New Beginnings Lutheran Church

We are all given a certain amount of “stuff” that is ours to work with. The uses may be varied, but using our “stuff” wisely and to our best abilities is the key to success. This week we will focus on what God has given us and what He wants us to do with it.

We often learn more from questions than the answers. But still, we all have questions begging for answers. What is a theological-biblical question you’ve been chewing on? We’ve surveyed y’all and are addressing one of the most asked questions at NBLC.

We often learn more from questions than the answers. But still, we all have questions begging for answers. What is a theological-biblical question you’ve been chewing on? We’ve surveyed y’all and are addressing one of the most asked questions at NBLC.

If you don’t have questions, then your brain isn’t engaged. So God asks questions to get us thinking--and learning--about what we want, and what He wants us to know. So God asks, “Can these bones live?” Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!

Sometimes questions are just rhetorical--asked to create dramatic effect or to make a point. A pregnant question begs for an answer; we can feel its implications. So God asks, “Whom shall I send?” Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!

Want answers? So does God! God wants us to get the answers we seek, and so God asks us questions. We learn from questions. So God asks, “Were you there when I laid the foundation of the earth?” Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!

You think you’ve got questions? So does God! God repeatedly poses probing questions. These demonstrate and generate engagement--which is the goal! God loves to interact. So God asks, “Where are you?” Submit your question at nblc.net/questions and it may be answered on a Sunday morning!

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Does it really matter which path is the one taken? “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Travel along as we discuss various paths. 📖 Mark 4:3-20 | bit.ly/3igTEdO 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

It’s all about relationships. Relationships are great when they are going well. What do we do when they’re not going well? The Bible's direction is simple, though doing what it says isn't easy. But all great things require work and are worth the effort. 📖 Matthew 18:15-20 | bit.ly/3x7872d 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

Family meals are about way more than food. If someone is missing, their absence is noticeable. Sometimes someone’s presence creates stress. We need to pay attention to the tension. When breaking bread together is meant to keep us more connected. 📖 1 Corinthians 11:17-26 | bit.ly/3jsVxX6 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

Birth order matters. First born children, middle children, and babies of any family tend to share common traits. This is true in our “faith-family” also. We each fill a role in our families - parents too, of course. These family connections play a crucial role in our faith formation. 📖 2 Timothy 1:1-7 | bit.ly/3jaE6KM 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

NBLC isn’t about making members, but disciples! But WAIT! The Bible actually calls us “members of one another.” We are “family members.” We will explore the fact that just as we are all members of the human race, we were made for faith-family connections. 📖 1 Peter 1:22-25 | bit.ly/3xubJLe 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

Do you have hope? Are you sure you know what I’m referring to by the word “hope”? Does your hope give you courage and calmness in the face of extremely disturbing circumstances? Would you like some more hope?

Ever feel like the world is getting worse? Do government systems appear corrupt, the leaders also, and culture appear to be at war with your faith? How *didn’t* Daniel respond to these circumstances?

Truly God was with Daniel and his friends. The bigger miracles were not walking through fire or closing lions mouths; what really astounds is the hope, humility, and wisdom we see in those who followed the rule of faith.

Many look to Daniel for prophetic insight, but what we really benefit from is learning how to live godly lives in a world gone wrong. Can we really live counter cultural lives in Babylon -- or 21st century USA? It may come at a price.

The book of Daniel might bring to mind prophecy charts, diet fads, or tales of lions, but these are distractions if focused upon to the diminishment of the prophet’s main point. God often chooses to be with us in our trials rather than deliver us from them.

God has equipped you with gifts and tasks to grow His kingdom and share His love. But do you always use those gifts for that purpose? Does it always seem fair to share God’s love with those around you? Jesus addresses all this and more through a parable. Let’s dive in to what He has to say. 📖 Luke 20:9-19 | bit.ly/3vWInV1 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

It is not a stretch to say there’s a lot in common between mothers and missions. Having children and making disciples are very much alike. It all starts where you are and you don’t know where it’ll take you! 📖 Matthew 28:18-20 | bit.ly/2Of9U3U 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

Jesus said it: it is more blessed to give than to receive. Isn’t it strange that the more we have the less prone we are to give? That’s not true of everyone, but we all will struggle with that truth. 📖 Acts 20:35 | bit.ly/3fwxFQm 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

We are not saved by good works but for good works. And doing good works makes us feel good, no that’s not the whole reason we do them. Why do we do good works? 📖 Ephesians 2:10 | bit.ly/31I9Z3u 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

Almost everyone I know is really good at forgiveness. After all, most people know someone who fails their hopes and expectations every day. And even though they promise to do better next time, they betray that trust over and again. But you forgive yourself again and again. That’s why we need to love others as we love ourselves. 📖 Ephesians 4:32 | bit.ly/2Of907y 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect...

You be you - no one else can. But being like Jesus is also part of the equation, right? Being who God intends us to be is our Red Letter Challenge (RLC) for this week. 📖 Matthew 11:28 | bit.ly/2PUAMGN 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

We were baptized into Christ’s death so that we could live new lives--Christ-like lives--through the power of the resurrection. This Easter we will undertake a 40 day challenge to live like Jesus! 📖 Romans 6:3-4 | bit.ly/3tSBpzz 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give

There is no Easter without Good Friday. We will continue with NBLC’s traditional tenebrae service--a service of increasing darkness--as we remember how God’s great love for us was not extinguished, but demonstrated through the death of Jesus. 🤗 Connect Card | nblc.net/connect 💚 Giving is Loving | nblc.net/give