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Share Your “Interrupted” Story

staff — 2009-11-10T13:53:45-06:00

In the Threads short-term Bible study, Interrupted, author Jen Hatmaker describes how she was comfortable in her very “churched” life until God interrupted it and led her on a journey of finding adventure, love, meaning … and Jesus. God reminded Jen that He cares deeply about issues of justice and mercy, and that she is called to as well.

This video is from Scott, a guy who experienced God’s interruptive nature while He was on a 9-month prayer journey regarding his job. Listen to Scott as he describes what that interruption looked like in his life.

What about you? If you have a story of how God’s interruption has transformed your life, tell us about it in the comments.

Thanksgiving Writing Contest--Win a spot on our blog!

staff — 2009-11-03T14:27:22-06:00

Do you suffer from blog envy? Are you tired of being mocked by thousands of witty, popular blog posts when all you have to show are a few mildly entertaining Facebook status updates that no one even looks at? Well, Threads would like to give you the opportunity to be seen—er, read.

We’re throwing a question out there just for you to answer as we gear up for the holiday season. Be creative, be honest, be yourself. Threads staff will choose the post we think is most awesome and we’ll publish it right on our site … on Thanksgiving day!

So, here’s the question: What are you most thankful for about your church and/or its ministry leaders?

Write till your heart’s content—and then narrow it down to 200 words or less—and forward it to us at threads@lifeway.com. Happy posting!

LifeMatters: I’d like mine with a nice country club membership included

Chad Jordan — 2009-10-30T16:14:17-06:00

November is going to be a difficult month. Our study, “Casual Christianity,” poses some tough and uncomfortable questions. Are you prepared to honestly examine your habits and attitudes about Christianity? Are you willing to make any necessary changes?

It seems that many who call themselves Christ-followers are fine with limiting their Christianity to showing up on Sunday mornings, singing along with three or four songs, half-listening to a thirty-minute talk, and then heading to lunch. Task completed, check it off the list! But you should know that casual Christianity just won’t do.

Here’s a fun task: let’s make a list of guys in the Bible and ask them if they would consider their faith casual, easy, or fun.

John the Baptist: “Easy? No, I wouldn’t say that. Having your head separated from your body is not easy.”
Jonah: “Fun? You ever been inside a whale? Not fun. Fantastic, yes; incredible, absolutely; but certainly not fun.”
Paul: “Well, I did get to travel the known world telling people about Jesus, but I wouldn’t call it casual. Dodging rocks and getting arrested kept things exciting. I’d never trade what I did, but a church with a country club membership included in their package, now that would have been a lot easier.”
Abraham: “Following God started out pretty easy until He asked me to leave my home and just start walking. You ever leave home without a destination? Kinda crazy. There was also that time where I almost killed my own kid. I’d definitely say following God demands a pretty hefty commitment.”
Moses: “Not too sure about those words. Exciting, adventurous, and remembered forever are more how I’d describe it. I mean, God allowed me to see the Red Sea open up and become like dry ground under my feet, rescue His people, write that song about letting my people go, and then actually see Him. But then there was the whole wilderness snafu, and I can honestly say there was nothing fun about that.”

Where did we ever get the idea that following God would be easy? It NEVER was in the Bible. So is being a Christ-follower worth it? Absolutely. It’s worth anything you’d have to pay, but casual or easy? Definitely not.

Some passages of Scripture are tough to understand and apply to our lives, but this week’s isn’t one of those. We may not like what it has to say, but it’s simple, straightforward and life altering. Read James 1 and 2. Notice how he explains things in very easy-to-understand language: “Rid yourselves of moral filth” (1:21); “Be doers of the word” (1:21); “Show me your faith without works and I’ll show you faith from my works” (2:18). Start this month’s study with a clean slate and examine yourself each week. Does your faith look like the one being described by James as active, or is it one that just hears and is comfortable to live in filth?

I love the closing paragraph on page 80 of the learner guide: “A faith that is void of works is a faith that is void of substance. A faith that is void of substance is a faith that will land someone with the demons in hell. Once we realize that the theology of James matches perfectly with the theology of grace, then we can begin living a life that substantiates a faith we say we possess.”

Does your faith have any substance to it?

Interview with Margaret Feinberg

staff — 2009-10-28T13:18:04-06:00

Michael Kelley sits down with Margaret Feinberg to discuss her new Bible study, Scouting the Divine.

WIN a Free Sacred Roads DVD Leader Kit ($69.95 value)!

Jenny Williams — 2009-10-28T12:37:01-06:00

Sacred Roads: Exploring the Historic Paths of Discipleship, by Heather Zempel, is a new short-term Bible study from Threads. Click HERE for more information about the study. The leader kit includes a member book, a DVD with video clips to jump-start discussion in your small group, and a CD-Rom with leader helps, music, audio files, and more!

Winning is so easy. All you need to do is post on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter feed about the Threads giveaway, linking your readers back to this post on the Threads Blog. Then, come back to this page and post a comment with a link to your social network post. We will randomly choose one winner from those who posted to receive the leader kit.

Congrats to Adrienne Maples, winner of the Interrupted DVD leader kit! Thanks for stopping by the Threads blog.

Official Contest Rules

Update: Congrats to Matt Lee—winner of the FREE Sacred Roads Bible study leader kit, by Heather Zempel! Thank you to everyone who posted about the new Threads study on your social networks. We are hearing great things about Sacred Roads!

Collegiate: Artistic Treat for Collegiate Users

Heather Manning — 2009-10-27T15:54:52-06:00

We have gotten a few requests for a promotional poster for this Fall’s Collegiate Bible Studies and thought everyone might like a copy. This poster is 11 x 17 and ready to print on any standard printer. Happy Bible study promotion to all.

Download the poster (21.7 MB).

We Party Like Kindergartners

Heather Manning — 2009-10-27T13:45:45-06:00

The Threads team recently moved to new offices and decided to welcome ourselves to the neighborhood. Since fall is so beautiful here in Tennessee, why not throw a Fall Festival block party. Here are a few photos so you can share in the ridiculousness of it all.

LifeMatters: Tim Tebow is the man!

Chad Jordan — 2009-10-23T15:30:13-06:00

How can my faith begin impacting my actions? This isn’t a question that should be asked, because the answer should be obvious. Our faith should impact everything we do and every decision we make. For many churchgoers, faith is a thing that’s talked about but seldom lived. It’s easy to seem “faithful” on Sundays or in your church crowd, but honestly, how often does your faith show up the other 95% of your week?

As I’ve stated before, I love football. And yes, I’m still a bit down after my Hokies blew a great opportunity last weekend. My love for football has introduced me to a great guy who’s tough to hate. His name is Tim Tebow, and no matter what you think about the Florida Gators (Here in Nashville I could be tarred and feathered for saying those words too loud.), I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t respect Tebow. Many are ready for him to graduate, but how can you not like the guy?

I’ve read many articles about him and his family and the missions work they’re involved in. I’ve also heard him share his faith a thousand times on national TV. After big wins, like two National Championships, he points the glory to his Savior instead of accepting it for himself. I’ve never seen an athlete so consistently live a life that is truly impacted by his faith. Many athletes pray after touchdowns or thank God for His blessings before accepting an award, but I haven’t seen one live a more public life and see the type of example Tebow has been for the past four years.

When I think about this week’s lesson, Tim Tebow comes to mind. And this article by Sam Cook really bothers me. Take a few minutes and read it and let me know what you think. One thing I know for sure is that Tebow won’t change. He’ll stand tall no matter who dislikes him for his faith even if he has to stand alone, because he lives a life displaying his amazement in his God.

Now, I know he’s human and certainly not perfect, but I see him as a great example for all Christians. Do the people who know you really know where you stand? Do they see Christ in the way you live? Does your faith impact your life, or is it just something you do on Sundays?

Here are a few articles I found this week that are worth your attention and may be good discussion starters in your community time this weekend.

North Carolina “pastor” will be burning Bibles for Halloween. Click Here.

Not a religious thing, but wrong none the less, College Football Snuggie?!? Click Here.

LifeMatters: He’s like Walter Payton, I’m more like Peter

Chad Jordan — 2009-10-16T17:33:52-06:00

I love football. This weekend I’ll be pulling for my Hokies to keep the run alive and beat Georgia Tech. While doing my usual pregame activities this week, like reading anything I can find mentioning Virginia Tech football, I ran across several articles talking about our running back, Ryan Williams. You see, from a very young age he loved Walter Payton and even has a tattoo of Payton’s number 34 with the tag, “Little Sweetness” on his forearm. Now that Williams is getting national publicity for his success, many people are comparing him to his hero. They have a similar style and greatness in the way they play the game.

All this got me thinking about which Bible character I’m most like or want to be like. I think this is a fun question to ask and it may be a great way for you to start this week’s lesson. For me, the answer is pretty easy. I definitely see myself as one of Jesus’ apostles, probably even Peter. Now before you go thinking I’m being a little arrogant with my choice, let me explain. I chose Peter because he promised Christ he would stand beside Him until the end, even if it meant dying with Him, and then a few hours later he barked at a little girl for thinking he was a follower of Christ. I can relate to Peter because I like to say I’ll do great things only to find myself sleeping in the garden and missing out on a great Jesus moment. Also, I like to think I’d fight a Roman soldier or evil Pharisee, but most likely I’d run away with the rest of them.

You know what’s beautiful about following Christ? It’s that having moments of weakness like those mentioned above isn’t what defines us. Honestly, if everything you knew about Peter was based on Mark 14, you’d think he was a chump rather than one of the founding fathers of our faith. God used him in mighty ways to establish the church and spread the story of Jesus around the globe.

That gives me hope and I hope it does for you, too. I mess up all the time. No matter how hard I try or how focused I am at one moment, I fall asleep at the wheel the next moment. I’m thankful for a loving Father who’s encouraging and equipping me for success and is ready to catch me when I fall.

So, which character are you, and why?

Below is a clip from Bolt where the pigeons try to remember why they recognize him. Another way to get some conversation started is to ask the people in the class who they remind each other of. This could be a biblical character or someone else, but make sure the focus is on positive traits. I hope some of this helps give you a few ideas and maybe an additional thought or two for this weekend’s time with your group. As always, feel free to share your thoughts below.

F.Y.E.: The Weekend in Sports

Michael Kelley — 2009-10-15T12:42:35-06:00

In my opinion, October is the epicenter of the sports calendar. With the onset of fall, you’ve got all kinds of greatness. You have Major League Baseball Postseason. There’s the real meat of the college football schedule. And the NFL is kicking into high gear. Though my petition with the NCAA to have March Madness moved to October to ensure its total dominance over any other month is currently under consideration, I nevertheless am giddy with excitement because every week brings plenty of fodder for anyone who has even a casual interest in sports. To that end, I’d like to briefly highlight this weekend of sports.

I can’t in good conscience say I’ll be watching all of this, but you can pick and choose whatever scratches your itch. All times are given in central standard:

Friday, October 16th

Baseball: Game 2, Phillies vs. Dodgers, 3:07 p.m.

Saturday, October 17th

College Football: Oklahoma vs. Texas, 11 a.m. // USC vs. Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m.

Baseball: Game 2, Angels vs. Yankees, 6:57 p.m.

Sunday, October 18th

NFL: Giants vs. Saints, 12 p.m. // Titans vs. Patriots, 3:15 p.m.

Baseball: Game 3, Dodgers vs. Phillies, 7:07 p.m.

It’s going to be a great weekend. Live it up, cause the black hole of sports will soon be upon us again.