Doug’s Foggiest Ideas

This weekend marked the beginning of the new Fantasy Football Season!  Our league is called The I.G.A.F.F.L. of America. (The International Global American Fantasy Football League of America)

We held our draft on Saturday night and I think the M.O.D drafted pretty well.  The M.O.D. (Ministers of Defense) consists of Gary, Stephen and I.  Of course it is easy to be excited before any of the games begin but for what it is worth here is our team.

1. Pair off with someone in your group and review the 10 Commandments from memory?

2. Read Exodus 20:15.  Have you ever stolen anything?  Have you ever had anything stolen from you?

3. It seems like every week of this series we talk about how we have “re-defined” and lost “God’s heart” relating to each of these commandments in our culture today.  Do you see signs around you and even in your life that we have done this and become tolerant and dismissing of stealing?

4.  Why do you think stealing is usually “not a big deal” in our lives until someone steals from us?  Any thoughts?

5. We talked about how breaking any of the 10 Commandments is theft in one-way or another.  Go back through the commandments and talk about how this is true.

6. Stealing is more than robbing a bank or car jacking.  We talked about several different ways that we can steal:

• TAKING what isn’t YOURS
• WITHHOLDING what is THEIRS
• DECEIVING for personal GAIN
• EMBEZZLING what is GOD’S

Review this list and talk about each one.  Which of these ways to steal do you think you struggle with the most?

7. We concluded this week talking about the antidote for stealing.

• WORK HARD
• Be CONTENT
• Be an EXAMPLE

Can you see how doing each of these would help us to not steal and perhaps change our perspectives?  How so?

8.  Read Ephesians 4:28, Colossians 3:23-25, Philippians 4:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 & Psalm 24:1.  Which of these verses resonates with you the most?  Why?

9. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have.  Pray for these requests and that each of us will honor God’s by not stealing.

This week we were dealing with the 7th commandment at Plum Creek.  During the message I shared the 10 Commandments for marriage that I wrote.  I have seen this done by others but when I wrote mine I tried to stay true to the message of each of the real 10 Commandments.

When I did my list I actually came up with 12.  You will see why.  Here they are:

1.  No other earthly relationships before BETH, including my kids.

2.  Nothing on earth more important than BETH.

3.  Never speak negatively about BETH.

4a.  Worship & pray with BETH regularly.

4b.  Honor date night with BETH & keep it holy VERY HOLY!!

5.  Treat BETH’S family as if they were mine.

6.  Do not take life from BETH with my words or actions.

7a.  Be relentlessly faithful to BETH

7b.  Have sex only with BETH, OFTEN.

8.  Do not steal time that is meant to be spent with BETH.

9.  Always tell BETH the whole truth.

10.  Don’t entertain thoughts or desires of a relationship with anyone other than BETH.

I encouraged everyone to take the time to write their 10 Commandments for marriage as well.  Love to hear what you came up with!

1. Pair off with someone in your group and review the 10 Commandments from memory?

2. Read Exodus 20:14.  Why do you think that adultery has become so commonplace in our culture today?

3. So many people believe that this 7^th commandment is out of date and irrelevant for today.  Why do you think this is the case?  It is interesting that so many people feel this way yet at the same time adultery or infidelity are the number one cause of divorce today.  Any thoughts?

4. This week we talked about the Adulterous Demise.

• Begins with a DISTRACTION.
• Moves to ATTRACTION.
• Progresses to an INFATUATION.

Does this progression seem accurate to you?  Read Matthew 5:27-28.  Jesus identifies that adultery is a matter of the heart/mind.  Do you think this is true? What are some things that you feel can become a “distraction” in marriage?  How have the use of cell phones, text messaging, email and Facebook contributed to this progression?

5. We also talked about ways that we can “Safeguard Ourselves Against Adultery”.

• RECOGNIZE your VULNERABILITY.
• PUSH your CLOCK forward.
• EXTINGUISH any UNFAITHFULNESS
• INVEST in your MARRIAGE.

Review this list and talk about what they mean.  Why are these safeguards important?

6. Read Colossians 3:5 & Romans 12:2.  How do these verses challenge you?

7.  We finished our time together talking about how we need to invest in our marriages.  This challenge was to those that are married and even those that are single.  What are some things that you can do personally in this area?

8. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have.  Pray for these requests and that each of us will honor God’s plan for faithfulness in our marriages.

1. Pair off with someone in your group and review the 10 Commandments from memory.

2. What evidence do you see in our society that indicates a valuing or devaluing of life?  Have you or possibly an acquaintance been affected by senseless loss of life?  How do you think the media in our culture today impacts the value of human life?

3. Read Psalm 139:13-18 & Ephesians 2:10.  When you read these verses it is obvious that each of us are very special in God’s eyes.  How does this help us to understand the value of human life?

4. Before this past weekend when you heard this commandment what did you think it meant?

5. Read Exodus 20:13 and Matthew 5:21-22.  Focus in on Jesus’ challenge.  He takes this commandment to the issues of the heart and speaks to how we can take life by the way we speak to and about others.  How have you seen this to be true?

6. Review the story that I shared this week about the pillow and feathers.  How did the pastor use this experience to help the man in the story to realize the significance of our words?

7.  Read Psalm 19:14.  As you finish your group today use this verse as a template for your prayer.

8. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have.  Pray for these requests and that each of us will value life like God does.

1. Pair off again to work on reciting the 10 Commandments from memory then do it together as a group.
2. Why do you think Jesus summarized the 10 Commandments the way he did in Matthew 22:37-40? (Love God [1-4] and Love others [5-10])?
3. This week we looked at Commandment #5 – Honor Your Father and Mother. Read Exodus 20:12. Honor was defined as, “To treat someone with respect because they carry a heavy weight of authority.”
   Has this been easy or hard to do with your parents? Why?
4. Why do you think God’s command to honor our parents is not qualified by “if they were good parents”?
5. Four ways were shared on how we can honor our parents…
   1. Speak well of them
   2. Obey them
   3. Forgive them
   4. Support them

Which of these are easy for you to do and which ones are not? Why?

Which ones did you sense God speaking to you about?

6. Read Ephesians 6:2-3. Two promises were shared about obeying this command:

1. I will live long and prosper!
2. My kids will “get it”.

How are these motivations for you personally to obey?

7.  What are some creative ways you could begin to “honor” your parents or the memory of your
parents today?

8.  How must my life be different because of this command?

1. In our world today, we tend to downplay the importance of the Sabbath in our lives. If that has been true of you and your family, what keeps you from giving it the important place in your life that it deserves?
   
   
2. What part of your life suffers most, when you are not observing the Sabbath in the way God intended?
   
   
3. Read Exodus 20:9 - 10a and Isaiah 56:2, both of which talk about God’s view of the Sabbath. Why do you think God puts such emphasis on this commandment to rest?
   
   
4. In our “24/7” culture today, we reject the very notion of rest and reflection. Busyness is a common problem, and it cheats us out of Sabbath rest, and the benefits that come with that. If busyness is a problem in your life, name two ways you could cut it back, to make more time for Sabbath rest and reflection in your life.
   
   
5. Read the story in Matthew 12:9-14. What is Jesus saying to the Pharisees in this passage?
   
   
6. At its core, keeping the Sabbath is an act of faith. Read through Exodus 16. How can you relate this story to your own life?
   
   
7. Do you think if you were Truett Cathy, Founder of Chick-Fil-A, you would have the same faith in God to close down your stores every Sunday? Why or why not?
   
   
8. With your Journey Group, come up with a service project you can do this summer in our community. Be sure to let the staff know what it is!

1. Pair off with someone in your group and see how many of the 10 Commandments you can name?

2. Read Exodus 20:7.  As we read scripture we can see that “misusing the name of the Lord” is a huge deal to God.  Why do you think this matters so much to Him?

3. We talked this week about how names are more than just a way of finding someone in the phone book.  A name represents the kind of character and qualities that person possesses.  When people hear your name what do you think comes to their mind?  When you hear our God’s name what does this represent to you?

4. Before this past weekend when you heard this commandment what did you think that it meant?

5. Read Exodus 20:7 again.  Focus in on the warning that God gives if we don’t obey this command well.  How do you feel about this?  Why are the stakes so high?

6. The heart behind this commandment is that, we misuse God’s name whenever we speak of Him in a way that is dishonoring, trite, insincere or rote.  How does this change our understanding of what it means to “misuse the name of God”?

7.  Read Philippians 2:9-11 & Luke 11:2-4.  What do these New Testament verses teach us about the name of God?

8. We concluded the weekend talking about 3 ways that we commonly misuse the name of God:

• With our SPEECH
• Using His name for our BENEFIT
• With our LIFESTYLE

Do you agree that these are ways that we misuse His name?  How have you seen this to be true in your life?  Which of these three is the most difficult for you?

8. What are some things that you can do this week to keep yourself in check with this third commandment?

9. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have.  Pray for these requests and that each of us will honor God’s name with our lives.

This past Sunday was the second in our series on the 10 Commandments.  The passage of scripture that deals with this second commandment is Exodus 20:4-6

“Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. 5 You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. 6 But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.”

I made a statement this week that was incorrect.  I have heard for years that the only commandment with a promise is the 5th commandment that speaks of honoring our parents.  When you read the second commandment you can see that there is clearly consequences that follow either obeying or disobeying this commandment.  It may seem that there is a promise of God “lavishing His love on those who love Him and obey His commands that will last for even a thousand generations.”  However, promise is the wrong word to use for this commandment.  Let me explain why.

After Sunday’s services one of our Plum Creekers emailed me to remind me of a passage of scripture in Ephesians.  It actually contains the verses that help clear this up, I had totally forgotten about them.  These verses say this in Ephesians 6:1-3:

“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. 3 And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, “you will live a long life, full of blessing.”

So the word promise is the wrong one to use in relation to the 2nd commandment, definitely the right word to use related to the 5th commandment.  I think that consequence is the right word to use when we talk about the 2nd commandment.

Awesome that Greg caught this and took the time to email me.

1. Pair off with someone in your group and see how many of the 10 Commandments you can name?

2. Read Exodus 20:4-6 & 1 John 5:21.  As we read scripture we can see that “idolatry” is a huge deal to God.  Why do you think this matters so much to Him?

3. Idolatry can appear in virtually any area of our lives.  Why do you think this is true?  How have you seen this in your own life?  What are a few things that have the most potential to become idols in your life?

4. We talked this week about how idols are things that “take the place of” or “take away from the majesty God”.  How have you seen this to be true in your life?

5. Read Exodus 20:4-5 again.  Focus in on the warning that God gives if we don’t obey this command well.  How do you feel about this?  Why are the stakes so high?

6. Read Exodus 20:6.  The good news is that there is also a promise that comes when we do obey this command.  How do you feel about this?  What are some things that you parents can do to help communicate passion for God (both in action & words) to your children?

7. We concluded the weekend talking about how we need a personal plan in order for us to keep this commandment.  A couple of ideas were shared…

• We need to PRIORITIZE our worship…
• We need to PREPARE for worship…
• We need to PARTICIPATE in worship…

How can you do better at implementing a plan to keep this commandment?  What are some other things that you can do besides these three?

8. If rules tell us a lot about a person, what does this second commandment tell us about our God?

9. Be sure to finish off your group reviewing the 10 Commandments again and then share any requests that you might have.  Pray for these requests and that each of us will live our lives having no idols.