Next Portico Small Group - January 14th

I hope that everyone had a very blessed Christmas, and hope that the New Year brings you more closer to God than you had ever imagined. The start of a new year used to fill me with anxiety; another year gone and past and it never seemed like I made much traction. But nowadays I have a much different feeling about the new year. It's a brand new year filled with unlimited possibilities, blessings, challenges, failures, successes, good times, bad times, etc. (I count even the failures and bad times as blessings and ask God to humble me and teach me so that I can grow stronger in my faith - although I admit, that isn't always easy to do!!). But really, each day is another opportunity to live out the truth of God's Word, to love God and love others, and reach others for Christ.

So as we start off another new year for our Small Group study, we're going to spend some time on the topic of "how to study your Bible". If you are like me, you've tried so many different ways to ready and study Scripture, but it still seems like there is so much more to go. We're going to take the next several Small Group sessions to go into and discuss effective Bible studies, why that is important, how to do it, what to do with the knowledge we gain from it.

Over the next week or so I'll finalize the first study guide and get that posted below and mailed out to the group. Until then, Happy New Year!!!!

1/5/10 UPDATE: the study guide is ready and is available in the link below under "Current Thursday Group Topic"

No Small Group the Rest of December

Last week we met and had a great discussion about the Navity. It was interesting that so many of our ideas about what happened on that glorious day, were shaped by things outside the Bible, like songs, stories, movies, TV specials, etc. So we read through the accounts of Jesus's birth in Matthew and Luke to see what Scripture says (and what it doesn't say). All in all, it was another great study.

We'll need to take a short break from small group and hit it back up in January. Between Christmas concerts and everyone's holiday travel schedule, December is a bit packed. Just remember though, to take some time to slow down and reflect on what this season is truely about - not Santa Claus, not fanciful displays of lights, not sugarplums, nutcrackers, elves, or snow. It's about the birth of the One who came to save us all from sin. I encourage everyone to continue your personal Bible studies during this time.

I'll connect with everyone shortly to set up the schedule and topics for January.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!