Wired Word Online Bible Study

Pastor Bud presented a stimulating sermon this morning, part of which focused on our faith in Jesus Christ. Seriously now, on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is the strongest), how strong is your faith?  Right now.  This very moment.

Our lesson this week deals with faith, rather, with the loss of faith.  Occasioned by the public outing of a United Methodist Clergy now professing to be an atheist, the lesson leads us to consider the fluctuating strength of our own faith.

Here are the lesson materials: WiredWord20120513

So, read and reflect, then join in the discussion!

“Boys will be boys!”

Nope, that doesn’t work.

“It is the privilege of men of power to philander…”

Nope, that doesn’t work, either.

Hmmm.  So, what IS the big deal about the Secret Service and military men who created a bad situation for the country and the President by their use of prostitutes, oops, excuse me, I mean escorts, while on duty in Columbia. And the scandal broke only because two of them were too cheap to pay the escort’s fee.  Sheesh!

Well, this week’s lesson is about personal morality and personal responsibility. What do we hide in our heart of hearts, deceiving ourselves that not even God knows about it.  Right.

Here’s the lesson materials: WiredWord2012-422

You know all the gory details already, but read and reflect, and then hop on over and join in the discussions!

Trayvon Martin. Dead. A young man shot dead in the prime of his adolescence. Why?

The answer to that question may never be known. Trayvon’s murder, as opposed to the many others that happen in our country every day, has raised a national outcry even to the heights of our government, much of it couched in the hate of racism. Calls for justice abound. And, whether from Amos 5(²⁴But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.) or Micah 6(⁸He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?), we as Christians know that we are called to seek and to do justice.

Here are this week’s lesson materials: WiredWord20120401

What is the justice to be done in the Trayvon Martin case?

Come on over and join in the discussion!

Serving for peace.

This week’s lesson lifts up two news items that contribute to the themes of answering God’s call to serve others and serving others in engendering peace. Tough concept, given all the strutting, bluffing (?), and militaristic posturing that is going on across the world, to say nothing of the various armed conflicts and ideological battles – at home, in the very halls of our Congress, and abroad – that increase the rancor and lack of civility displayed day by day across the world.

So, take a read of the lesson materials:  WiredWord20120325

Now, come on over and join in the discussions!

“A penny saved is a penny earned” may go by the wayside, if some have their way.  Not only as pennies [ and dimes...  and quarters...??? ]  disappear from our cash and cash transactions, but the wave of the future may be to move towards a cashless society.

Read more in this week’s lesson materials: WiredWord20120311

So, grab a read, think about it, and hop on over and join in the discussions!

Parents beget children.  Each of us exists only because of our parents. Yet, it is interesting, and sometimes really sad, that a mature child’s relationship with his or her parents fails to be fails to be build on honor, love and respect.

Our lesson this week is highlighted by a contemporary example of such a relationship, and in studying this situation we will examine the Biblical teachings around this issue. Here are the lesson materials: WiredWord20120226

So, read and reflect on the materials, reflect on your own parent-child relationship(s), and then come on over and join in the discussion!

Ugh.  Both the news item precipitating this topic and its presentation this week are somewhat disturbing.  It all centers around the issue of prayer – what prayers are appropriate, what prayers are inappropriate, what’s right to pray for, what’s not right to pray for, and on and on.

Here are this week’s lesson materials: WiredWord20120219

One might become even more repulsed when you realize that this call to prayer, presented by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal in what I will describe – in an admittedly pejorative fashion – as an absurd farce,  was a marketing ploy.

However you view this incident, read and reflect on the materials and then come on over and join the discussions – about P R A Y E R!

“Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus!”

You may already be familiar with this rap/poem/video that has been circulating widely and wildly (read: gone viral)  recently. It is an interesting voice of dissent. There is a link for watching the video on YouTube (I recommend) in section 04 (from the bookmarks menu) in this week’s lesson pdf: WiredWord20120212

This issue has incredible importance as we raise our youth and seek to further the living of our lives as Christians in the 21st Century.  Read and reflect, then come on over and join in the discussions!

On  this Super Bowl Sunday, as healthful eating is tossed aside in the often-gluttonous eating (and drinking) sating the tension of watching the game, it is fitting that our lesson for the week focuses on just that (eating).

In the context of all the recent hoopla (yes, I know today is football and not basketball) about Paula Deen and the controversy she has launched with her revelation of the diagnosis of having diabetes, what is our Christian approach to eating?

Check out the lesson materials here: WiredWord20120205

Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins!

Read and reflect, then come on over and join in the discussions.  Bon appetit!

Responsibility.  Let’s see.  Hmmm.  Yes, I delegate that responsibility to…   No, that doesn’t sound right.  What’s the old saw?  Oh, yeah: you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.

What role does responsibility play in our lives as Christians? Do we have  a definable Christian responsibility? If so, can we shrug it off, as the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia seemed to do?

Interesting questions.  Well, check out the lesson materials for this week: WiredWord20120129
Read and reflect, then come on over to the discussion and add your two cents (no, responsibility isn’t always that cheap!) to what’s being said.

“Tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And, the game begins.

But, before that: Tebow!

What a sensation that guy has been making.

Here’s this weeks lesson materials: WiredWord20120122

As undoubtedly his public display of Christian faith is being observed by so many million people, what do you think of his behavior?  How is Tim Tebow’s living the Word relevant – if it is – to our lives as Christians in the 21st Century?

Read and reflect on the materials, pondering especially the last news article, then come on over and join in the discussions!

“Love thine enemies!” This is a strong command from Jesus, perhaps seemingly impossible in this day and age.  But, whether the “enemy” is close at home or far away in some foreign land, that is exactly what we are supposed to do.

This week’s lesson is focused on the generous acts of the U.S. Navy in saving the fishermen from the pirates, and shortly thereafter, saving those other Iranians in the sinking boat.

Here are the materials: WiredWord20120115

So, what should we do? Read and reflect on the materials, and then come on over to the discussions and join in.

Just when we’ve seen the caricatured Old Year out and ushered in the infant New Year, here The Wired Word comes along with an issue about old age and how it may be impacted by Jesus’ teachings.

Here’s the lesson material: WiredWord20120108

While many of us might not (probably not) consider ourselves “old”, we all have our concepts and prejudices about what it means to be old. In any event, whatever we perceive old age to be, we are all striving to get there!! So, read and reflect on the lesson materials, and then jump on over to the discussions and join in!!

Bah!  Humbug!  Enough already!!

And so, we find ourselves in the insanity of “Christmas”, annually struggling to reach higher and higher levels of “celebration”!  What a rat race!!

This week’s lesson is a reflection on how Jesus would celebrate Christmas. The lesson is one originally prepared in 2006, so some of the links are no longer active; I have crossed them out in our class materials for this week: WiredWord20111225

How closely do we emulate our Savior?

Read, watch and reflect, then come on over and join in the discussions!

Ka-boom! And the reverberations keep echoing back from the hills around us. Those who have been in combat can never forget the sounds and physical feeling of the bombs going off.  Even those never having had that experience can have a sense of it from attending fireworks displays.

This week’s lesson is about such explosions.  But, as is pointed out, we all experience personal ‘ka-booms’ that sometimes reverberate within us for the rest of our lives.

Here are the lesson materials: WiredWord20111211

Read and reflect on the study materials and your own life, then, come on over and join in the disucssions!

Change, change, change! Can there ever be an end to it?

Many of us are resistant to change, in reality, almost, to change of any kind. And, we can be even more rigid when the change we are talking about relates to how we worship.

This week, our Roman Catholic brethren got hit solidly between the eyes with some dramatic changes in their liturgy. Some have embrace the new liturgy, others have gone ballistic in rejecting it. Read about it in this week’s lesson materials:

WiredWord20111204

How are you with change?  Does your acceptance or rejection of changes in worship have any bearing on your relationship to God? While we may care, and in some cases care extremely, about the structure of worship, does God?

Hmmmm.  So, read and reflect on the materials, and then come on over and join in the discussions.

“Stay grounded!”  How often have we heard that, perhaps in a variety of contexts. Well, this week’s lesson is about not staying grounded!

Here are the materials: WiredWord2011-1127

Fascinating, huh?  Athiest Hawking suggests that, in a God-less world and universe, we can’t just sit around and wait; we must take control of our own destinies if survival is to be a consideration. Advent causes us to reject that suggestion flat out.

Interesting? Well, chew on it a bit, and then hop on over and join in the discussions!

It IS all about me, right.  I mean, who else could it ever be about?  Check this out!

We have spent most of our time in this study considering the greater world and how events there impact our lives as Christians in the 21st Century as well as how we as 21st Century Christians can and should impact that greater world.  This week, we will reverse directions and look at what is going on inside of “me” – and you – as we consider personhood and self-fulfillment and how they impact our ability to answer God’s call.

Here are the lesson materials: WiredWord2011-1113

How do you feel about it?  Read and reflect, then hop on over to the discussions and chime in!

“Two’s company, three’s a crowd!” What does 7 billion make?  This week’s lesson is focused on the 7 billionth person being born, somewhere, last Monday.  What about all of these humans on earth?  Can we (the earth and the human culture and economy) support them, much less the far greater numbers of us that will be here over the next few decades? Do we believe the words of Jesus to not worry about the necessities of life, as God will provide?  Should we worry about such things, putting faith into works to achieve the goal of economic justice for all?  Challenging questions, for sure.

Here is this week’s lesson: WiredWord20111106

Take a bit to read and reflect on these materials, and then jump on over and join in the discussions!

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)  Very familiar words. A favorite passage of many.  What does it mean to us as we lounge in our largess?

This week’s lesson is about social justice.  Here are the materials: WiredWord20111030

I had the opportunity to man a table at the Job Fair held at the Ag Center last week. Sobering. Heartache producing. Tears generating.  Just to see, feel and hear the desperation and emotion of those so desperately seeking work. One late-middle aged guy  out of work for four years.  Another, a young man, just coming home after serving in the Army…..a civilian for two weeks now, with a wife and two kids – looking for work. A middle-aged lady, face and body language shouting anxiety and desperation, unskilled and shabbily dressed – trying to survive and pay her way.

As Christians, what is our role in this pathetic society that is standing by and watching the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, with the middle class moving to the poor and not the rich side?  Read and reflect on the lesson materials, and then come on over and join in the discussions.  This should be interesting.

“Such a deal, already!”

This week’s lesson focuses on the current prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestine, with one Israeli soldier (in captivity for over 5 years) being traded for 1,027 Palestinian captives being held by Israel for varying periods of time.

So, what does this have to do with Christian theology and our spiritual growth in Bible study? The answers center around the value of a human life as well as “homesickness” and redemption.

Still struggling?  Read and reflect on the lesson: WiredWord20111023

Then, come on over to the discussion forum and join in!

“Are ye deaf, Boy?”

This week’s topic is timely indeed, given Sam’s message yesterday. In reflecting on the lives of two Americans, both of whom have recently died (on the same day, no less), we are led to reflect on our own lives and how we are living them out in the context of our perception of God’s will for us.

Here are the materials:  WiredWord20111016

So, read and study the lesson materials, and then hop on over to the discussions and join in!!

Oh, yeah. And don’t forget to pray for Youcef Nadarkhani.

“I can forgive, but I can’t forget.”

How often have we heard that statement.  We might even have uttered it ourselves. What is forgiveness all about?

This week’s lesson is about forgiveness.  It explores the events following the multiple murders of Amish schoolchildren five years ago, detailing the reaching out of the Amish community to the families of the man who killed and maimed the children.

Here are the lesson materials for this week: WiredWord20111009

How do you forgive? When you forgive, can you forget? What does it mean to be forgiven?  Reflect on the lesson materials and these questions, and then join in the discussions!

Wrongful death?  Not a pleasant thing to think about.  But, this week’s lesson is about a possible one, the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia. We know only what is reported in the media, but if Mr. Davis was indeed innocent and his conviction and subsequent execution were based on false testimony, an injustice has certainly occurred.

Here are the lesson materials:  WiredWord20111002

Please read and reflect on the materials and then come on over and post your thoughts in the discussions.

“….in sickness and in health,…    ….’til death do us part.”

These familiar words of the wedding liturgy were brought to the fore this week on the TV show of tele-evangelist Pat Robertson, in a discussion of whether a man whose wife is afflicted with advanced dementia (to the point where she no longer evidences recognition of him) should divorce her and continue the development of a relationship with another woman, said relationship already in progress.

Here are the lesson materials:  WiredWord20110925

Until you have experienced it, it is impossible to understand the psychological, emotional and spiritual agony felt by the spouse, children and other loved ones as the afflicted person progresses through a dementing illness such as Alzheimer’s Disease and loses all knowledge of family, friends and personal history. It has been called, and may well be accurately characterized as, a “living death”.  This loss of personhood and its effects on loved ones has been repeatedly and excellently chronicled by the cadre of people referred to as “dutiful daughters”, those women who have been the support and often caregivers for a parent with Alzheimer’s Disease throughout the illness, persevering until the very end.  Less has been written about and/or by husbands who lose their wives to this horrific illness, which is the situation found in our lesson this week. An example of the latter, should you be interested in pursuing it, is Jan’s Story.

So, read and reflect on our very sad lesson for this week, and come on over and join in the discussions!

The writer of Ecclesiastes, in the first part of Chapter 3, tells us of many things for which there is a time and also not a time, albeit poverty does not seem to be included in that long list.  Nevertheless, it is apparent that now is the time for poverty, based on the report recently released by the Census Bureau. The numbers of poor people as well as the percentage of the poverty-stricken have increased.  The information is in this week’s class materials:

WiredWord20110918

Please note that the original of the item for bookmark item 04, the actual Census Bureau report, is extremely long.  The class materials above have been shortened to include only the title and contents listing.  The entire report is at the following link:

04 Census Bureau Report  (complete)

The ‘haves’ have more and the ‘have-nots’ have less. Do we as Christians have any role in this situation?  Reflect on the materials and then jump on over to the discussions!

Well, the topic this week is – you guessed it – 9/11.  This is being written on 9/12, after living through the remembrances, the photo and video documentation, all no different that any other September 11, but highly focused because of the 10th anniversary.

This week’s lesson materials seem extraordinarily long – 43 pages – but half of that is a listing of events surrounding the 10th anniversary.  I have left them in for your perusal, if you are interested.

Here are the materials: WiredWord20110911

How do we as Christians approach the 9/11 event? How do we as Christians approach the threat, the devastation, the anger and hatred engendered by all of this? To what end is the ongoing anguish?  Is there reason to have hope for our future, much less for a future with peace on earth?

This about these issues as you reflect on the study materials and participate in discussion this week.

“…the still small voice…”

Apparently, small and still are not considered to be appropriate attributes for either politicians or God!!

This week’s lesson is spawned by Michele Bachmann’s assertion that the Virginia earthquake and Hurricane Irene were God speaking to the politicians in Washington. If you have followed the story, you are aware that she has since retracted that by insisting that her comments were meant to be humorous.  If you haven’t seen her actual delivery of that message, the video of her making that proclamation may be found at the end of the Church Report article ( document 05 in the class materials).

Here are the lesson materials for this week:

WiredWord20110904

So, the issues are, how does God speak to us?  Is it in natural disasters, or how? When God speaks, is it to politicians, or to whom? And: how do we discern when God is speaking to us?  Read and reflect on the lesson materials, and then hop on over and jump right into the discussions!

Dreamer!  That’s God, right? And, for the most part, “dreamers” are considered, by modern society, to be, well – - – worthless!

Lifted up by the (now pending) dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, DC, our study this week of dreams, visions and prophecy and their roles in the lives of God’s people of both the Old and New Testaments is revealing of how we, as modern day Christians, experience hope and faith.

Here are the study materials:

WiredWord20110828

I think we do not usually put validity into dreams, visions and prophecy as part of 21st Century Christianity, certainly not in the way Biblical persons did. But, as the lesson points out, we repeatedly come back to the visions and prophecy spoken in Revelation!

So, read and reflect on the materials, and come on over and jump into the discussions!

The handshake.  Symbol of a deal between parties wherein all parties subsequently uphold their part of the arrangements.  No paperwork needed.

Ah, well, that’s how it used to be.  But, today, rarely can a deal proceed on a handshake.  Pages and pages of contracts filled with legalese must be completed.  A person’s word no longer has validity as an indicator of integrity.

This week’s lesson is about just that: honor and integrity.  Here are the lesson materials:

WiredWord20110821

It seems sad that in our “It’s all about me!” culture, honor and integrity no longer prevent the unfortunate situations that we read about every day in the newspaper, from the petty thief in the donut shop to the halls of Congress.

Here’s a good chance to think about all of this within the context of Scripture and our Christian traditions. So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, read and reflect on the lesson materials, and come on in and join in the discussions!!

Being hurt while helping.  We regularly read or hear about persons who are seriously hurt or perhaps who even die in their attempts to help someone in distress or danger. This week’s lesson looks at an unusual twist on such helper-helpee scenarios. Here are the lesson materials:

WiredWord20110814

Have a read of the materials and reflect on them, then come on over and jump into the disucssions!!

This week’s lesson is less explosively dramatic than some of those we have studied. In fact, we will be looking at the aftermath of violence/tragedy, trying to understand where God is in the midst of healing, restoration and wholeness. And so, a happy time: Gabby Giffords’ return to the floor of Congress. She certainly has come a long way from her traumatic shooting, and, she still has a long way to go. Here are the study materials.

WiredWord20110807

So, what are your feelings about restoration from disability to wholeness? What does wholeness mean in the context of God’s love for us? Read and reflect, and join in the discussion!

Remember, the core parts of the lesson are section 01 (facilitator’s material), 02 (participants’ materials) and 03 (Scriptures).

Hope to see you in the discussion room!

Bammm!  Bammmmm! Another human killed in the name of our Lord Jesus.

Not surprisingly, our topic this week is about the bombing and the shooting massacre in Norway. The alleged killer has in several venues indicated that he is a Christian (the media tag: “right-wing Christian fundamentalist”), and thus it has been inferred that his Christian beliefs are the driving force behind his actions. In reality, stronger contributing factors may have been his vehement anti-Muslim and anti-multiculturalism tenets.

Here are the lesson materials for this week.  You may read them online or download them for offline reading. Again, this week, it is a long document, but remember that sections 01 – Facilitator’s material, 02 – Participants’ material and 03 – Scriptures are the core readings.  The remainder of the documents (04-09) are supplementary readings that provide details as well as opinions concerning these issues.

WiredWord20110731

Please read and reflect on the materials and then join in the discussion.  Remember, you do not have to reply or contribute to all the questions prompts, and it is your opinions and beliefs that help enable discussion. Hope to see you there!

Ah! Hatred and vituperative rant!  Not some of the best human qualities, for sure, but qualities which have been amply demonstrated in the wake of the Casey Anthony trial. Her acquittal really pushed the hot buttons of many, many people who responded with such vehement negativity. So, this week’s topic revolves around the Biblical concepts of justice and how our reactions to such over-publicized terrible events might be directed by Scripture.

Here are the lesson materials for this week.

WiredWord20110724

So, grab a cup of your favorite brew (and maybe some antacid tablets), read and reflect on the study materials, and then jump in and join the discussions!

This week we will explore the values and actions of prominent figure on the American scene, Betty Ford. Her passing, of course, as is so often the case with gigantic persons of yesteryear, is what has led to the topic. Here are the study materials:

WiredWord20110717

Read or download the materials, reflect, and then join in the discussion!

This week’s topic is about marriage, and it is brought to the fore by the recent passage of legislation allowing civil unions (Rhode Island) or same-sex marriages (New York). Reflecting on this divisive issue gives us pause, to also consider the meaning of marriage. Click on the link below to read/download the study material for this week’s lesson.

WiredWord20110710

So, read (well, OK, the Wikipedia article is a bit long…) and reflect, and come on in and join the discussion!

Instruction and discipline of our children. With many parents having relegated the teaching of values and morals to the school system instead of living and teaching them in the home setting, is it any wonder that we see the differing value systems that have arisen over the past several decades, changing from generation to generation?

This week’s lesson considers the issues of instruction and disciplining of children and the changing views thereof in our society. Here are the resource materials for reading and reflection. (Don’t forget that the resource document has bookmarks! – see How2Participate for more information.)

WiredWord070311

Read the study information and then jump in and participate in the discussions! What are your thoughts? In commenting on and replying to comments, be sure to click on the correct ‘reply’ to choose to respond to the Study Leader’s original posts (the ‘replies’ that ask questions about the lesson content) or to respond to a comment of another participant.

The topic of the week, unsurprisingly, is the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Here are the resource materials for reading and reflection. (Don’t forget that the resource document has bookmarks! – see How2Participate for more information.)

Wired Word for May 8, 2011

The killing of a major evildoer like bin Laden is not an everyday occurrence, but the news about it gives us a chance to think about our beliefs, values and faith as well as about our response to those in our lives whom we consider troublemakers or personal enemies, and consider how Jesus would respond to them.

Certainly, this event has caused conflict and angst among Christians.  What are your thoughts? In commenting on and replying to comments, be sure to click on the correct ‘reply’ to choose to respond to the original post (the “question”) or to respond to a comment of another participant.

Here’s an interesting situation that might cause some soul-searching:

Wired Word for October 10, 2010

How would you do on the survey??

Read and reflect on the lesson, then, let’s talk about it!!

Wow, here’s one that should readily push the ‘guilt’ button in each and every one us ‘rich rulers’.

Wired Word for October 3 – short – (this online version has only a part of the UN report)

How much excess do you enjoy?  Read and reflect on the lesson, then, let’s talk about it!