School will be starting here at Family of Christ this coming Monday the 9th of August. As I write this teachers outside of my office are decorating their classrooms and making plans with their aides. Tonight is the first, "Meet the Teacher Night", of the year. You can sense the excitement. I am also excited because it has been a long summer and it has been very quiet here. We have kids during the summer but just a small amount that are here all day. Monday pre-school starts and all the kids come flooding back. Some of the children will be returning children and some will be new. There will be a big time of adjustment for students, teachers and yes even for parents. We are excited about this though because we know why we are here and what we have been called to do.
Family of Christ Learning Center is not just any learning center. Yes we teach all the stuff that pre-schools are supposed to teach. We work very hard at getting our students ready for kindergarten, but we do much more than that. As I said Family Christ Learning Center is not just any learning center, it is a ministry of Family of Christ Lutheran Church. As Lutherans in the Awhatukee village of Phoenix we believe that we have been put here by God to share Christ's Word and his love with the children and the parents that live here. We are intentional about that. We believe that there is no greater gift than the forgiveness that is found in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection and we want everyone to know about that and be brought to faith. Along with that Lutherans in general have always highly valued education and so we strive to provide the best quality that we can.
As a pastor I love being able to work in a pre-school and share the faith with children from all races, nations and languages. I also know I am blessed to be able to see and experience the faith of the children. Children at times can exhibit such great faith that it blows you away. So we are preparing for next week and looking forward to another year in God's grace.
Pastor Fred
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Bible study blog week 7
Monday March 8 - Exodus 14:1-31
Tuesday March 9 - Exodus 15:1-27
Wednesday March 10 - Exodus 16:1-17:16
Thursday March 11 - Exodus 18:1-27
Friday March 12 - Exodus 19:1-20:26
Saturday March 13 - Exodus 21:1-22:31
Tuesday March 9 - Exodus 15:1-27
Wednesday March 10 - Exodus 16:1-17:16
Thursday March 11 - Exodus 18:1-27
Friday March 12 - Exodus 19:1-20:26
Saturday March 13 - Exodus 21:1-22:31
Monday, March 1, 2010
Bible study blog for week 6
Sorry to all of you who are following that I missed last week. I remembered it Tuesday and thought it would be just better to put off for a week and give some people time to catch up, like me.
Here is week six
Monday March 1, Exodus 5:1-6:30
Tuesday March 2, Exodus 7:1-25
Wednesday March 3, Exodus 8:1-9:35
Thursday March 4, Exodus 10:1-29
Friday March 5, Exodus 11:1-12:51
Saturday March 6, Exodus 13:1-22
Pastor Fred
Here is week six
Monday March 1, Exodus 5:1-6:30
Tuesday March 2, Exodus 7:1-25
Wednesday March 3, Exodus 8:1-9:35
Thursday March 4, Exodus 10:1-29
Friday March 5, Exodus 11:1-12:51
Saturday March 6, Exodus 13:1-22
Pastor Fred
Monday, February 15, 2010
Blog Bible study for week 5
Monday the 15th of Feb: Genesis 45:1-46:34
Tuesday the 16th of Feb: Genesis 47:1-48:22
Wednesday the 17th of Feb: Genesis 49:1-50:26
Thursday the 18th of Feb: Exodus 1:1-22
Friday the 19th of Feb: Exodus 2:1-25
Saturday the 20th of Feb: Exocus 3:1-4:41
We are finally getting out of Genesis!
Pastor Fred
Tuesday the 16th of Feb: Genesis 47:1-48:22
Wednesday the 17th of Feb: Genesis 49:1-50:26
Thursday the 18th of Feb: Exodus 1:1-22
Friday the 19th of Feb: Exodus 2:1-25
Saturday the 20th of Feb: Exocus 3:1-4:41
We are finally getting out of Genesis!
Pastor Fred
Monday, February 8, 2010
Bible Study Blog for week 4
Sorry forgot to post yesterday.
Monday the 8th of Feb: Genesis 36:1-37:36
Tuesday the 9th of Feb: Genesis 38:1-39:23
Wednesday the 10 of Feb: Genesis 40:1-23
Thursday the 11th of Feb: Genesis 41:1-40
Friday the 12th of Feb: Genesis 41:41-57
Saturday the 13th of Feb: Genesis 42:1-44:34
Pastor Fred
Monday the 8th of Feb: Genesis 36:1-37:36
Tuesday the 9th of Feb: Genesis 38:1-39:23
Wednesday the 10 of Feb: Genesis 40:1-23
Thursday the 11th of Feb: Genesis 41:1-40
Friday the 12th of Feb: Genesis 41:41-57
Saturday the 13th of Feb: Genesis 42:1-44:34
Pastor Fred
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Some comments on Genesis 23-28
Did you notice the note about Sarah being the only women whose age at death is recorded in the Bible? There is a triva question the next time you want to impress someone in a small group.
Another interesting thing that is brought out is that Sarah was buried in the promised land, in the same place that Abraham and the patriarchs that came after him would be buried.
In Chapter 25 we see how God is the one who determines who will serve him and that the rights of the firstborn do not always go to the first born. Here Esau is the first born but it is Jacob who ends up with the birthright and that is something that God predetermined. In the same way to be a child of Abraham doesn't mean you have to be one physically. It is by faith that Abraham believed God and was credited with righteousness and it is by faith that we become children of Abraham and Children of God.
We see in Chapter 26 that Isaac followed in the sinful footsteps of his father in saying that his wife was his sister so as to save his own skin. There is no perfect holy man in this life, even the best ones are also great sinners.
In chapter 28 after Jacob has been blessed with the blessing of the first born that physically was Esau's we see the character of sin come out. Esau instead of being repentant for selling his birthright deliberately went off and sinned by marrying a woman that his parents forbid him to marry. Sin leads to more sin and so on. Meanwhile Jacob gets visited by God and worships God in that place. It is the start for what will be many hard years for him, but God here promises to be his God no matter what.
Pastor Fred
Another interesting thing that is brought out is that Sarah was buried in the promised land, in the same place that Abraham and the patriarchs that came after him would be buried.
In Chapter 25 we see how God is the one who determines who will serve him and that the rights of the firstborn do not always go to the first born. Here Esau is the first born but it is Jacob who ends up with the birthright and that is something that God predetermined. In the same way to be a child of Abraham doesn't mean you have to be one physically. It is by faith that Abraham believed God and was credited with righteousness and it is by faith that we become children of Abraham and Children of God.
We see in Chapter 26 that Isaac followed in the sinful footsteps of his father in saying that his wife was his sister so as to save his own skin. There is no perfect holy man in this life, even the best ones are also great sinners.
In chapter 28 after Jacob has been blessed with the blessing of the first born that physically was Esau's we see the character of sin come out. Esau instead of being repentant for selling his birthright deliberately went off and sinned by marrying a woman that his parents forbid him to marry. Sin leads to more sin and so on. Meanwhile Jacob gets visited by God and worships God in that place. It is the start for what will be many hard years for him, but God here promises to be his God no matter what.
Pastor Fred
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Answers to some comments
Yes Glen you are right Adam was a chump. He was standing right there as Eve took and ate and then when she offered him some he ate too. We often blame woman for bringing sin into the world but it was Man that God had directly warned not woman, therefore the responsibility was with man to stop her. That is why the New Testament talks so much about Adam's sin.
Dave that is a good question about the languages being confused and the people dispersed. From what we read God did that because man was becoming powerful and full of themselves. They were trying to take the place of God, and even though that would never happen, God was concerned about their spiritual welfare and the consequences of sin that it would bring. So he confused their languages so they couldn't communicate and then dispersed them around the world. There is in interesting parallel here, because of man's sin he could no longer really communicate with God either, at least in the way that Adam and Eve did in the garden. Therefore it was fitting that he couldn't communicate with other men as well. It is the effect of sin. That is why the Day of Pentecost is so important. God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit was bringing man back together in a relationship with him and with his fellow man. The tower of Babel event is a perfect example of the consequences of sin and the Day of Pentecost is a perfect example of the consequences of forgiveness.
Pastor Fred
Dave that is a good question about the languages being confused and the people dispersed. From what we read God did that because man was becoming powerful and full of themselves. They were trying to take the place of God, and even though that would never happen, God was concerned about their spiritual welfare and the consequences of sin that it would bring. So he confused their languages so they couldn't communicate and then dispersed them around the world. There is in interesting parallel here, because of man's sin he could no longer really communicate with God either, at least in the way that Adam and Eve did in the garden. Therefore it was fitting that he couldn't communicate with other men as well. It is the effect of sin. That is why the Day of Pentecost is so important. God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit was bringing man back together in a relationship with him and with his fellow man. The tower of Babel event is a perfect example of the consequences of sin and the Day of Pentecost is a perfect example of the consequences of forgiveness.
Pastor Fred
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