Follow the Exodus!

I just read this from the Wall Street Journal: There is a group of rabbis that are tweeting the story in Exodus as though it's happening in real time to help connect people to the story in a new way.

While they do take some liberty with their story telling and it is by no means a replacement for actually reading Exodus in the Bible, it's definitely a fun way to look at the story! Check them out at Tweet the Exodus! They're be keeping up this project for 2 weeks.

Here is a sample of what they're tweeting:
via @God_of_Israel: @The_Israelites oh, how I hear your pain! i hear your groaning and didn't we have a covenant? yes, I remember you.

via @The_Israelites: Is there anyone to hear our cry?? Why must we suffer so?

via @Slavedrivers: *whip crack* Beating @The_Israelites *whip crack*

via @The_Israelites: It is 21 degrees here in Goshen. But working all day for the @Slavedrivers...feels more like 32!

via @DaughterOfLevi: What a beautiful name! I will go to strengthen him with my milk & some day he may deliver us.


And don't forget - you can follow Charis on twitter also!

Discover the One

Have you checked out the Connections website? There you can send an invitation to a friend for our Easter service coming up on April 4th! Take a look here!

Weekly Update (3/15-3/21)

Did you feel the Pico Rivera earthquake? We hope you all make it through safely and wasn't jolted too badly!

Here's what's shakin' this week: (Thank you, I'll be here all week!)

Friday
Friday Night Fellowship (7 P.M., Kenny's House)
We've made it out of Egypt and are now making our way towards the Promise Land in our study of the book of Exodus. This week we will be looking at chapter 13:17-18:27. Read ahead and don't forget your Bibles!

Sunday

connections live! (9:30, Chapel 2)
Pastor John is continuing the series, "Living in God's Present." This week's message is entitled: "He is Our Sustainer." Come on time at 9:30 to prepare your hearts to hear God's word! As always, you can listen to any messages you missed here. And don't forget, Easter is coming up on April 2nd! Start thinking about the people in your life who need to hear about the Jesus and the promise that his resurrection provides for believers. Invite your friends here!

connections study (11:30, E10)
We've been listening to and reading a lot of different translations of the Bible passages during the connections service. For the next two weeks, Pastor John will be explaining how we come to translations and how we can best benefit from all the various translations. See you there!

Upcoming Events: Mark your calendars! Details to come.
1) Easter Service (4/4)
2) July 4th Retreat
3) July Weekend of Fun (7/30 & 31)

Weekly Update (3/8 - 3/14)

Hellllloooooo! Hope you're having a great week! If you're not - it's bound to get better because this Sunday we'll turn our clocks FORWARD for Daylight Savings.

Here's what's up for this week:

Friday
Charis Friday Night Fellowship (7:30 P.M., Kenny's House)
As the Champion of last week's Slap Jack Challenge, I can safely say that we may have a rematch. Or a whole other challenge altogether. But we'll definitely be looking at Exodus 7:7-15:21 as we continue our study of the book. We had a great discussion last week and pray that it will continue this week.

Sunday
connections live! (9:30-11:00, Chapel 2)
Pastor John will resume his series, Living in God's Present where we've been studying the various "I am" statements of Jesus in the book of John. This week the sermon is entitled: "He is Our Direction." As always, if you missed any of the sermons, the audio and notes are available for your downloading pleasure at sgvconnections.com

connections study (11:30-12:30, E10)
Congratulations to all who've completed the Network series!! This week, we are alloting time for member to meet with Pastor John or his wife Linda to review what they've learned and take steps towards serving in a ministry. If you've signed up for a session, please do not forget to have your paperwork completed BEFORE the meeting!

daylight savings (2:00 A.M.)
Turn your clocks forward before you go to bed on Sunday!

Upcoming Events: Be sure to save the date for these great events we've got planned!
July 4th Retreat - woot woot!

July Weekend of Fun (7/30-31) - guaranteed fun.

Exodus Study #2: Chapter 3:3-7:3

In this second study, we covered everything from God's initial call of Moses at the burning bush to Moses' first attempt and failure at leading the Israelites out of Egypt. In all of this we saw the purpose of God bringing glory to himself and continue to learn that everything that God does is for our good and His glory.

Here are the three themes we came up with:

3:1-4:17

God chooses Moses but Moses is doubtful. God equips people for the task to which He calls them.

4:18-26

God is about to kill Moses because he didn't circumcise his son. In this we see Moses' disobedience and God's holiness as He will not tolerate disobedience.

5:1-7:7

Upon Moses' request to Pharaoh to let the people go into the wilderness, the Pharaoh is angered and presses the Israelites even harder through more labor. As a result, Moses and the Israelites grow frustrated and question the plan but despite this, God promises to reveal His glory in the midst of difficult situations and crisis of faith.

Join us this Friday as we continue our study of Exodus in 7:8-15:21. Hope to see you there!

Weekly Update (2/22-2/28)

Friday (2/26)
Friday Night Fellowship, Kenny's House
We'll continue on through the Exodus in chapters 3-7:7. Please bring your bibles and notebooks. We begin at 7:30 at Kenny's house in Temple City.

Sunday (2/28)
Connections Live! (9:30, Chapel 2)
Pastor John will continue the series, "Living in God's Present", a series of messages based on Jesus' "I Am" statements in the book of John. (Pastor John will definitely do the series on the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20 later on.) Last week, we learned that we do not have to look to the past or future to see God in our lives, but that He is working in our present! Seek to learn about who God is right now. This Sunday, Pastor John will deliver the message, "He is Our Provider." As always, you can download all previous notes and messages from the Connections Website.

Connections Study (11:30, E10)
This week we're looking at session 5 of Network, "The Influence of Passion." We'll revisit your personal style as well as look at your passion for service. Don't forget to bring your workbooks!

Upcoming Events

July 4th Retreat!! Be sure to save that weekend for a great time of learning and fellowship with Connections!

Weekend of Fun (July 30/31): We don't know much, but we know it'll be fun. Hope you can join us!

Exodus Lesson #1

In case you missed our first study in Exodus, here it is.

Author: Moses

Dates: Exodus - 1260 B.C. , 1313 B.C.

Genre: OT Narrative

Three Dimensions of OT Narratives (taken from Enery's Hermaneutics lesson #2):
- The eternal, universal Plan of God
- The story of God's people
- The stories of individuals

Observation. Read Exodus 1:1 – 2:25.
List 20 facts from the passage. These can be verses taken verbatim or a summary. Be as clear and succint as possible.

Interpretation.
Principles of Interpretation (Taken from Enery's Hermeneutic Lesson #2)
- God is the hero! Don’t overpersonalize.
- Take big bites. All of the events in a narrative are connected.
- Avoid allegorizing. The Bible was written to show God’s plan for redemption, not to illustrate principles.

Review your 20 observations and try to group them into themes. The themes should be detailed enough to allow us to locate the passage in the text.

1. Theme: God keeps his promise to Abraham by blessing the Hebrews in strength and numbers. God blesses people in strength and numbers.

2. Theme: Moses, in fear, commits sin but nevertheless, God will fulfill his plan to use Moses to deliver the Hebrews. God is holy. Sin has no place in God's plan and will not interfere with God's sovereignty.

3. Theme: God remembers, hears, and sees the plight of the Hebrews. God never fails to hear the cries of his people.

Application
Questions for Application
Question #1: What does this passage tell us about God, His plan, or the role that His people should be playing in His plan?

Question #2: What positive or negative model might this passage be setting before us to teach us about trusting God in the midst of His plan?


Come up with an “aim” for each of the three themes you listed above. Use the questions above to guide your application.

Aim #1:

Aim #2:

Aim #3:


Small Group Questions
1. On which of the aims do you want to work?
2. How will you work on it this week?
3. How can your small group encourage you and keep you accountable?