We Only Have A Few More Weeks In Our Study Of The Gospel Of John
October 8th, 2013 In our CGMF Bible Study Groups during midweek, which are studying the Book Of John. Guess what? We are almost finished! It will be close, but we hope to finish up with the Book of John by the end of the calendar year. Our quick quizzes for review are a bit behind, but will be updated shortly. Most groups are approaching chapter 18, so with that in mind I think we can wrap up the study of John by the end of the year. We have been working on it for a long time. However, it has been a great ride, with lots of insightful truths being made available for our discussion and meditation.
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Our newest quick quiz review is ready for your perusal. Just follow the appropriate links or go to the School of Faith page at our main website. Thanks for your patience, as we had hoped to have this available to you the first week of September.
STUDY LINKS: CGMF SCHOOL OF FAITH JOHN CHAPTER 13 STUDY QUIZ It's early Sunday morning and I'm wanting to write something meaningful, inspirational or sensational. Guess what? I don't have anything. LOL. Have you ever felt that way? I sure do right now. I mean, I want to say something and my mind is going a mile a minute. However, its just not happening.
I will say I am enjoying our continued study at CGMF of the series " Christ In Session ", which is based off a book written many years ago by Bob Mumford. It isn't complicated, or like taking biblical rocket science. Yet, the practicality and simplicity of its approach has been refreshing. I personally keep on being drawn to the chapter on Christ's departure. Where we begin viewing the scriptures concerning his actions in preparing his disciples for his departure. Then tying them together with the work of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It's amazing how completely Christ has both prepared mentally and spiritually his disciples to be successful for their christian service. Equipping them completely, with the attributes of His Character, Power and Authority. All being at their disposal to accomplish the will of God, and have a successful christian life. Let's just say, Jesus didn't leave much for chance. He also showed a lot of faith in some very different and diverse group of people. Who were from all sorts of walks of life. That kind of diversity and plurality is truly amazing. Giving us insight into the very work God is trying to do through the church today. Well, enjoy your Sunday services. Blessings to all. To all my friends and students at CGMF, I will be working on a couple of the Book of John Study Quizzes this weekend, plus I hope my voice gets well enough to speak this Sunday. Hey, with any luck I might even get finished with some teaching updates if feasible. Keep me in your prayers. LOL. You all have been so patient with me handling this cold the past two weeks. I just can't wait for it to go and leave me alone.
Reverend Vossen has taken a getaway for the weekend back home to Ottawa, Illinois. He spent a lot of his childhood years there, and started on his faith journey there. He is with his son Adam and is apparently enjoying himself from the picture he has passed along to me and Mary. I will post that for you on this blog post.
We will be studying John 16:7-12 In most our fellowship groups tomorrow. I have been assured we will have review quizzes available shortly on the previous two chapters. Have a great weekend. The Website is completely updated and files fixed and NO broken links can be found.
Well, we went all out today and have updated and archived everything we have onto our own servers. Then backed them up with our online backup service CrashPlan. We couldn't wait any longer to see Xanga finish with its migration, and we meticulously listened to each audio from the past 7 years in the past few days. Categorizing and actually editing many at the same time. A lot of work, but I believe it was well worth it. Thanks to all who helped in this labor of love. Reverend Vossen's personal website at Xanga is now going to get a fresh facelift as well. A lot of data will be deleted, but more updated material will be available as well. Media files are much harder to upload on the Wordpress format, so using links to our site here at cgmfinc.weebly.com will be utilized. His personal url at patrickvossen.com is still not functioning, yet pdvossen.xanga.com is. However, he is hoping it will be only a temporary issue. I think we wore our shepherd out today. I am told he worked quite a few hours trying to help organize the editing of so many files. Blessings to all. Skip PS. Filling in for the Reverend. LOL. After much discussion, and after our trying to gauge how long it will take Reverend Vossen's ministry website at patrickvossen.com to migrate audio. We have decided to painstakingly go through the past 7 years of ministry audio he has recorded through CGMF Radio etc.. Which Xanga graciously has made available to us. Then manually upload each one up to the website. There are a lot of them, so we are not sure how this is going to work. However, with Reverend Vossen's assistance we are going to set out on this course. Leaving nothing on any other servers than Weebly's and our own.
Friends of the ministry audios and videos as well we are going to try to bring on the site. It is the best and most efficient way at this time. As some of the audio where links are broken are necessary for our foundational discipleship courses at CGMF. Time is not on our side to wait for a long period of time for Xanga at this point. Please enjoy one on my favorite Covenant Hour broadcasts from years ago. We hope to have more of the Covenant Hour broadcast's ready for you to listen to as well in the days to come. Some have been lost in the transition from North Platte to Omaha offices. Nevertheless, there are some really nice treasures. Here is a Broadcast with the theme, " God Has A Plan For Your Life ". Enjoy the format and the Word. I am sorry we still have no direct connection with the patrickvossen.com url. Also, all the links to audio files with Xanga before Sept. do not seem to function or disappeared. I am evaluating how to go about correcting the issues without spending untold hours at it. As Xanga's migration over to a Wordpress platform has not come about without any problems to resolve. I just have to analyze what all is non-functioning, and go from there.
Keep me in your prayers. This looks like a major operation. LOL. CGMF members I'm sorry there are so many broken links to various files you use in our bible studies. I will be working to see that they are resolved. Be patient. This to shall pass. Reverend Vossen Have you ever felt betrayed and lost in a cloud of deception, doubt or confusion. I have, and it is not a pleasant pill to swallow. I have seen my best friend from Grade school take advantage of the liberties of our friendship. Befriend my wife and then use intimate information or twist it. Causing me deep hurt, and confusion in relationships. Then try to look like he is a clean and a perfect Christian example. Never apologizing for what he has done, and taking what's dear to me for himself.
Now I know we all have sinned, and I know I have not helped myself at times. Leaving myself open for questioning and doubt. Yet, I have been man enough to apologize or deal with it. Even if its not dealing with it the way some people desire. For some folks don't want you to just apologize, they want to bury you in guilt, or some sort of personal emotional hell. To say the least this is non-productive and is not the way to restoration and healing. I know I made my mistakes in my relationship with my love. However, I also know that we are suppose to respond to failures, or mistakes with God's overflowing Grace, because that is how He responded to our shortcomings through the cross. " We have been ransomed through his Son's blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, " Ephesians 1:7 CEB. Notice that our forgiveness for our failures are based on His overflowing grace. His grace has the ability to give anyone with the right heart, an ability to respond with mercy, restoration and love. The problem is we get in the way with our flesh dictating so often. We want that pound of flesh, with that person's guilt bathing them in their past failures. Because of that, people go around constantly never healing from the wounds they have suffered, so never resolving their relationships. Never finding that inner healing through the Holy Spirit, which is available in the springs of God's love. I have to forgive my best friend and my love for their relationship. Its not going to change the natural, as courses of heart have been set. However, it will allow us to see a healthy tomorrow, by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. One of the things that was discussed in our personal struggle with our relationship was the " apology ". We both looked for apologies for past failures. I was willing to forgive and forget and move on. Yet, in her case she said I never properly apologized. Her idea was that every single item in her mind was not satisfied, and there wasn't enough " pound of flesh " in my apology. She said if I truly had apologized she never would have moved away with my former best friend. I beat myself over and over with those " what ifs ". However, in the midst of it, my christian counselor told me that her heart was already set with him. She went on to say, and quite wisely, " Unless the heart is willing, healing can never come ". Its up to us! Each one of us, and its a choice or a decision we make consciously or unconsciously.The question for us is, am I going to allow God to change my heart, or am I not. In 3 Maccabees 5:42 in the CEB it says " At that point the king, a Phalaris in every way, was filled with madness and gave no thought at all to the change of heart that had come about in him concerning the punishment of the Jews. He firmly swore an irrevocable pledge that he would send these people to the grave without delay, mangled by the knees of the feet of the beasts ". The story here in 3 Maccabees 5 and 6 is quite remarkable to read. It talks of Ptolemy, and his discourse with Hermon about his desire to wipe out the Hebrews by taking them into the arena and allowing mad elephants to trample them to bits. Then relates to us the prayers of God's people, and the change of heart that finally takes place after three unusual circumstances. Ptolemy three times planned for the Hebrew Children to be killed. The first time God's people pray and God gives Ptolemy a long and peaceful sleep. Time passes by and no parade in the arena. Next, his bitter heart tells Hermon to get things ready again, but this time God gives Ptolemy all sorts of confusion and the event is cancelled again. Finally, Ptolemy takes matters into his own hands arranging personally to get the job done. Eleazar and others pray a very special heartfelt prayer as Ptolemy goes down to the arena to make sure this all is going to come about. God sends two angels who bring about the destruction of Ptolemy's men in the arena as the elephants trample them to death! Ptolemy looks over to the praying Hebrews, and is stricken in his heart. He has them released, makes a flowing statement about their faithfulness and gives them all they need to go back home and start their lives over. What a tremendous story about God's intervention in the hearts and lives of men. Our hearts can be changed, our minds can be renewed. We just have to give God a chance. Don't be so stubborn, or so unwilling to listen to God. Otherwise, He cannot do for you what He has done for others for centuries. The Impossible, The Supernatural! It might seem the pages have already been set and the dye cast between you and your love. However, if God's will is for restoration. There will be restoration and renewed hearts. Just don't get trampled standing in the way of the mercy of God. No matter how much time has gone by. Nothing is too difficult for God, yet if He wills something better for you, He will see it through just as he did for Job, after his difficult trials. Remember always that God sees the Big Picture clearly. Try to get into to his vision for your life. You'll be glad you did. 1 Peter 5:10 CEB " After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you ". We will be cancelling the mobile app after August 24th. Time and finances preclude us from continuing on its development. As Reverend Vossen is the only one able to handle its software and updates. For now we are concentrating on the ministry website, and our neighborhood groups. With materials and updates forthcoming on the website shortly. I apologize for the delays.
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Reverend Patrick Vossen,
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