SERMON NOTES:  

“The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”     

 “This is a very gnarly, gnarly hour on the earth to be human.  The conditions we are all living in are violent on the soul.  From social conditions to human brokenness, to the demonic, to the evil unleashed on the earth.… the whole thing…
the whole thing we find ourselves in is violent on our soul… It’s a very difficult time to thrive.  And God cares deeply about all of that and your humanity.  Therefore MATURITY is NOT an option. You can’t dink around with your life and find LIFE or sustain it.   Or find LOVE or sustain it.  Or find RELATIONSHIP and sustain it. ….. you can’t. 
Maturity is not an option.  Maturity is your RESCUE, WHOLE-HEARTEDNESS is your Safe place.” 
-John Eldredge Ransomed Heart Podcast “Soul and Spirit” 

God loves me too much to leave me the way I am!   

Lifelong Learning is critical for Maturity!  

A Lifelong Learner is Not afraid to seek and ask Hard questions.  Don’t be afraid to Dig in! 

Smart  is different than Wise. 

Proverbs 1:7  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  

“Start with God - the first step in learning is bowing down to God.”  (The Message)

 Ephesians 1:17  “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”

Why Worship?  Why Serve?  Why Grow?  Why Alpha? “Out of Response to all He has done for Me!”

 A complete list of “Just John’s”  favorite Books, and Podcasts, along with “13 Questions All Christians Eventually Ask Themselves” is available below.  And check out The Teaching Company @  thegreatcourses.com

Study Guide

Solitude, Scripture & Prayer 

Find a quiet place and 15 minutes.

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone.  Take some deep breaths… Just be… … …Ask, “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word!”

Scripture – Read slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there!  (Sermon notes may help with understanding, but don’t stop there.)

Keep asking, “Jesus, what are You saying?  Why this word this day?

What are You asking me to believe about You and about me? 

How do I join You today on Your mission and in my transformation?”

Prayer – Let your conversation with God flow from what He is saying then talk about what you notice is on your heart and also on your list.

Finish - Spend TWO minutes again with God

The readings this week:

Monday – Ephesians 1:15-19

Tuesday – Proverbs 1:1-7

Wednesday – 1 Kings 3:5-15

Thursday –  1 Kings 11:1-13

Friday – Psalm 111

Saturday – Psalm 119:33-40

Got questions?  Continue the discussion.  Follow the link @  https://goo.gl/Jd93J7

 John’s Reading List…

 Biography/Autobiography

·        The Diary of Anne Frank

·        Washington: A Life

·        Night (Elie Wiesel)

·        The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

·        No Ordinary Time – Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt

·        Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

·        Lincoln: A Biography

·        Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich

·        Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God & Changed the World 

Christian Books

·        Boundaries

·        Mere Christianity

·        Financial Peace

·        If God is Good:  Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil

·        Money, Possessions and Eternity

·        In the Fullness of Time (Paul Maier) 

Science Fiction

·        Dune

·        The Stand

·        The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

·        Ender’s Game 

Fantasy

·        The Hobbit

·        The Lord of the Rings

·        Watership Down

·        Chronicle of Narnia

·        Game of Thrones (didn’t read the books.  I saw the series 😊) 

Self-Help / Self-Improvement

·        Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

·        Crucial Conversations

·        Who Moved My Cheese?

·        Outliers

·        Getting Things Done

·        Mindset 

Critical Thinking

·        The Art of Thinking Clearly

·        Predictably Irrational

·        Thinking Fast and Slow

·        Weaponized Lies

·        Mistakes were made (by not by me)

·        Freakonomics

·        Antifragile:  Things That Gain from Disorder

·        Fooled by Randomness:  The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

·        The Tipping Point:  How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

·        Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics 

Miscellaneous

·        Christianity:  The First 3000 years

·        Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible

·        A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918

·        The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War

·        A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam

·        Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

·        Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years

·        The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology

·        Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II

·        Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy

·        Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

·        The Source: A Novel

·        Abominable Science … Origins of the Yeti, Nessie and other famous Cryptids

·        Why People Believe Weird Things

·        Triumphs of Experience – The Men of the Harvard Grant Study 

John’s Podcast List…

Akimbo -  Seth Godin    About our culture & how we can change it. About seeing what's happening & choosing to do something.  The culture is real,
but it can be changed. You can bend it. 

Choiceology - Katy Milkman   An original podcast from Charles Schwab, explores the lessons of behavioral economics, exposing the psychological traps that lead to expensive mistakes. 

Hardcore History - Dan Carlin   Generally centered on specific historical events and discussed in a "theater of the mind" style. 

Freakonomics - Stephen Dubner   Discover the hidden side of everything ... Freakonomics tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do). 

Hidden Brain  -  NPR   Using science & storytelling, host Shankar Vedantam reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, & the triggers that direct the course of our relationships. 

The Indicator–Planet Money   -  NPR  Helps make sense of what’s happening today.  Quick hit of insight into work, business, economy, * everything else. 

Lexicon Valley  John McWhorter    If you’ve ever had curious thoughts and questions about the ways we speak, read, & write, this is the show for you. 

Lore – Aaron Mahnke  Non-fiction scary stories.  Each episode examines historical events that show the dark side of human nature, presented in a style comparable to a campfire experience. 

Mission Log (Star Trek) – John Champion/Ken Ray  Discussion/Analysis of the Star Trek Series 

Planet Money  -  NPR   The economy explained. 

Revisionist History – Malcom Gladwell  Inquiry about a person, event, or idea, and then proceeds to question the received wisdom on the subject.

Storytelling with Data – Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic  Covers topics related to data storytelling, better presentations, and all things data viz.  There is a story in your data – get the skills and power to tell it! 

Throughline (History) – NPR  Each episode draws you into an historical moment in a way that feels as important as breaking news. 

Against the Rules  -  Michael Lewis  Lewis (Liar’s Poker, Moneyball) takes a searing look at what’s happened to fairness in financial markets, newsrooms, basketball games, courts of law, & much more.  Ask what’s happening to a world where everyone loves to hate the referee. 

Invisibilia  -  NPR   Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions.  Latin for invisible things.  Fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently. 

TED Radio Hour – NPR  A narrative journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems and new ways to think and create. 

13 QUESTIONS ALL CHRISTIANS EVENTUALLY ASK THEMSELVES   BY STEPHEN MATTSON

During the Christian spiritual journey, followers of Christ are forced to eventually face some basic faith-related questions. Here are a few of the most common ones: 

1) What is salvation?  
What does salvation really mean? When does it happen and is it permanent? Do you choose your own salvation or is it predestined? Is everyone saved or just a select few? The idea of salvation is extremely complex, and our concept of it directly influences how we live, evangelize, and interact with the people around us. 

2) Do I own my faith? 
 Is your faith the result of a cultural or family tradition — something you were raised with — or because you know it makes your girlfriend happy, or because your seminary scholarship depends on it, or because you live in a religious society where it's advantageous to be a "Christian?" Deep down, what do you really believe? Is following Jesus your decision, or are you vicariously living out Christianity because of an allegiance to someone — or something — else?

3) Can I trust the Bible?
 This question fleshes out the simplistic "The Bible is from God" answer. How was scripture written, formed, edited, discovered, critiqued, and inspired?  Almost all Christian beliefs and traditions come from the Bible — but where did that come from?

4) How do biblical texts apply to modern society?  
The cultural traditions of the Bible are radically different than today’s social norms, so how do you use scripture to address current issues such as gender roles, gay marriage, abortion, immigration reform, and gun control?

5) Who is God?
 We use the generic term 'God' all the time, but have we stopped to ask ourselves who we believe God really is? What are God's powers, characteristics, and attributes? How do you define the Holy Spirit? A million different people have a million different definitions of God — what's yours?

6) Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Many Christians feel secure in their faith until something bad happens; then this question becomes painfully relevant. Why do cancer, famine, war, and murder occur? Eventually, all believers must tackle the paradox of how an all-powerful and all-loving God allows extraordinary amounts of pain, hurt, and evil to exist.

7) Why is God so morbidly violent in the Old Testament? 
Christians are great at promoting the loving Jesus of the New Testament, but very few can convincingly explain the horrific portrayal of God in the Old Testament — how do you explain it?

8) How does free will affect my faith? 
Believers eventually encounter the age-old question that continues to be debated today: Do I choose God or does God choose me? The discussion of free will usually devolves into a Calvinism vs. Arminianism vs. Open Theism discussion — all of which talk about how faith relates to choice, intellect, and controlling our destiny.  This question strikes at the heart of how our actions, communication, and relationship with God is structured.

9) How can you believe in something that can't be scientifically proven?
How do you explain a God that isn’t quantifiable or palpable? As the secular world often mocks people of faith, Christians must deal with some frustrating questions: Why doesn't God obviously manifest God’s self? If God is real why doesn't God audibly or visibly reveal God’s self to us? Why does the God in the Bible seem so completely different than today's God? Miracles and supernatural events seemingly don't happen as often today. Where are the miracles, signs and wonders? Why doesn't God physically appear to us and tell us what to do? Behind these questions lies this deeper inquiry: If God loves everyone and wants everyone to believe in God, why doesn't God simply physically manifest God’s self to the entire world?

10) What makes Christianity different than any other religion? 
A virgin birth, morals, ethics, rules, laws, and miracles ... other religions have had similar things. So what's so unique about Christianity? Many faiths have questions that look extremely similar to the ones listed here — why should you trust Christianity over any other religion?

11) How has my faith been influenced?  
How has your upbringing, life experiences, culture, and environment molded your faith? Whether we want to admit it, everything we believe has been filtered through these life variables. How have they affected your faith and theology?

12) Am I using my faith to serve another agenda? 
Has your faith become something it wasn't originally meant to be? Is it being used as a tool to serve other agendas? Are you using Christianity to impress someone, increase your social status, promote a political party, get money, buttress a moral belief, or fill intellectual, emotional, and relational voids? The Christian faith can quickly morph into something it was never originally intended to become — take time to cleanse your spirituality from the things that hijack it.

13) What is the point of following Christ?  
What is your purpose and motivation for following Christ? Sure, it's full of good morals, standards, and ethics, but why do you do it? It's amazing how many times we've floated through our faith without asking ourselves this most basic question.  

Overall, we’re continually faced with questions that challenge our belief systems. This isn’t a bad thing, and much of Jesus’s ministry revolved around asking questions. In the end, thoughtfully examining our faith promotes a spirituality that is healthy, honest, genuine, and mature.