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BIBLE READING: 1 Timothy 1:7 Ephesians 3:20 – God can do far more than we ask or think! If you feel powerless, where are you trying to get your power from? God can solve problems, heal sickness, raise self-esteem, and give peace and Love. This is the kind of power that can help our lives. Let go and let God is a common saying for a reason – it is true. You get out what you put in! What kind of Power are you filling your basket with? APPLICATION :  Discuss places that worldly people look for power and discuss why it does not last. Compare and Contrast that power to the power that God gives.

BIBLE READING:   John 4:24 “May my steps be worship, may my thoughts be praise, may my words bring honor to Your name.” These are words we sing often, but are they words we live by. Worship can be corporate as we gather and praise God together using the five acts of worship. Worship should also be as we lift up God in our daily walks. Romans 8 teaches us that God’s Spirit must be in line with our spirit. Very similar to how workers on a project need to be on the same page, our direction needs to line up with HIS directions. APPLICATION :  Discuss ways that worship can be part of our daily lives.

BIBLE READING: Proverbs 17:17 Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15:33 that bad company corrupts good morals. This is a lesson that everyone can preach – but not everyone can put it into practice. We have to remember that we get out what we put into our friendships. Think about if you are helping others, or bringing others down. Are you being the bad company or surrounding yourself with it at times.  Remember, you get out what you put in! APPLICATION :  Discuss with you family good people that you spend time with, or could spend more time with, that can strengthen your relationship with God.

BIBLE READING:  Matthew 26:36 The Hebrew writer tells us that it is impossible to please God without having faith. This faith must also be put into action (James 2:17). Everyday we choose whether or not to believe in things. We might choose to believe that we can make a difference in someone’s life or believe that it will rain; so we take action based on that belief. APPLICATION : What are your actions showing? If your actions are not representing your faith, maybe you need to work on filling your basket with a stronger faith in the Father.

BIBLE READING:   Galatians 6:6-7 Picnics are a family favorite for everyone. Kids love playing, adults love time together with friends and the food is always great. Whether it is PB&J or BBQ, eating outside can be a fun way to enjoy a meal. Planning ahead and packing wisely can be a key part of a picnic. If you pack PB&J’s then when you reach in the picnic basket you wouldn’t expect to pull out Roast Beef. What’s the lesson here? You get out what you put in! APPLICATION :  Discuss how you can fill you spiritual basket this week with good positive thoughts and actions. Don’t go into each day thinking it will be bad – your thinking just might make it that way.

I recently read this illustration: One divinity school hosted an annual picnic, to which they invited one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center. One year, the guest lecturer was a professor who spoke for two and one-half hours "proving" that the resurrection of Jesus was false. The professor quoted scholar after scholar, and book after book. He concluded that, since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions. After about 30 seconds, an old preacher with a head of woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium. "Docta Professer, I got one question," he said as all eyes turned toward him. He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. CRUNCH, MUNCH. ...

BIBLE READING :   Jeremiah 6:16 Most everybody in this area knows the name T.B. Larimore. He and his wife, Esther Gresham, settled in the Mars Hill community in 1870. T.B. Larimore would found the Mars Hill Academy in 1871, which would later become Mars Hill Bible School, where many of our students attend today. Larimore is most well known for his preaching and work during the restoration movement. We are very blessed to be benefactors of this movement by just living in the Florence area.  I am in love with the “old days” and love to read and study about the history or this area. I try myself to be as old school as possible. I’m afraid that in religious circles, old school isn’t very popular. Old hymns aren’t favorites, old fashioned preaching isn’t popular, and attending church services isn’t emphasized like it used to be. T. B. Larimore, like many who have come before us, could be described as old school. He believed in hard work. He believed in studying the scriptures. H...