Serving One Lord
Character Bible Studies for Teens
Fellowship with Christian Homeschoolers
By Sherree Funk | May 17, 2010 at 02:32 PM EDT | 2 comments

Christian homeschoolers are a large and diverse group in Pennsylvania and surrounding states.  I know this because I recently spent two days as one of 193 vendors at the CHAP annual convention in Harrisburg.  After setting up our small booth near the rear of the exhibit hall, Jim and I wondered if anyone would stop to buy my Bible Studies and "character" T-shirts.  The family in the booth to my left was experienced.  They had a full line of products and books, DVDs, games, puzzles; the two sons, ages 10 and 14 were very professional salesmen.  To my right was the best booth in the hall.  Beautiful hand-made harps of all sizes and types of exotic wood were offered for sale by the harp-maker.  His daughters played heavenly hymns all day and I was even able to try one out.  (I've always wanted to play the harp.)  Many camps and retreat  centers were represented, like Summer's Best 2 Weeks, Jumonville and others.  

I was greatly encouraged as people looked at my Bible studies.  Many of them said there is not enough of this kind of study for teens.  Many appreciated the need for in-depth studies aimed at young teens.  
Though it was hard work, the convention helped me meet some wonderful people, some precious children and teenagers. I pray God's blessings on all those families.  
One customer asked me for a statement of faith. Until now, I have not written one out, but this creed stands for me just as it has stood for centuries of faithful Christians:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
    the Maker of heaven and earth,
    and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
    born of the virgin Mary,
    suffered under Pontius Pilate,
    was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell. 

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
    and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
    from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
    the holy catholic church;
    the communion of saints;
    the forgiveness of sins;
    the resurrection of the body;
    and the life everlasting.

Amen.
Drop Everything!
By Sherree Funk | April 17, 2010 at 04:39 PM EDT | No Comments

I just returned from a week away.  Once off the plane, I was eager to get to the baggage claim area, find my bag, and head for home.  The shuttle train doors opened and I joined the crowd of passengers heading for the down escalator.


Just ahead of me a little boy of about 6 was traveling with his mom and little sister.  He was the one who dragged a rolling  carry-on behind him.  The boxy red rolling suitcase was almost as big as he was.  Suddenly he dropped that bag and ran.  His grandmother was there to meet them. She was bent down, arms outstretched, ready to give them all a big hug.  When he saw his grandma, he didn't care a bit about that luggage.  Nothing was as important as feeling her loving arms around him.  

I think maybe that's what our entry to heaven will be like.  Suddenly we will drop everything and run into the arms of our loving Father.  Nothing else will matter anymore.  

Jesus Seeks the Lost; Do we?
By Sherree Funk | March 11, 2010 at 08:35 AM EST | No Comments

I saw the movie "The Blind Side" this week. It really is a wonderful story and Sandra Bullock did an outstanding job acting as the rich Christian mother in the story. It was marvelous what that mother did at the nudging of the Holy Spirit.  Her motives were pure.  This boy really needed someone, and she stepped in.  Even so, her motivation was questioned in the end. And this questioning led to doubt in Michael's mind.  He ran away. Now Mrs. Tuhey had a choice.  She could give up on him, and let her life get back to normal; or she could go looking for him.  I thought this was the best part of the movie.  Though she even questioned herself, wondering if she had done the right things, she still got up the courage to go looking for Michael. And she was willing to give up one of her cherished desires just to have him back.  


Isn't that what Jesus wants us to do?  He said, "I have come to seek and save the lost." 

I am studying Tim Keller's book, "The Prodigal God."  In his review of the parable of the Prodigal Son, Keller notes that the elder brother showed no interest in the younger son.  The double inheritance traditionally given to the elder son was, in part, for him to take care of the entire family. So it was his duty to help the younger son. Yet he never went looking for that brother.  He was not watching from the porch like the father was, and when that boy returned, he was not at all happy that he was back.  

I think Jesus wants us to see that it is not enough to enjoy our good lives, taking what we have been given for granted.  He wants us to seek out our "younger brothers" and help them.  He wants us to go looking for them.  All of us in America have been given a double portion compared to most of the world.  Will we look for ways to share? Will we also go looking for anyone who has gone out from the fellowship of believers?  Will we seek the lost?
Feeding 40 Families for a Year---A Miracle Story
By Sherree Funk | March 04, 2010 at 09:54 AM EST | No Comments

We are so VERY PROUD of Ingomar's 6th and 7th grade Sunday School class. Last Sunday all 12 class members and their moms made cookies, brownies, muffins and cupcakes and offered them for sale before and after all morning worship services.  It was a snowy morning, so church attendance might be light, we thought.  We weren't sure how many kids would remember to bake, so some moms brought a number of things.  We set up tables outside both the traditional and contemporary worship services.  We called it the "Bucks for Ducks" bake sale, because the money raised was going to the Haiti by way of World Vision to buy ducks. Did you know that five ducks can feed a family for a year?  

Sooo.... bottom line:  The generous church members of Ingomar gave almost $1200!  That will buy 200 ducks and feed 40 families for a year.  Wow.  Can you believe it?

It reminded me of the loaves and fishes story in which Jesus fed 5000 with just a boy's small lunch.  Jesus asked the disciples to bring what they had, and He transformed it into enough to feed the multitude.  In our case, we each brought some cookies and He used them to feed forty families. 

It showed our church what a small group of middle schoolers can do to serve others.  It showed our class how generous and supportive our church is.  It showed everyone what God can do with just the little we offer, when we do it in love.  

Thank you, Lord, for this modern miracle! 
EVERFLOWING LOVE
By Sherree Funk | February 20, 2010 at 11:05 AM EST | No Comments

Yesterday I took my snowshoes out for a hike to one of my favorite waterfalls.  Almost no one else was on the trail. Just a couple with a dog, heading home.  It was very quiet. I could hear the squeesh, squeesh of my snowshoes on the snow and one or two birds. It was another overcast day with flurries, cold and damp.


I arrived at the wooden bridge where in summer, you get a great view of Fish Creek tumbling over huge boulders into the narrow valley.  But this day the falls were completely frozen. Nothing but greyish ice marked the cliffside.  Still I knew the river kept flowing.  I could see white water in small openings pouring between large marshmallow-snow-covered rocks. And I could hear the water flowing beneath the bridge.  

I was thinking about God and the times when he seems less involved with my life, times when the evidence of His love for me is not so obvious.  But like the river flowing steadily below the ice and snow, His love is still flowing too.  I guess there are wintry seasons in life when God's love seems to be hidden, when my spiritual life seems frozen, but I need to remember that God still loves me deeply.  Summer eventually comes and the snow melts, bringing even more water over the falls, spraying everyone around. 

Thank you, Lord, for the quiet reminder of your everflowing love.

Who do people say Jesus is?
By Sherree Funk | February 03, 2010 at 01:11 PM EST | No Comments

Jesus asked his disciples "Who do men say that I am?"  And that is a good question to ask today as well.  Most religions will agree that Jesus was a historical figure and lived on planet earth.  But there are many different views of who he really is.  Judaism and Islam concede that Jesus was a prophet, but not God, not the Son of God.  Even atheists and agnostics recognize that Jesus was a very influential teacher.  Buddhists generally see him as just a man.  Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses separate Jesus from God, saying he was created by God, and thus is different.   


Only Christianity calls Jesus fully human/fully divine God incarnate, or God/man.  Jesus was the only begotten son of God.  True God from True God.  Who do you say Jesus is? Only belief in Jesus as the one true son of God leads to effective Christian faith.  Don't be swayed to believe that Jesus is the same as other named gods, or that He is less than God.  

Listen to the Holy Spirit and confess with Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the savior of the world.  

Concordance: The Bible's search engine
By Sherree Funk | January 29, 2010 at 04:16 PM EST | No Comments

Long before Google was searching the Internet, there was a concordance in the back of your Bible.   That’s right.  The concordance is like a search engine just for the scriptures.  It is an alphabetical listing of all or most of the words in the text, with all the occurrences of that word listed.   As you might expect, this could be a very long list.  I have a huge book on my shelf, called Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance which has finer print that the stock pages in the newspaper.   I rarely take it down; it is exhausting just to look at it. 

But I love the concordance in the back of my NIV Study Bible.  Just as I use Google to research a tennis racket I want to buy, I can use my concordance to find certain verses when I am preparing a Bible lesson.  For example, today I am preparing a Middle School Sunday school lesson on Jesus preaching in Nazareth from Matthew 13:54-58.  Since the lesson is about Jesus’ rejection in his home town, I want to include some Old Testament prophecies that I vaguely remember, but can’t place.  So I turn to rejectedin the concordance, and immediately find the passage I am looking for: “He was despised and rejected by men…” from Isaiah53:3.   Then I remember a verse from the New Testament, something about Jesus experiencing all the same things we experience, and sympathizing with our weaknesses.  After a few tries I find Hebrews 4:15 - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin."  

You can even find a concordance on-line nowadays.  I found one yesterday that includes every possible Bible translation, and also includes a search of dictionaries and commentaries.   Check out Biblegateway.com and bibletab.com.

Have fun with your concordance.  Teach your teens how to use the Bible’s search engine to look up a topic of interest.  It is another way to get familiar with the Bible.