I didn’t share my “GO TO” then, but the one that I would have shared is:

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  Psalm 91:4

I know there are tons of Psalms that speak of God’s help, faithfulness, and love in times of trouble; but this one has always seemed to remind me that HE is great, mighty, strong, and powerful and I am small, truly powerless, and dependent on Him for everything (protection, etc).

It’s one thing to say He protects - how much more to say He protects and is faithful !  We have so many examples of things or people that  protect, but NONE are completely faithful like God (if we are truly honest).

What’s your “GO TO” Psalm?

Overall, the Forgotten God DVD Study Resource is a great and one that really encourages and challenges more consideration of the book.  I appreciate Chan’s honest and forthright way of explaining things and being transparent in his own journey in Christ.

As a resource, and when compared with the Crazy Love Study DVD, there are two things to consider:

1. Each segment/chapter amplifies – it does not, in and of itself teach the related chapter in the book.  When we used the DVD in our Sunday School class, we made sure we came up with a few post-video discussion questions.  There were one or two on the Crazy Love DVD…none on the Forgotten God one.  Some study DVDs allow for a facilitator rather than a teacher/leader – in my opinion, Forgotten God needs to have the latter.
2. Study Guide.   The Study/Group Discussion Guide was offered separately and not on the DVD (again, comparing Crazy Love to Forgotten God).  This is only a comment – it’s up to the writer and publisher on how to distribute this type of valuable resource.  That said, I wished it had been on the DVD.  I have not ordered the separate Workbook – I think I will so I have it when I re-read the book and re-watch the DVD.  Looking at the page count (128) and the “look inside” feature on Amazon, I can see why it wasn’t included on the DVD…  [Also, if this guide is used, maybe my comment above about teacher/leader vs. facilitator is moot.]

Those two comments aside, again – I recommend this DVD!

In writing this post, I re-watched the DVD and took these notes…

Chapter 1: I’ve got Jesus.  Why do I need the Holy Spirit

• Do we overtly try to force the Holy Spirit’s outpouring or guidance?
• Do we “manufacture” what His will is?
• We must set aside our assumptions as we study!
• We must be open and see His divine will…  He will take care of and reveal the rest, i.e., His will for us
• We seek “experience”, but on OUR terms.
• We look for the “lifetime” view of things or His will – when we read in His word that he never works that way
• We find Him and His will by moving forward with His divine will
• We MUST NOT miss or neglect the OBVIOUS!

Chapter 2: What are you afraid of?

• Do I really want to hear from God?  Do I like my life the way it is?
• Do I sometimes see God’s “voice” as an interruption?
• Are we “pickers”?  Do we pick & choose the stuff we do in and for Christ?
• It’s hard to surrender as we grow older (i.e., more stuff, commitments, etc.)
• We know there is more…do we desire it, seek it, and pursue it!

Chapter 3: Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

• Great illustration on football – huddle – bench…
• “We don’t need the Holy Spirit to sit in a room and say, ‘Amen, that’s Good.’”
• Are we running the “plays” we learn/hear on Sunday throughout the week?
• Are we just as on fire for Christ now as we were when we became a Christian?
• Are we separating ourselves from the world?  Jesus didn’t…
• Are we in a place where the Holy Spirit HAS to come through for us?  We should be!

Chapter 4: Why Do You Want Him?

• Do we seek/desire the Holy Spirit’s empowering for the common good or for our own abilities/pride?
• What is our posture before church?

Chapter 5: A Real Relationship

• We lose sight of the fact of our confident access to God is through the Holy Spirit
• Are we actually sure and confident that God loves us?  That is the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives.
• Do we see our relationship with God as every bit as real as out best ones on earth?

Chapter 6: Forget about God’s will for your life

• Comfort vs. adventure – where do we live as Followers?
• Those who really experience God are those on mission for Him…seeking Him.
• Sometimes it’s just about obedience!

Chapter 7: Supernatural Church

• So much of church is pushing things along on the effort vs. complete reliance on the Holy Spirit.
• Are we “stoppable” or “unstoppable”?
• Do we discount the Holy Spirit in our walk & in the church as a whole?
• Are we letting God distinguish us or are we doing that ourselves?

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In closing, if you enjoyed reading Forgotten God, the DVD resource is a valuable companion and really encourages conversation in a group setting if used that way.  The only thing I added to the DVDs use in our final class was the video below…it was a great way to challenge us all to GO AND DO:

We are … perplexed, but not in despair;  …  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  -2 Corinthians 4:8, 18

Because he [Jesus] himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18

The thing that hit me was how I (and maybe you) often under appreciate the fact that Jesus was tempted while on earth.

After I read that verse, I jumped to Matthew 4:1-11 and re-read the passage where Jesus was led in to the desert to be tempted by Satan.

Quite honestly, I think I often read this passage rather quickly; knowing, in my mind, the end of the story and not fully appreciating what He went through, the weakened condition He was in when He was tempted (as a man, mind you), and most importantly, His familiarity with what we go through.  [Again, maybe you can identify with me here.]

While Matthew 4 is the documented “temptation” of Jesus, think about it: He was constantly in situations – public and private – where He could have skimped, cheated, stretched, winked, held back, “oh well” or “who’ll care”-ed it — you know, all the things that we can so often, easily and matter-of-factly do.

He literally or at their “root cause” faced all we are faced with and did not sin.

Sure, He was fully God and fully man; but don’t miss that word “suffered” – He knew how easy, hard, convenient, “justified”, etc. one could feel about things, people, and situations.

He knew, chose rightly, and now longs to help us do the same.

In my new role as a foster father (not-soon-enough adoptive father!), the other day, Sam & I were cleaning up the side of the house and we were “team sweeping” the leaves and stuff – me sweeping, him using the dust pan.  He was having a tough time getting all the stuff in the dust pan and I recalled how my dad taught me the “sweep, back up the pan, and repeat” process for getting all the stuff picked up.  So, naturally, I imparted my well-honed “sweeping” knowledge to him…

Pretty cool – and not so painful.  I’m sure, in the course of our lives together, I’ll have ample opportunity to share and teach Sam about the not-so-good or hard lessons I’ve learned…

I was reading in Colossians yesterday and these two verses from chapter two popped out:

⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

My mind immediately imagined Paul writing these verses (and really the whole 6-23 passage).  I imagined him recalling what we read in Acts:

And Saul [now Paul] was there, giving approval to his [Stephen's] death.  On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Acts 8:1

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Acts 9:1-2

I imagined him recalling and pondering the pain he caused, the dramatic change Jesus had made in his life, and how he was now using the lessons and examples from his life (both past and present) for God’s glory.  I’m sure he didn’t disguise his past – he couldn’t…people knew it.  Simply put: He didn’t let his “past” stop or inhibit him (as we often do).  He used all his life experiences so, as he writes in 1 Corinthians nine, “that by all possible means I might save some.”

I guess this passage just hit me because it’s pretty easy to share the “good” stuff with others – certainly our kids.  Sometimes, it’s the “not-so-good” stuff that can be just as profitable and actually makes us real and genuine.

I guess that’s sort of the theme of the whole “freedom” passage anyway!