Tag: Paul Dybdahl

A Life of Praise

• Lesson 9 for the week of November 24 to December 1

A Life of Praise. How does one praise God when life is in shambles? The focus of this week’s lesson is simply on the act of praising God in several “crucible” circumstances. Don’t worry about...

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Seeing the Invisible

• Lesson 8 for the week of November 17 to November 24

Seeing the Invisible. What is the difference between faith and hope? For Discussion: Hebrews 11:27: Moses sees the one who is invisible. Last week the focus was on hope; this week the focus is on...

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Indestructible Hope

• Lesson 7 for the week of November 10 to November 17

Indestructible Hope: To what extent can a believer hope with certainty? Or does “hope” always imply a gap between expectation and certainty? For Discussion: To what extent can a believer hope with certainty? Or does...

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Struggling With All Energy

• Lesson 6 for the week of November 3 to November 10

Struggling With All Energy. When you successfully struggle through a problem to safe ground, who gets the credit: you, God, or both? For Discussion: In assessing the role of the human and role of the...

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Extreme Heat

• Lesson 5 for the week of October 27 to November 3

Extreme Heat. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. What would be the modern equivalent to that test? Or is there one? For Discussion: Genesis 22: Abraham and Isaac. Is there a modern equivalent...

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Seeing the Goldsmith’s Face

• Lesson 4 for the week of October 20 to October 27

Seeing the Goldsmith”s Face. When preparing his children for the kingdom, does God press the process of refinement to the point of absolute perfection? For Discussion: The title for our discussion this week is suggested...

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The Birdcage

• Lesson 3 for the week of October 13 to October 20

The Birdcage. To what extent are our sufferings a gift from God to help us grow and mature? For Discussion: The official study guide for this lesson uses a 19th century story as the keynote...

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The Crucibles That Come

• Lesson 2 for the week of October 6 to October 13

The Crucibles That Come. When troubles come our way, is it a good idea to try and find out the reasons why we are in trouble? The purpose of this week’s discussion is to survey...

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The Shepherd’s Crucible

• Lesson 1 for the week of September 29 to October 6

The Shepherd’s Crucible. Would you rather escape the fire, simply survive it, or actually be refined? Our GOOD WORD discussions for the next three months focus on the difficult times in life and how these...

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Yahweh and Israel: Fulfillment Beyond Failure

• Lesson 13 for the week of September 22 to September 29

Many Christians speak of the so called “Old Testament God” as a God of wrath and violence. I held a similar view until a class forced me to read extended portions of the Old Testament...

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Hosea and Gomer: Forgiving the Unfaithful

• Lesson 12 for the week of September 15 to September 22

Hosea was a prophet whose ministry lasted approximately 40 years. His focus was on the northern kingdom, Israel, and the judgment of God brought on by the Assyrians. The details of his message, however, are...

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Ahab and Jezebel: Abuse of Authority

• Lesson 11 for the week of September 8 to September 15

With surprisingly graphic language, the Adult Sabbath School Study Guide expresses the partnership of Ahab and Jezebel as “a marriage made in hell! When you take one weak-willed king and add to him a power-hungry...

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David and Bathsheba: Adultery and After

• Lesson 10 for the week of September 1 to September 8

David is referred to in the New Testament as someone God called “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). We have already seen, however, that great men and women of God are still sinners,...

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The Jobs: Living With Losses

• Lesson 9 for the week of August 25 to September 1

Most scholars view the book of Job as one of the oldest books in the Bible. It is perhaps not surprising that it deals with one of the oldest questions of humankind: why? Why do...

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