A Matter of Life and Death: Proverbs 5-9

Hey, Friends! Thanks for joining us today as we take a little hike through Proverbs 5-9. Much like a trail guide, Solomon spends these chapters warning his son to keep an eye out for the good as well as the bad.

Watch where you step. It’s a simple instruction, but ignoring it could cost us our lives.

So we listen for wisdom. We train our eyes on her beauty. We tune our ears to her voice. We remember that, like edible plants in nature, there is usually a toxic counterpart that can trick us if we’re not careful.

It can be exhausting and overwhelming when we try to do this on our own, but thank God He has given us the Spirit to help us on the way. And thank God we have each other for support. We are so glad you are here.

ALSO:

• The Chronicles of Narnia v. Lord of the Rings
• Beauty and the Beast v. Hocus Pocus
• Proverbs and marketing
• Just ASK
• Fleeing FROM and Turning TO

References:

• The Gospel Coalition: Where’s Jesus in Proverbs?
• 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
• Hebrews 1:1-3
• Proverbs 8:22-31
• Matthew 4:1-5
• Matthew 16:21-23
• James 1:5
• James 4:2-3
• “Hoomania”
• “Uncluttered Faith” by @joshua_becker
• @theminimalists
• “This is a Gardening Show” with Zach Galifinakis
• “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien
• “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis

Pay Attention: Introducing the Book of Proverbs

Everywhere we turn there is someone telling us how to think, where to shop, what to buy, and who we should spend our time on. They all want our attention because they know something that we tend to forget: our attention is valuable.

Where we place our attention matters, and nowhere is this more clear than in the book of Proverbs. In fact, King Solomon’s advice for his son is so applicable to our lives today, it’s impossible not to see our own need to focus our attention on God’s wisdom.

That’s what we are talking about today as we dive into the beginning of the book of Proverbs. We are so glad you are walking this path with us!

ALSO:

—90’s parenting proverbs

—Freeing up mental space when you realize no one else cares

—What do you let into your heart?

—Who are you going to trust?

—Walking the moral path without slipping into legalism

References:

—Proverbs 1-4

—Matthew 6:19-24

—“Beautiful Design” by Matt Chandler

—@theminimalists

—minimalmaxims.com

—The Bible Project

—Matthew 18:12-14

Jesus is Coming Back Soon!

When you hear the words, “Jesus is coming back soon,” or “The King is coming,” what does that do to your heart? How do you feel? Anxious? Excited? Nervous? Relieved? Or is it a combination of emotions?

Or here’s an important question for you: does it make you feel anything at all?

That’s what we are talking about today as we spend some time unpacking a Blurry Creatures podcast episode where they interviewed John Bevere, the author of “The King is Coming; It’s Time to Prepare for the Return of Christ.”

We will discuss what it means to anticipate Jesus’ return and the role the Holy Spirit plays as we wait. We will also talk about nuance and helpful things to keep in mind so we don’t become distracted or sidetracked or discouraged.

Ultimately this topic regards what we all are waiting for: being with Jesus forever. And it’s a good thing to spend time thinking about it. Thanks so much for joining us today as we contemplate the second coming of Jesus!

ALSO:

–When is an ultimatum necessary?

–Maybe just keep your phone charged

–The Holy Spirit meets us in the mundane

–The blessing of distance in relationships

—Why do I believe I am right?

References:

• Blurry Creatures Ep 410 The Return of the King with John Bevere
• Martin Luther: “A Simple Way to Pray” https://ms.fortresspress.com/downloads/R2R_ASimpleWaytoPray.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3qdGttgX-Y7gCOvqEEXAZqhbhoUuHrShLgb7JjRDbi4zheWPq4BLkP71I
• Revelation 2:1-7
• Matthew 25
• Matthew 24:36
• Matthew 10:26-31
• John 14-16; John 15:25-27
• Josiah Queen and Forrest Frank: “Jesus is Coming Back Soon”
• The Minimalists: Episode 532 “Love Life”
• Ben Stuart: “Single, Dating, Engaged, Married”
• Skit Guys: “True Love Waits”