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Summaries of Our Study Thus Far

Dear friends, here's what I know and believe thus far on the reality of God, God's Creation, Plan and Purpose: 1. I believe there is one true, living, loving God. God's name is I Am. That in an of itself says a lot about God. 2. I believe that God created all things, assisted by the presence of the Heavenly Realm of which Jesus was a part, and as was the Holy Spirit. 3. I believe God's crowning creation was humans. The first two were placed in a garden where all was provided for them, including a special blessed and holy relationship with God. 4. I believe this relationship was broken because of the disobedience of the humans after being tempted by he who seeks only to kill, steal and destroy all that God has brought about. 5. I believe that God expelled the humans from the garden, but sought to maintain a relationship with them. It was a long story of obedience, faithfulness, and love on the part of the humans, followed by disobedience and alienation from Go...
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ADVENT STUDY TWO: Is Heaven Beyond Our Imagination?

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Image from FarSide cartoons. Getting Acquainted: Where is your favorite garden? What makes that garden so special? What is your favorite city? What about that city makes its special to you? What is your favorite building in the whole world? Why? What was the best banquet you have ever attended? Let’s Begin The introductory remark on this second chapter of our book is by Alister McGrath who writes: To speak of “imagining Heaven” does not imply or entail that heaven is a fictional notion, constructed by deliberately disregarding the harsher realities of the everyday world. It is to affirm the critical role of the God-given human capacity to construct and enter into mental pictures of divine reality, which are mediated through Scripture and the subsequent tradition of reflection and development. We are able to inhabit the mental images we create, and thence anticipate the delight of finally entering the greater reality to which they correspond. Our Bible begins with a gar...
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Heaven! Our Advent Study/ Chapter One: Are You Looking Forward to Heaven?

Dear friends, this is an online resource on which I can post the handouts for the Advent class I am teaching at First Methodist Church in Gonzales, Texas. It's based on the book, "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn, which I highly recommend. This handout may help you with the book or it may just bless you with the questions and doubts you may have about the "Great Beyond." Like all spiritual endeavors, please be in prayer before studying anything about God. I also recommend, above the text book, the Holy Bible, on which Dr. Alcorn's book is based. Wednesday, December 13, 2017 Chapter One Are You Looking Forward to Heaven? Getting Acquainted: ( ) I have been to Heaven ( ) I have had a near-death experience ( ) I have a fear about dying ( ) I have loved ones who have died ( ) I have positive feelings about dying ( ) I believe when I die I will go to Heaven ( ) I believe when I die I will go to the “other place.” ( ) ...
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