Growth
through Study
Ray Foss
Crossroads
Walk to Emmaus – Men’s Walk - #45
Please turn
to page 48 of your worship book and join me in the Prayer of the Holy Spirit
Please be
seated.
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Click to 1st Slide – Have you hugged
your bible today up on the screen.
How many of
you know the story of the Prodigal Son? Good, looks like this talk will be
easier than I thought, since you all are reading your bible…
I don’t know
about you, but I was in many ways that Prodigal Son. I had left the church
right in the first semester of my college years when I was 18 and majoring in
drinking. I didn’t like the way the church was presenting itself to me. I had
given myself to God, was born again, when I was a youngster; but I was without
a faith community. I hadn’t really read the bible, not really, before that,
just Sunday school and summer camp. I hadn’t picked up a bible other than the
few times as year I went to church with my mother when my first wife and I
visited. She and I were of different faith traditions anyway.
I got into
real trouble outside my faith, my grounding in God. I fell out of love with my
wife and I broke more than a few of the Ten Commandments in the process. I
ended up divorced and in law school at 41 in 2001.
And I
started writing poetry through all of this, starting in 2000 at 40 years old.
I was
blessed to see a church, Wesley United Methodist Church, reach out to a lady
who had just lost her husband, someone who lived in the same apartment building
as me, right next to the church. I started attending, I became more active. I
joined the church in January 2004 after having no church for 23 years.
I became a
little more active. I graduated from law school in May and I took the Bar late
July.
Labor Day week 2004, I began a 34 week bible
study, called Disciple I, which is a weekly study with reading, homework, group
discussion one day a week, covering most of the bible.
I was excited about the reading, after 25 years
without my faith and never having read the bible, and my seeking, wanting a
structured study.
And I’m extraverted, (in the Myers Briggs I was 20
extraverted and 0 introverted), so sharing was easy. But it was a life changing
event for me. I have not been the same since.
My wife, who is now a pastor and in seminary, was
another member of the bible study. We fell in love while studying God’s word.
Not only did I gain a wife and 3 beautiful daughters
(I can share pictures later); but I got to spend hours and weeks beginning a
journey of discovery that continues to this day, drinking in the living waters
of the good news, the word of God revealed in scripture, study, and
devotionals.
Without this grounding, I was as lost as that
Prodigal Son. With this ongoing study I hear over and over the saving message
of God’s love and God’s grace (Ephesians 2:1-10), saving us by grace, not by
works.
Oh, and that
gift of poetry, that started with my first poem in April 2000 - I now
have a blog with over 3,900 poems (3,100 of which are about my faith journey)
CLICK to title slide - #2
My name is
Ray Foss and the name of this talk is Grow
Through Study
click
CLICK to next slide - #3
We are
either growing or dying. Study helps us continue to grow.
I’m not sure
who said this first; but I think in this information age, in this ADD world we
live in, that has never been more true. So it is in the secular world. So it is
in the spirit.
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Definition of Study
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Study is an
act or process by which one acquires knowledge of a subject for living.
Study can be
one of the most energizing, liberating, and deepening human activities; it is
the doorway to discovery.
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But, for a Christian,
it is more than this;
The purpose
of study is not to just learn information but to transform every aspect of our
lives. Study helps us to grow.
We are all
at a different place in our journey. That is why we each need our own plan.
What I am describing here is just my story, my awakening through study, and
some things for you maybe to consider.
The aim of
study for a Christian is growth in spiritual wisdom and the mind of Christ,
through his life and his teachings.
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Through
Study we give God our minds, as in Piety we give God our hearts.
Put the Stool leg of Study on.
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Our Minds
Our minds, given to God
Spending time in Your
Word,
the holy mystery recorded
revealed in the life of a
people
and the life and death of
a son
A story of redemption
in the sacrifice of the
savior,
willingly, lovingly given
The love of the father
Ageless stories of grace
upon grace
revealed in our story,
for it is our story too
if we give our minds to
God
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What does
the scripture say (and these are only a few verses).
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Paul
said we are TRANSFORMED through the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2)
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We
RENEW our minds by applying them to those things that are most worthy
(Philippians 4:8)
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Jesus
said that the knowledge of TRUTH will set us free (John 8:32)
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One
does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of
God. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
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Your
Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105).
Another
section of Psalm 119 speaks to me especially…
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10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
(Psalm
119:10-16)(NIV)
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Each
of us needs a unique PLAN that will work for us.
CLICK to next slide - #7
A CHRISTIAN
PERSPECTIVE ON STUDY
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Study is a
constant part of our life. How much time
do you spend studying our Christian priority?
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Through
study we grow; just as we don’t stop learning in high school or college, so we
must study in our faith too.
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Study is a
Spiritual Discipline – continual discovery.
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Our study
should center on Christ as he is our model, the example for our lives.
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We are
informed of the truth and we are being formed in the truth.
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Study
grounds us in Christ, even as the world is changing so fast around us, so we can share Christ to the world.
CLICK to next slide - #8
There are
several Fields of study for growth; things that will work for you:
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All of this
is a process, a journey, not an end to itself. And, they are opportunities,
possibilities, and suggestions, not mandatory…
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THE GOOD
NEWS – the loving story of our savior
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SCRIPTURE –
all of God’s word is holy and worthy of study; context matters; it gives us
deeper understanding and inner transformation.
As my poem above said, it
is a wonderful story of love and grace.
CLICK to next slide - #9
Fields of
study for growth:
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YOURSELF –
who better to start with (that person you see in the mirror), something that
will be touched on throughout this weekend; to grown, to know and to use your
God-given gifts.
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OTHERS –
especially fellow Christians, the saints who have gone before us. Through piety
and study we can all people as God sees them.
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Fields of
study for growth:
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SPIRITUAL
CLASSICS – The lives and wisdom of the saints, the writings of the masters of
spiritual life, and the experiences, wisdom and courage of those who have gone
before, adding understanding to our own challenges, our own journey.
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THE CHURCH –
the history of the church universal and your own denomination, to enable you to
be a leader, an active member.
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Fields of
study for growth:
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HISTORY - it gives us a context and a perspective on
our own times. And yes, that’s John Wesley, who gave us the vocabulary of
prevenient and justifying grace. Through study, at least in part, I am trying
to follow his guidance on moving on to perfection.
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THE WORLD –
current events and the state of humanity today; we must love the world as God
did, as he sent his son, so we are sent.
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OBSTACLES /
E X C U S E S
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“I just don’t have the time.”
We all struggle with time
But You can make time; make it a
priority
CLICK to next slide - #13
EXCUSES
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“I don’t know what to study.”
Then seek guidance; ask someone
There are a lot of choices, many that
are a day at a time
CLICK to next slide - #14
EXCUSES
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“I don’t like to read books.”
A variant on
this for me, at least in law school, was “I can’t read until I get bi-focals).
Try something else; listen to bible
on tape, read journal, join group
CLICK to next slide - #15
EXCUSES
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“I don’t understand the Bible.”
You can use a bible commentary or get
an annotated bible (like this one). I rely on these notes at the bottom of the
pages. I cannot just read the scripture itself.
AND, I mark mine up a lot! How many
of you write in your bibles??
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EXCUSES
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“Theology confuses me.”
Theology is all around; don’t get
hung up on the word; it is how we experience God
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So, what do
we do about all of this, these excuses, these other obstacles to spending time
studying, drinking in the word of God, the message of God for our lives? It all
goes back to Priority and Piety, making a choice, making a commitment, choosing
to do this, and making a plan.
CLICK to next slide - #17
DEVELOP A
PERSONAL STUDY STYLE, that is right for you
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Make it a Priority,
make it regular, and if you miss days, start again
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Balanced
Diet of Material
CLICK to next slide - #18
PERSONAL
STUDY STYLE
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Carve out Time,
the same time each day if you can
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Find the
right Place, make it a place set apart if you can, holy ground
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PERSONAL
STUDY STYLE
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Keep a
reading Journal
You should see my pastors when I
start taking notes when they are giving a sermon…
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Find a way
to share what you have learned
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What I read
/ What I do: and again, this is what I do
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At the beginning
of the day (or end of day)
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In our
living room
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GO OVER to table
Bible, like
this annotated bible
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Weekly bible
study (Acts)
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Upper Room,
with bible readings and reflections
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Alive Now,
which follows the weekly common lectionary
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Upper Room
Disciplines, which also follows the weekly lectionary
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Men’s Daily
Devotional
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Golden Texts
– one verse a day, going through the bible
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Love Dare
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Practicing
the Presence of God
YOU CAN see other examples on the
book table, over there.
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I keep a pad as I read the passages,
the studies, and I write in my bible all the time, so the thoughts are there
too, and the passages that really challenge or speak to me are there.
Write notes
in church
CLICK
For me that is my poetry – daily.
Through study, God has gifted me with over 1,400 poems in the last year alone.
I have 5 sites that I post to, with
over 14,100 copies of my poems on the web, over 12,000 about my faith. They
have been read in over 165 countries.
I have been blessed through study.
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CONCLUSION
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Challenge
Yourself – we didn’t stop learning when we left school
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Mature in
the faith – in the same way, we as Christians should continue learning.
As I read
recently in a Lay Speaker book, Go Preach, “You have been called to proclaim
the good news of Jesus Christ. Immerse yourself in God’s Word, so that the Word
may come alive in you.”
CLICK to next slide - #22
CONCLUSION
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Have
Determination – we must be intentional
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Feel God’s
Loving Grace in the growing of your mind
I would like to close with a poem I
wrote as I prepared this talk a month ago, for this moment:
CLICK to next slide - #23
Through Your Word
In the quiet of morning
the still of the room, in
the written word
a message of grace, for
me, this moment
Through your word, I grow
I live, transformed, by
your spirit
speaking to me, deep
within me
writing more of your story
onto the flesh of my heart
through your word, growing
living my journey
with power,
with words,
to share.
CLICK to next slide - #24
DE’COLORES
All of my
poems and photographs are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.
All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for
usage. See all 40,430+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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