Spring 2008 Session Schedule

The following is the sign-up schedule for spring 2008.  Group: please e-mail me the dates you would like to either host or bring snacks/drinks… I’ll update as people confirm.

Spring 2008 Schedule & Hospitality Sign-ups

Session 2.4 - Christ as Salt & Light

 

Jesus’ mission on earth included a perfect balance of both verbally preaching the Gospel and tangibly serving those around Him.  In the same way, Christ has called us, as His followers, to both salt and light in our ministry to the culture around us.  This sessions seeks to explore how our marriages can be more effective in these areas.

Session 2.4 - Christ as Salt & Light

Session 2.3 - Christ & The Marginalized

The mission of Christ was to redeem a lost world, but the motive that drove Him to do so was love (John 3:16).   While on the earth, Jesus loved all people regardless of their skin color, socio-economic status, geographic location, or degree of sinful behavior.   He intentionally spent time with the outcast, the poor, the needy, the rejcted, the oppressed, the marginalized… all in an attempt to reconcile them back to the Father.  This session seeks to challenge our marriages (in the midst of our mission) to demonstrate this same Christlike love to the people around us, no matter who they are.

Session 2.3 - Christ & The Marginalized

Session 2.2 - Christ & His Mission

Jesus Christ had a clear mission when He came to the earth: “to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) Because of His clear mission, Jesus was able to intetionally utilize the time He had on earth, so as to effectively accomplish the purpose He was sent for.  Likewise, Christ has called His followers to continue on in His mission to bring forth the Gospel.  This session seeks to investigate how God intends to effectively use our marriages for the mission of building into His kingdom, and not our own.

Session 2.2. - Christ & His Mission

Session 2.1 - Christ & The Incarnation

Over 2,000 years ago God became a man.  God, Himself, stepped into our world, took on human flesh, and paid the ultimate price for mankind.  As a result, we now have access to God, through Jesus Christ, that we never would have otherwise had.  Now, in our mission for Christ, He tells us to “go into the world around us, just as He was sent into the world.” (John 17:18)  This session seeks to explore a better understanding of Christ’s incarnation, in order to draw out appropriate implications for our marriage and ministry.

Session 2.1 - Christ & The Incarnation

Session #13 - Teamwork in Marriage

Unity is important to the success of any team; but it’s absolutely vital when it comes to marriage.  God’s design is that man and woman become one flesh when they enter into the marriage covenant (Gen 2:24).  Unfortunatley many couples tend to spend more time as Axis enemies against one another than they do intimate Allies for each other.  In this session we discussed the importance of teamwork in marriage and how it is to strengthen our teamwork; so that we’ll not only have a healthier marriage with our mate, but become more effective in carrying out the mission of God together.

Session #13 - Teamwork in Marriage

Session #12 - Finances

Material & Monetary resources have everything to do with how we’ll carry or not carry out the mission that our Lord has given us .  Christ said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).  Unfortunately, for a lot of Christian couples, their hearts are more wrapped up in the treasures of this world than they are the treasure’s of heaven.  We live in a culture that is materialistic and consumeristic- and much of that has bled into the church.  More Christian marriages these days are plagued with debt, imbalanced budgets, misplaced priorities, etc… - and the result of that is increased frustration, disappointment in life, and spiritual handcuffs that prevent us from using our resources to help further the kingdom.  This week, Dick Shepherd (a Deacon at Denton Bible Church & the head of the financial counseling ministry) came to speak to us concerning how to be better stewards of our finances & material resources.  (There are no down-loadable notes).

Session #11 - Parenting (Part II)

Whether you’re 6 months or 6 years away from having children, it’s never too early to begin thinking about what kind of parent you want to be.  The family unit in America is at an all-time crisis point.  Parents are physically, emotionally, & spiritually absent from their children’s lives; the children, themselves, are more confused about life than ever; and as a result, God’s desire and design for the family, as a primary agent in fulfilling the Great Commission, gets put on the backburner.  This week’s session deals with some of the biblical expectations that God has for eventual mom’s and dad’s in today’s generation, and what it is young married couples can begin doing right now to ensure a healthy foundation is laid for becoming a missional family…

Session #11 - Parenting (Part II)

Session #10 - Parenting (Part I)

Having kids is a huge decision- one of the biggest decisions of our lives; and it’s not one that should be taken lightly.  God has made it clear in the Scriptures that children are a gift from the Lord- and the family unit is of utmost importance in His procreative & redemptive plan for man.  God’s desire is that we carefully & prayerfully consider all decisions on whether or when to have children- and that each decision be influenced by the principles of His Word, more than the culture around us.  In this session on parenting, we’re focusing primarily on the decisions that we make prior to conception. 

Session #10 - Parenting (Part I)

Session #9 - Sexual Intimacy

God has designed sex as something that is good within the context of the covenant of marriage.  Unfortunately, man as taken the good that God has made and distorted & defiled it.  The results have not only brought damage to individuals within our culture, but also the institution of marriage as well.  This session seeks to clearly define God’s design and plan for sexual intimacy within marriage- as well as provide help for couples in working through issues of sexual intimacy. 

Session #9 - Sexual Intimacy