that He is the son of God we will have eternal life". God used the question of a child to remind me of this promise, God used me to explain to my student what he needed to Know that he has eternal life. The class ended with him saying he was going to keep reading and believe the "book" because he knows Jesus is God's son.
I may be rambling on and don't notice the spelling but I just needed to share how God is working with the "Jars of clay" at Grace, Carol

Comment by Donna Kerry on March 23, 2009 at 2:39pm

Hello all! After our mission area assembly, I hope to encourage folks to engage in the Book of Faith initiative.

PS Can anybody identify where my photo was taken?

Comment by carol goulet on March 23, 2009 at 9:05am

glad I found this group, just wanted to share what's happening in West Springfield and glad to know there are others in New England to learn from, Carol

We have begun a study over Lent using Rediscovering the Book of Faith and I just wanted to share a little of how God is using it to bless us.
The group consists of all ages from 7th grade to 80 year olds. The study speaks to each one. Observions:
.teens save nothing-the new testatment letters would never have been written if left to them
.the older you get the more things you remember of your youth-the less of yesterday writing
them down is a good thing to do
.we knew little about Deborah, but all about Adam and Eve
.a 12 year old and an 69 year old can talk to each other
.there is a unique wisdom in a 14 year old to explain the bible
.coffee hour talk has changed-to sharing events of the daily study (book of Faith Lenten
Journey) and prayer requests asked and answered, and even looking for a quiet spot to pray
for a need right then and there
On a personal note; as the teacher of the Sunday school class that contains our confirmands, a letter sent to me in 1973 when I was was a young adult struggling with my newly found faith and the life I was living. Sharing this letter with my class showed them that the relavencey of Gods Word does not change. The verse sent to me back then; Jer. 33:2 reminded me that when I call upon the Lord, He will answer me, that He will show me mighty things. For one of my students that ment that God knows what is happening in his life right now and is there with him no matter what.
Carol