Pondering
with the
Pastor
Pastor Marvin Hutchison
Welcome to Pondering with the Pastor!!
Please take the opportunity to ponder what God has to say to you. There is a group for you if you want to enrich your life and understanding by meeting with others. Each group will be about 1 hour in length. Check out a connect group this week. You don’t need to call – just show up. They include:
- Senior’s Luncheon – Wednesdays @ noon (bring your own lunch)
- Youth Connect On-line – Sundays @8pm
- Leadership Forum – during Tuesday mtgs.
- Ladies’ Connect – Wednesday 7 pm
- Men’s Connect – Wednesday 7 pm
God’s Design for the Church (7-5-2020)
Questions:
1. What aspect of Christ’s Design for the church is most challenging to me?
2. Am I fulfilling my part in the church? What is that role?
3. Where do I need to change my relationship with the body in order to follow God’s Design?
4. What do I need to prayerfully ask God to change about the body of which I am part?
Heart Work:
“Father, I know you designed the church to accomplish your divine purposes. Jesus, I know it is your bride. Forgive me for where I have failed your body, teach me how to lean into your purposes in your body and in my life.” AMEN
God’s Design for the Church (6-28-2020)
Questions:
1. How do I need to change my response to the role of elders in my life?
2. Is my view of the structure of the church consistent with the Bible? Why or Why Not?
3. What do I need to prayerfully ask God to change in my heart?
4. In what ways do I honor or dishonor those in leadership over me in the Lord?
5. What characteristics of elders listed in the scriptures do I find most prevalent in the lives of my elders?
Heart Work:
“Father, at times I am in danger of buying into the culture’s view of authority. Transform my heart to conform with you design and crucify self within me when my ego rises up to demand my own way” AMEN
God’s Design for the Family (6-21-2020)
Questions:
1. How does my marriage reflect or not reflect God’s Design? Am I fulfilling my role as a husband or a wife?
2. How am I doing in the area of possession, demonstration, profession, and preservation?? Do I tend to profess first or possess first? WHY??
3. In what ways do I need to honor my marriage or the marriage of others in the way I relate to others?
4. What boundaries have I placed in my marriage to jealously protect it from intruders?
5. How do I honor my parents at this stage in my life?
Heart Work:
“Father, I know your design is best. Help me to live out my role to your glory and my good.” AMEN
God’s Design for the Family (6-14-2020)
Questions:
1. How does my marriage reflect God’s Design? Am I living out my role as a husband or a wife?
2. How does the dynamics or roles need to change within the family in order to live out God’s design and experience His blessing on our family?
3. What is my greatest challenge in following God’s Design? Why?
Heart Work:
“Holy Spirit, do a work in my heart to embrace God’s Design not cultural conformity in my family and home through your Son – Jesus”. AMEN
Knowing God (6-7-2020)
Questions:
1. In what area(s) of my life have I lost order or feel like it has degenerated to disorder?
2. Is my ‘knowing God’ more intellectual, experiential, emotional, or physical? In which of these areas do I need to grow the most?
3. How would I answer the question: ‘How well do I know God?’
Heart Work:
“Father, I want to know you. Sometimes I over analyze, intellectualize, dismiss the emotional or experiential side of knowing you. Forgive me and draw me into greater intimacy with yourself through your Son – Jesus. AMEN
Who’s Authority (5-31-2020)
Questions:
1. In what area(s) of society, government, family, or church do we see inferior authority becoming dominant authority?
2. In what area(s) have I followed Satan’s authority in my life??
3. What authority have I allowed to become dominant in my life contrary to God’s Design?
4. In what area(s) of my life do I need to submit to God’s design through another authority He has ordained?
Heart Work:
“Father, help us today to resettle or perhaps for the first time settle the question of authority in our lives and to begin to take hold of its many implications for daily living, for our relationships with each other within the family, within the church, and the way we relate to governmental authority. We know it is an age-old question we have been confronted with before – so grace us with your grace we pray to better experience you relationship and connectedness with us as it flourishes in intimacy and oneness we pray. AMEN
God’s Blueprint (Part II) (5-24-2020)
Questions:
1. What aspect of the Godhead (intimacy, community, unity) do I find most difficult to comprehend and why?
2. How have I knowingly or unknowingly compartmentalized my relationship with God? How has this affected my motivation for
service, desire for personal holiness, or way I relate to Him or others?
3. What lie(s) of Satan have I embraced about God’s Design that I need to ask God to transform by His Truth?
Heart Work:
“Father, there are aspects of the truth about who you are that are difficult for me to comprehend. As I learn more about the design of the Godhead, draw me into greater intimacy, community, and unity with you. Help me to accept by faith what I cannot understand, and entrust myself into your care in full assurance that as I lean into Jesus, You will do your transforming work in my life through the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me. AMEN
God’s Blueprint (5-17-20)
Questions:
1. How does my view of authority, submission, personal responsibility, and accountability differ from God’s design?
2. If I were to be honest before God, is His authority in my life, my submission to it, my role of personal responsibility, or accountability, my greatest struggle? WHY??
Heart Work:
“Lord, teach me to embrace your design as I entrust myself in full confidence to your character.”
Who’s Agenda? (5-10-2020)
Questions:
1. Is there a common thread in why I lose sight of God’s providence in the experiences and routines of my life?
2. What spiritual discipline(s) [i.e. silence, solitude, prayer, meditation, accountability, etc.] would be beneficial for me to develop in order to live responsibly and joyfully against the backdrop of His divine providence?
3. What would be a good first step for me?
Heart Work:
“Lord, teach me to not lose sight of your providence orchestrating the events of my life, so I can lean into your character building process in my life!!”
Please take the opportunity to ponder what God has to say to you. There is a group for you if you want to enrich your life and understanding by meeting with others. Each group will be about 1 hour in length. Check out a connect group this week. You don’t need to call – just show up. They include:
- Senior’s Luncheon – Wednesdays @ noon (bring your own lunch)
- Youth Connect On-line – Sundays @8pm
- Leadership Forum – during Tuesday mtgs.
- Ladies’ Connect – Wednesday 7 pm
- Men’s Connect – Wednesday 7 pm
God’s Design for the Church (7-5-2020)
Questions:
1. What aspect of Christ’s Design for the church is most challenging to me?
2. Am I fulfilling my part in the church? What is that role?
3. Where do I need to change my relationship with the body in order to follow God’s Design?
4. What do I need to prayerfully ask God to change about the body of which I am part?
Heart Work:
“Father, I know you designed the church to accomplish your divine purposes. Jesus, I know it is your bride. Forgive me for where I have failed your body, teach me how to lean into your purposes in your body and in my life.” AMEN
God’s Design for the Church (6-28-2020)
Questions:
1. How do I need to change my response to the role of elders in my life?
2. Is my view of the structure of the church consistent with the Bible? Why or Why Not?
3. What do I need to prayerfully ask God to change in my heart?
4. In what ways do I honor or dishonor those in leadership over me in the Lord?
5. What characteristics of elders listed in the scriptures do I find most prevalent in the lives of my elders?
Heart Work:
“Father, at times I am in danger of buying into the culture’s view of authority. Transform my heart to conform with you design and crucify self within me when my ego rises up to demand my own way” AMEN
God’s Design for the Family (6-21-2020)
Questions:
1. How does my marriage reflect or not reflect God’s Design? Am I fulfilling my role as a husband or a wife?
2. How am I doing in the area of possession, demonstration, profession, and preservation?? Do I tend to profess first or possess first? WHY??
3. In what ways do I need to honor my marriage or the marriage of others in the way I relate to others?
4. What boundaries have I placed in my marriage to jealously protect it from intruders?
5. How do I honor my parents at this stage in my life?
Heart Work:
“Father, I know your design is best. Help me to live out my role to your glory and my good.” AMEN
God’s Design for the Family (6-14-2020)
Questions:
1. How does my marriage reflect God’s Design? Am I living out my role as a husband or a wife?
2. How does the dynamics or roles need to change within the family in order to live out God’s design and experience His blessing on our family?
3. What is my greatest challenge in following God’s Design? Why?
Heart Work:
“Holy Spirit, do a work in my heart to embrace God’s Design not cultural conformity in my family and home through your Son – Jesus”. AMEN
Knowing God (6-7-2020)
Questions:
1. In what area(s) of my life have I lost order or feel like it has degenerated to disorder?
2. Is my ‘knowing God’ more intellectual, experiential, emotional, or physical? In which of these areas do I need to grow the most?
3. How would I answer the question: ‘How well do I know God?’
Heart Work:
“Father, I want to know you. Sometimes I over analyze, intellectualize, dismiss the emotional or experiential side of knowing you. Forgive me and draw me into greater intimacy with yourself through your Son – Jesus. AMEN
Who’s Authority (5-31-2020)
Questions:
1. In what area(s) of society, government, family, or church do we see inferior authority becoming dominant authority?
2. In what area(s) have I followed Satan’s authority in my life??
3. What authority have I allowed to become dominant in my life contrary to God’s Design?
4. In what area(s) of my life do I need to submit to God’s design through another authority He has ordained?
Heart Work:
“Father, help us today to resettle or perhaps for the first time settle the question of authority in our lives and to begin to take hold of its many implications for daily living, for our relationships with each other within the family, within the church, and the way we relate to governmental authority. We know it is an age-old question we have been confronted with before – so grace us with your grace we pray to better experience you relationship and connectedness with us as it flourishes in intimacy and oneness we pray. AMEN
God’s Blueprint (Part II) (5-24-2020)
Questions:
1. What aspect of the Godhead (intimacy, community, unity) do I find most difficult to comprehend and why?
2. How have I knowingly or unknowingly compartmentalized my relationship with God? How has this affected my motivation for
service, desire for personal holiness, or way I relate to Him or others?
3. What lie(s) of Satan have I embraced about God’s Design that I need to ask God to transform by His Truth?
Heart Work:
“Father, there are aspects of the truth about who you are that are difficult for me to comprehend. As I learn more about the design of the Godhead, draw me into greater intimacy, community, and unity with you. Help me to accept by faith what I cannot understand, and entrust myself into your care in full assurance that as I lean into Jesus, You will do your transforming work in my life through the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me. AMEN
God’s Blueprint (5-17-20)
Questions:
1. How does my view of authority, submission, personal responsibility, and accountability differ from God’s design?
2. If I were to be honest before God, is His authority in my life, my submission to it, my role of personal responsibility, or accountability, my greatest struggle? WHY??
Heart Work:
“Lord, teach me to embrace your design as I entrust myself in full confidence to your character.”
Who’s Agenda? (5-10-2020)
Questions:
1. Is there a common thread in why I lose sight of God’s providence in the experiences and routines of my life?
2. What spiritual discipline(s) [i.e. silence, solitude, prayer, meditation, accountability, etc.] would be beneficial for me to develop in order to live responsibly and joyfully against the backdrop of His divine providence?
3. What would be a good first step for me?
Heart Work:
“Lord, teach me to not lose sight of your providence orchestrating the events of my life, so I can lean into your character building process in my life!!”