Week 35 - September 20 - Doug Weincouff

Exodus 19

What does it mean for something to be holy? That is the over arching theme for chapter 19. God Commits himself to Israel and chooses them to be his “treasured possession”. He brings them to Mount Sinai, God’s mountain. It is here that God shows the people his majesty and power. The simple sentence in verse 16 “Everyone in the camp trembled” caught my eye. I realize that there is an element of fear but I think there must have been a sense of awe and reverence for God.

I think of myself and how often I take the power, majesty and holiness of God for granted. I tend to focus on his love and mercy which are wonderful and forget that we worship a holy God. God had to be very specific that no one and no animal could touch the mountain while God was present. My challenge is to appreciate and embrace God’s love, mercy, forgiveness while I respect God’s Majesty, power and holiness.


Exodus 20

God gave such straight forward instructions to the Israelites. Ten commandments to keep. Four that focused on our worship of God and six that focused on our relationship with others. Ten commandments that reveal our bent toward disobeying God and doing life our own way.

The section of this chapter that I found interesting was God’s instructions to Israel on how to build an altar. It should be made out of earth and stone. It was meant to be a rough hand made altar. I wonder why? Why did God not want the people to use tools and make the altar more artistic? I honestly don’t know the answer but I wonder if it was meant to be a very personal intimate experience of worship. I don’t think God wants us to focus on the trappings of worship but upon him. Keeping it simple makes it easier to focus on the important things.

Psalm 35

Psalm 35 appears to be written by David during a very dark and difficult time in his life. It may be referring to King Saul trying to kill him and chasing him all over the countryside. It could also be when his son Absalom tried a coup to take over the kingdom. David had to flee for his life so that his son would not kill him. Either way David was desperate for God to come to his defense. This psalm in some ways makes me uncomfortable. Asking for God to bring ruin upon his enemies doesn’t seem right. What it does show me is David’s transparency. He talked to God in a very intimate, vulnerable and authentic way. There was no playing “church”. My prayer is that I would be as authentic and transparent in my relationship with God.

Ecclesiastes 4

Reading Ecclesiastes is not a pick me up. In chapter 4 the teacher points out that oppression is everywhere. Men work and toil out of envy or without purpose. The section of this text I appreciated the most was verses 9-12. Life was intended to be experienced in community. We need to have people in our lives. For men this is a challenge. As I have talked to guys I have found that very few of us have many deep friendships. We have lots of acquaintances but few deep friendships. So here is my challenge to all of us; can you name 3 or 4 people that you would turn to when life got tough or you needed advice or you wanted to celebrate a significant event in your life? If you don’t I would encourage you to start looking for those types of friends.

Acts 14

Acts 14 is the story of success and suffering. Paul and Barnabas are totally committed to sharing about Jesus. At each town them have some who believe and then they have some that are so opposed to their message that they want to kill them. Jesus can be offensive. Truth can upset people. It is our challenge to live like Paul and Barnabas speaking bolding about our relationship with God and trusting Him. I don’t think I will ever be stoned for my faith, but the truth is I am more afraid of being rejected by people or mocked by them. It is my prayer that I would boldly look for opportunities to share about my faith.

Week 34 - September 11 - Merv Miller

Exodus 17

Where is your testing place, the place where you wonder if this God of yours is going to pull through or has he led you to a place where there is no hope?

Or... maybe, just maybe, you have been far from God and not even looking to Him for guidance and your life is a mess and now you look to God for guidance.


Exodus 18

Moses takes a leadership course from his father-in-law and learns the art of delegation. Note that Jethro counsels Moses to choose men who won't take a bribe. I guess human nature hasn't changed all that much in the last 4000 years or so.


Psalm 34

This psalm speaks to the benefits of following God. Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him! It's a beautiful Psalm that brings hope for redemption and rescue.


Ecclesiastes 3

11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. One of my favorite verses... ever.


Acts 13

Here Paul gives a sermon to Jewish believers. It's interesting that he gives an overview of Jewish history and prophecy to offer evidence supporting Jesus.

Week 33 - September 4 - Robynn Watts

Exodus 15 and 16

As I start reading chapter 15, I'm trying to place myself in this Israelite community. What I had just seen, what I had just experienced. God showed Himself to be my rescuer, my deliverer, my safety, my power, my strength.... and now.... I'm free! Moses and Miriam lead the Israelites in a huge party to celebrate God's deliverance. I know that Jewish celebrations are always huge and happy... so I'm guessing this is no different. I'm sure all of their hearts were bursting with thankfulness and joy, having seen God work in the way He did with them. How could they ever forget that?

Well, like us, it sure didn't take long! Within the same chapter the people already start wondering how God is going to provide for them. They are thirsty... for three days they don't have any water. The people start questioning...

And then, right away in chapter 16 (I'm guessing the Israelites thought it best at least to wait a chapter before they REALLY started complaining! :-) we have full-blown grumbling. Everyone started complaining and of all things, wanted to go back to their chains in Egypt! God is suddenly not the same God He was days ago when He drown an entire army! Now, according to the Israelites, He is not able to provide them with their basic needs. And the story just gets worse... even with provision, some Israelites still can't seem to obey God in how they are to gather their food.

And thousands of years later, am I any different? God will show Himself mighty and powerful in my life and moments later I can easily complain about something else. I find it interesting that God does not provide for the Israelites to merely satisfy their physical hunger. In chapter 16 verse 12, God speaks to Moses saying, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. (here it is...) then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" God didn't say... then you won't be hungry. Or, then I can stop listening to your constant complaining.... the reason He provided for His people is so that they would know that He is their God. And if God's people know that He is God... then others around them will also see that He is God.


Psalm 33

Sometimes I need some encouragement after I hear of something else gone awry in this crazy world of ours. I have to remember to bring out Psalm 33! We are reminded that God is the Great Creator, He is control of all... nothing happens that escapes His watchful eye. I love verse 4 and think it sums up the psalm quite nicely... "For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does." Great memory verse for those so inclined!


Ecclesiastes 2

The word "ecclesiastes" means "the teacher" or "the preacher". Solomon certainly qualifies as this! Even though he was one of the wisest men, he still had to learn through the "school of hard knocks". In this chapter Solomon contemplates all the things he did in his human strength here on Earth. All these, he says... are worthless done without God. He knew a lot, had a lot, achieved a lot... yet, his life was still empty, because all this he must leave on earth. Soloman rests in the fact that without God.. all our work is meaningless. True for Solomon... true for us too. Verse 26... "To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God." Which one do you want to be? I find that one pretty easy to answer... harder to obey!


Acts 12

Only God... that's about all I can say! Only God could orchestrate Peter's escape the way He did. Four squads of four soldiers each, two soldiers, one on each side of him, chains around his wrists and sentries standing guard at the entrance. Chains falling to the ground...Peter walking straight out of prison... with no one seeing him. Only God!! There is no way Peter could mistake Who set him free... and how many lost children did God bring to Himself through this miracle?

I recently read a book by a Chinese Brother. He experienced an escape from prison very similar to Peter's. Not only was he in prison (this being the last of several imprisonments), but the interrogators in the prison had smashed his legs so badly he could not walk. He had to be carried everywhere. At the moment of his escape... he up and walked on his legs, somewhere along the walk out God healed his legs completely (he does not remember the moment this happened) and he walked straight out of that prison past many many guards all whom were "blinded" and did not see him. Out the front door of the prison he went and into a waiting taxi. Amazing... only God, only God!

If God can do these things... don't you think He can do the "impossible" in your life too?

Week 31 - August 30 - Doug Mathers

Exodus 13

God tells the Israelites to set up a national holiday (holy-day) to celebrate God's saving action and love towards them. They are to eat certain foods and have specific conversations with specific traditions so that the nation will never forget that God provided and saved them. This is the same reason I love Christmas and Easter. They are there to remind us and to help us teach our children about God's love. We have a God worthy of celebrating. It also reminds me of how important it is to guard those days as 'holy' (verses Santa and the elves).

Exodus 14

The parting of the Red Sea. You've seen the movie, but have you read the book? Notice how God set up circumstances for this moment. The terror the people experienced as they saw the Egyptians coming for them with no way out. And how God put an exclamation point on his saving actions as if to say "don't think this is about how clever or strong you were, this is my decision to save you".

Does that sound familiar? Romans 3:23-27:

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Psalm 32

This is a Psalm of David's experience with sin and forgiveness. Read through it 2X. The first note the price tag of David's unconfessed sin. Make a list of how it affected David's life. Then read it again... this time make a list of the benefits of confession. Then reflect: what role does confession have in your life?

Ecclesiastes 1

What does the Psalmist mean "nothing is new"? Do you ever feel that way? "Every thing is meaningless" declares the author (Solomon). Why is everything meaningless to him? Why are the questions he is asking so important? Why are they so rarely asked in this world?

Acts 11

This is a pivotal moment in Christianity and has direct implications to the way we live (our freedom from keeping the laws and Jewish traditions). Read it and give thanks to God for opening the door of salvation to Gentiles (I'm one)and for speaking to Peter through what was for him a very disturbing dream.

Week 31 - August 23 - Dan Swartz

Psalm 31

I am, at first, amazed at how David moves between praising God for his goodness in one breath (verse) and then lamenting his life circumstances in the next and begging for God's favor. I say "at first" because when I'm honest, I do this more often than I'd like to admit as well. And as I think about it a bit more it makes some sense. When one has experienced God's blessing and favor in life, and then life circumstances change such that we experience loss, fear, etc., it should be only natural that we cry out to God for rescue. The key is to remember where our blessing comes from in good times, and know that our loving God is in control even during hard times in our life. Then we can "be strong and courageous, all who put your hope in the Lord!"


Exodus 11

This chapter details with God's final plague on the Egyptians - the killing of every firstborn male (even animals). As with some prior chapters, this one reminded me of the importance of keeping my heart soft (as opposed to becoming "hardened" like Pharaoh). I sometimes pray that God would hit me over the head with a spiritual 2x4 (metaphorically speaking, of course), since I can sometimes mis-prioritize life. My prayer is that our nation's heart would not become hardened as well.

Exodus 12

This chapter details God's requirements for the Passover and his deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. As Pastor Doug Weincoff relayed in a recent sermon message, 430 yrs seems like a long time for an omnipotent God to act, but God's time is not our time. I need to be patient for God's time, especially when his answer to some of my prayers is "wait" or "not now". I found it interesting that "A rabble of non-Israelites went with them. . ." v.38 NLT Apparently, not all of the Egyptians were hard-hearted. The entire Passover ceremony foreshadows Jesus' perfect sacrifice for our sins. The lamb represents Christ. Its blood saved the Israelites from the angel of death (Chapter 11); Christ's blood saves us from eternal death. There are also similarities to the celebration of the Passover and the celebration of communion. Both are done in remembrance of God's great work in our lives: saving the Israelites from the angel of death and delivering them from Egypt (Passover) and delivering mankind from our sins so we can have a restored relation with our Creator (communion). God limited the Passover to Israelites and foreigners who were circumcised (converted); He limits communion to believers (the converted - those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives). Both were meant to be celebrated in community. Both involve baked goods and beverages (similar to many of our remembrance celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.).

Week 30 - August 16 - Taylor Hays

Exodus 9-10
These chapters document the remaining “10 plagues” that God brought upon Egypt, except for the final and most devastating plague of death on all the firstborn. The story is amazing for many reasons. I can’t imagine some of the sights that were witnessed by the Egyptians… hail, boils, locust, dying livestock and darkness so thick “no one moved.” What is more amazing is the repeated conversation between Moses and Pharaoh. With each successive plague Pharaoh seemed more inclined to let the Israelites go but always reneged. The passage says he was “stubborn” and “hardened” and refused to submit to God’s plan. Here is one lesson I took away from this passage… I am at risk of becoming so hardened against God that I can’t be moved by him even in the face of life’s “plagues.” It takes a long time to become that hard in heart, but it begins by refusing to listen and obey God’s best plan for me.

Psalm 30
David was a guy who had been through it all… life’s highest highs and its lowest lows. There were times he felt near to God and times he felt far away. Through all this he always was able to hang onto hope in God. In this psalm he expressed one of my mother-in-law’s favorite verses for hard times… “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Dark times always end so hang on to the sure hope… God’s faithfulness.

Proverbs 30
This chapter is full of warnings about avoiding some of life’s deepest potholes (don’t lie, don’t slander’ don’t dishonor your parents, stay away from adultery) and some unusual observations about life, like this one…
18 There are three things that amaze me— no, four things that I don't understand:19 how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.

I think what he was saying through all this is that God owns truth. He is the source of all truth and when we see things that are true or illustrate truth it is because God made it that way. His bottom line is this…
5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.

Acts 9
Saul’s conversion experience has become proverbial. We call it a “Damascus road experience” when someone experiences a radical conversion in their life. Depending on the context, it doesn’t always refer to a religious conversion. It means someone finally “saw the light” (now you know where that saying came from!).Sometimes our experiences with God can be dramatic, but most of the transformation in my life has come in a much quieter way. Usually when I am going through a hard time, a loss, a tough decision—I experience God’s closeness the most. The important idea is that God wants to radically change us, just like he changed Saul, later named Paul. To get there we must do what Paul later advised the Galatian Christians to do… “5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.” This is the daily “walking” in the Spirit… reading the Bible, praying, serving, having fellowship with believers, sharing our faith with others. We may never have a Damascus road experience but our lives can be changed as radically as the change Paul experienced.

Week 29 - August 9 - Doug Weincouff

Exodus 7
When I read chapter 7 of Exodus I was again reminded that God chooses to work with us. When Moses did not feel confident in his speaking ability, God gave him Aaron to be his spokesperson. He did not change his plans. He continued to use Moses to set the Israelites free. I am thankful for God’s mercy and compassion when we have such little faith in our abilities or His power, he does not become frustrated or angry. God brings us along in our weakness to see His plan and power. When do you find yourself doubting God or your own abilities and worth?

Exodus 8
God is not random. When God chose the plagues there was purpose and meaning in each one. The choice of frogs was intentional because it represented the Goddess Heqt. Heqt was responsible for childbirth. Remember that the previous Pharaoh had put all the baby Israelite boys to death. God having the frogs overwhelming the land of Egypt was a reminder that He was greater than their Gods. Pharaoh could not stop God’s plans. I am encouraged by the story of Exodus because it is a reminder that God’s promises and plans always come to pass. It gives be encouragement when tough events occur or I am surprised by events, I know that God will be faithful.

Psalm 29
How do you most often describe God? Loving, compassionate, merciful, patient How often do you describe God as powerful, holy and majestic? Psalm 29 was written by King David. David had see God’s power majesty and holiness first hand. In our western Christianity we tend to focus and picture God as a gentle warm and fuzzy being. The thought of “fearing” God is a very remote concept. We can become casual in our attitude toward God. It is important to remember that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are the same. He never changes. God continues to deserve our worship, and praise. I need to be careful to give God the proper respect and praise that He deserves while appreciating His love, mercy, kindness and patience.

Proverbs 29
Verse 11 caught my attention, “A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back”. When I was growing up I seldom saw my Dad lose his temper. When other fathers would swear or yell he always used a calm steady voice. I know there were times when my Dad was angry but he was always able to keep control. I saw how his conduct often softened and brought volatile situations to good conclusions. This proverb is one worth memorizing!

Acts 8
Acts chapter 8 reinforces the point that God’s plans come to pass. Before Jesus left the disciples he told them to preach and teach in Jerusalem and to all nations. In Acts it appears that the disciples and the early church had become so focused on reaching the Jews that they were not expanding their ministry to “all nations”. They had become comfortable. God did not create the persecution of the early church but he used it to spread out the believers so that they would reach all people. Sometimes I need God to nudge me out of my comfort zone. God has always promised the he would bring us comfort but he never promised being comfortable. Are you experiencing God’s comfort or your own personal comfort? Where is God nudging you?