Welcome to Week Three of Pursuing God’s Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John. This summer, we’re digging deep into God’s Word and praying that with a word, passage, or story we will be wonderstruck by Scripture and fall in love with the Bible once again, or maybe for the first time. (Join us! Click here).

Here’s the homework for Week Three: When God Sees Through You:

1. Watch Session Three (Recognizing the Blind Spots) on Your Pursuing God’s Beauty DVD (18 minutes) and begin working through the homework.
2. Read John 9-11.
3. Come back to MargaretFeinberg.com on Thursday, the same day you can enjoy the Midday Connection podcast on the session, to discuss what God’s revealing to you along the way. (To subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss a beat, click here).

If you have a blog, consider linking up with MargaretFeinberg.com each Thursday and share what God is teaching you through the Gospel of John!

Here are four things you must know before diving into John 9-11:

1. The opening of blind eyes is rare in the Old Testament (2 Kings 6:8-23) and described under unusual circumstances. Jesus’ healing of a man who was born blind in John 7 is extraordinary. [Tweet this] Jesus uses saliva both in Mark 7 and Mark 8 to heal. Saliva was believed to have medicinal healing ability in the ancient world. Some even believed it had magical powers, which led to its use for healing being forbidden in the Jewish community.
2. The Greek word kalos, which translates “good” as in “good shepherd,” can also be translated as “excellent” or “beautiful.” In describing himself as the good shepherd in John 10, Jesus reveals himself as the “beautiful shepherd.” [Tweet this]
   
3. John 10:22 notes a somewhat odd detail, namely, that it was winter. While some scholars argue that this detail explained why Jesus was in the sheltered area of the portico of Solomon, others suggest the wintry mention is representative of the cold attitude toward Jesus and the icy receptivity of his listeners.
4. John 11 records the story of Lazarus, one of Jesus’ dear friends. The name Lazarus means “whom God helps.” [Tweet this]

FOR DISCUSSION: Answer the following questions as a comment to this blog post. Feel free to ask questions, reply to others’ comments, and post prayer requests.

• What miracle of Jesus would you most like to witness?

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Invite your friends to join the adventure! Click here to tweet about the online Summer Bible Study at MargaretFeinberg.com.

Click here to download 20 Must-Read Passages from John’s Gospel Free PDF Download.

The post Opening Our Eyes to the Beauty of God appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

God fills all creation with beauty. God strings galaxies in the sky and submerges creatures in the depths of the sea, which have yet to be discovered. The heavens and earth declare the glory of God.But if we aren’t careful, we close our eyes to God’s beauty—not only in creation but in our own lives and the lives of others. We can become blind to the moments when God wants to apprehend us with goodness, call us to holiness, and ignite our hearts with love. [Tweet this]

-Margaret Feinberg, Pursuing God’s Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John

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It’s not too late to join us for the online Summer Bible Study through John and Genesis! Click here to pick up your Summer Bible Study special.

The post Sunday Still: Living with Eyes Wide Open appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

This week, I’m giving away THREE copies of my friend, Craig Groeschel‘s, new book, Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are. Craig is the founder and leading pastor of LifeChurch.tv–which has 15 campuses in five different states and is considered the second largest church in the country. Craig, his wife, and their six kiddos live in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Altar Ego explores the idea that you are NOT who you think you are. Encouraging us all to evaluate our identity, lay it down on the altar, and sacrifice it. Give it to God. Offer it up.

Why?

Because you are who GOD says you are. And until you’ve sacrificed your broken concept of your identity, you won’t become who you are meant to be. When we place our false labels and self-deception on the altar of God’s truth, we discover who we really are as his sons and daughters. Instead of an outward-driven, approval-based ego, we learn to live with an ‘altar’ ego, God’s vision of who we are becoming. Altar Ego reveals who God says you are, and then calls you to live up to it.

Check out a video about Craig’s book, here:

{RSS Subscribers, click here to view}

To win one of THREE copies of Altar Ego, comment on the original blog post at MargaretFeinberg.com. Winners will be selected and announced on Friday.

Who does God say YOU are?

The post Giveaway: Win a Copy of Altar Ego (and an Interview with @CraigGroeschel) @Zondervan appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

My sweet friend, Kathleen Brooks, leads a small group of people who are fighting cancer—some with stage 4. I was moved as she asked me to pray that those she’s leading have increasing hope and deepening faith and trust in Him—that they would experience God’s wonder.

Her request made me think, “How can we best support those who have been diagnosed with cancer?” [Tweet this]

I asked Kathleen and her small group to put together a list of ideas.

After we posted 15 Things You Can Do When Someone You Love Has Cancer, the response was breathtaking. Additional suggestions flooded in. (Read the first post, here).

We compiled the comments, emails, and posts you offered. Here are 20 MORE things you can do when someone you love has cancer: [Tweet this]

1. Help them with their laundry. Pick it up, take it home with you, and drop it back off.

2. Talk about things other than the sickness and treatments. Talk to them about everyday life, their children, spouses, friends, the local news and so on. Give their mind a break.

3. Take your friend on an outing to the park, coffee shop, or lunch. Give them a change of pace and scenery.

4. Offer to clean their house.

5. Don’t ask if they need something done. If you see it, humbly do it for them.

6. Help the caregiver by filling in for a few hours and giving them a break.

7. Let them talk and be honest with their feelings. Don’t force them to talk about their situation, but open up your listening ears for when they are ready.

8. Show your support by offering words of encouragement both verbally and in writing.

9. Pay a bill for them without them knowing it.

10. Go sit at the hospital while they are undergoing treatment or surgery.

11. Give gas gift cards. Trips to the hospital drain the tank fast.

12. Volunteer to be the one to send out the updates to friends and families. Try to take one more thing off their plate.

13. Offer to run errands for them. Go to the grocery store, or run to the post office or bank.

14.  Don’t offer unsolicited advice about doctors, treatment, or clinics. 

15. Give hugs and place a hand on their shoulder. It helps them know you care and are there for them.

16. Don’t tell them they look sick, pale, or like they’ve lost weight. They know how they look, and they are most likely very self-conscious about it.

17. Be receptive to when they need space. Sometimes they need some alone time.

18. Read aloud to them. Whether it is the newspaper, a book, or magazine. It provides company and gives their mind a break.

19. Offer a smile. Sometimes no words are needed.

20. Provide a shoulder for them to cry on, and if you feel inclined, cry with them.

Weigh in: What would you add to this list?

The post 20 MORE Things You Can Do When Someone You Love Has Cancer appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

One afternoon while we were visiting Muizenberg, South Africa, where Leif’s brother and his wife serve as missionaries with YWAM, we drove down the coast, south of Cape Town, to an area known as Boulders Beach, which is famous for its penguins. I was thrilled. The only place I had ever seen a penguin was in a zoo and of course, on a movie screen.

We pulled into a parking lot and followed the trail to a rocky beach. As we’re walking I’m looking everywhere for the penguins, because I don’t want to miss them.

Leif’s brother, Hans, notices my intense searching and assures me, “Margaret, you won’t miss the penguins. I promise.”

We rounded the bend in the trail, and I look over, and there are two penguins standing in front of a shrub sporting long curled beaks and tuxedo colors. Being Margaret, I shout out “Penguinos!” because I am so excited.

Looking further down the trail, I can see dozens of penguins gathered around the rocks near the shore, but I’m enamored with this one penguin. I slowly approach him, hold out my iPhone and snap this picture on my camera:

Here’s the interesting thing, he didn’t move. This penguin engaged in a visual standoff with me for several minutes.

I remember asking Hans, “Why isn’t the penguin moving?”

“Because as long as he stands still, he doesn’t think you can see him…”

As I sat in silence with these creatures, I had a God-thought pop into my mind that simply said, “You do this sometimes, too.”

It that moment, I realized that like the penguins, I sometimes convince myself that somehow God doesn’t see me. That somehow I, too, can hide in plain sight. That maybe if I stand still long enough or remain quiet, that God won’t see the portions of myself that I don’t really want him to notice—my sin, my pain, my brokenness, my vulnerability. [Tweet this] That maybe God will pass by and I can remain hidden.

Yet time and time again in the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals that which is hidden. Jesus sees right through our layers of self-protection, our self-defenses, our desires to remain hidden.

Like the woman at the well in John 4.

Sometimes we have to come to terms with the fact that as hard as we try to hide, God not only sees us but in his love, he sees through our efforts to hide. [Tweet this]

Though we try to empty our bag of tricks—standing perfectly still, moving excessively fast, or diverting attention elsewhere—God sees and exposes us.

But that exposure is always an invitation to healing, restoration, and wholeness. [Tweet this] The exposure is not meant for disgrace but to create a work of beauty in our lives.

This week we dove into John 4-8.  You can catch up on this week, here.

FOR DISCUSSION: Answer the following questions as a comment to this blog post. Feel free to ask questions, reply to others’ comments, and post prayer requests.

1. Through Jesus, God’s life-giving activity is unleashed among the people. Which of the miracles Jesus performed in the first five chapters of John is most meaningful to you in your own faith journey right now? (page 44)
2. God can open physical eyes and God can open spiritual eyes, which are sometimes called the eyes of the heart. What would you like God to reveal to you or help you see more clearly in your life? (page 54)

LINK UP. Click HERE to link up your blog post on what God is revealing to you in His Word.

Join us on Monday as we begin Session 3: Recognizing the Blind Spots (John 9-11). Click here to subscribe to the RSS feed and receive each day’s post in your inbox each morning.

Don’t miss out on the Midday Connection Podcast interview as we chat through session two at 12PM Central today. Click here, to subscribe to their podcast each week.

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It’s not too late to join the online #SummerBibleStudy at MargaretFeinberg.com through John and Genesis. Click here to learn more.

The post Painfully Exposed appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

I believe one of the great wonders of life is being silly and playing and laughing. God gave us a sense of humor and hilarity and the ability to smile. And be goofy. And make wildly silly videos.

We gave away a Wonderstruck DVD Bible Study and 5 Workbooks to a group who created the best Wonderstruck-themed Harlem Shake Video. (Read about the contest, here).

You’ve got to watch this! Here is Adventure Christian Church, our Grand Prize Winners:

(RSS Subscribers click here to view)

Our team got a kick out of watching your submissions! Here are some honorable mentions that you must-see:

Cody Jones from Brookside Church in Omaha, NE:

(RSS Subscribers click here to view)

Rebekah Cyr from Bayside:

(RSS Subscribers click here to view)

Jason Brooks from Lifehouse Ministry:

(RSS Subscribers click here to view)

Kristi Neace from FBC Villa Ridge MO:

(RSS Subscribers click here to view)

What is your get-up-and-dance song?

The post #LIVEWONDERSTRUCK by Joy and Dancing (Who Won the Harlem Shake Contest?) appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

I recently stumbled on this infographic online and can’t get the imagery out of mind: [Tweet this]

All. This. Change. In. Ten. Years.

The pace at which our world is changing is mind-bending. Much is due to the technological revolution taking place today.

Most days I feel like I’m struggling to hang on to a wild out of control rollercoaster. It’s exhilarating, terrifying, overwhelming, uncomfortable and thrilling all at the same time.

How are you navigating these changes?

(**Infographic found at Bestedsites.com)

The post The Rate of Change: Your World, My World, Our World is Changing at a Mind-Bending Rate appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

Welcome to Week Two of Pursuing God’s Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John. This summer, we’re digging deep into God’s Word and praying that with a word, passage, or story we will be wonderstruck by Scripture and fall in love with the Bible once again, or maybe for the first time.

Whether this is your first time reading John or your fortieth, we invite you to join us! It’s not too late. [Tweet this] You can recap from Week 1, here. Click here to purchase your Summer Bible Study Special today.

Here’s your homework for Week Two: When God Sees Through You:

1. Watch Session Two (When God Sees Through You) on Your Pursuing God’s Beauty DVD (20 minutes) and begin working through the homework.
2. Read John 4-8.
   
3. Come back to MargaretFeinberg.com on Thursday, the same day you can enjoy the Midday Connection podcast on the session, to discuss what God’s revealing to you along the way. (To subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss a beat, click here).

If you have a blog, consider linking up with MargaretFeinberg.com each Thursday and share what God is teaching you through the Gospel of John!

Here are four interesting tidbits about John 4-8:

1) What is a Samaritan? Samaritan is a term describing the intermarriage between the Israelites and a mix of other nationalities during the captivity by the Assyrians. When Cyrus the Great released the captives to go back to their homelands, the Samaritans settled in Samaria (a Persian province). They set up their own place of worship on Mount Gerizim since Jews wouldn’t let them help rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Calling a Jewish person a Samaritan was considered a hostile insult in ancient culture.

2) Some scholars believe the “sheep gate” referred to in John 5:2 (Nehemiah 3:1, 3:2; 12:39) was a small opening in the temple wall where the sheep entered and were washed before being taken into the sanctuary for sacrifice. The nearby pool became a waiting area for the sick and disabled who hoped for miraculous healing.

3) John 6:9 (the story of feeding the 5000) notes that the boy’s five loaves were made of barley, a food which was common among the poor since it had a less desirable flavor. Wealthy people preferred wheat bread, which cost at least twice as much. This suggests that it was a poor boy that gave his food to Jesus.

4) Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world in John 8:12 ties into the Feast of Tabernacles. Each night during the festival, large oil candles were lit. They traditionally unraveled the old garments of the priests and used the material as wicks. Many believe that Jesus’ declaration of being the light of the world was in the context of this familiar scene.

FOR DISCUSSION: Answer the following questions as a comment to this blog post. Feel free to ask questions, reply to others’ comments, and post prayer requests.

The Bible never tells us the name of the woman whom Jesus met at the well in John 4, but imagine that you had the opportunity to meet her and give her a name. What name would you give her that represents her life before meeting Jesus and after meeting Jesus? (Page 36)

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Invite your friends to join the adventure! Click here to tweet about the online Summer Bible Study at MargaretFeinberg.com.

Click here to download 20 Must-Read Passages from John’s Gospel Free PDF Download.

The post When God Sees Right through You appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

“When we look in the mirror of own humanity, sometimes we can’t help but shrink back at the frailty and flaws, the defects and deficiencies.  Yet God continues pursuing us, exposing those areas so they can be restored and we can walk in the wholeness and beauty God intended all along.” [Tweet this]

-Margaret Feinberg, Pursuing God’s Beauty: Stories from the Gospel of John

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It’s not too late to join us for the online Summer Bible Study through John and Genesis! Click here to pick up your Summer Bible Study special.

The post Sunday Still: God’s Relentless Pursuit appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.

This week, one special reader is going to win a copy the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible. As we spend the summer exploring the Gospel of John and the book of Genesis, I wanted to giveaway a beautiful study Bible.

This book is a living invitation for you to enter into the beauty, majesty, strength, power, might, wisdom, justice, and countless wonders of our God. I can recommend many books, but no book will transform you like this one.

The HCSB Study Bible (retail $49.99)  contains all the extra bonus features that help you dive deeper into God’s Word. Thousands of study notes are woven with extras like maps, book introductions, word studies, timelines, a concordance and much more fill it’s pages.

The wonder of God is waiting be discovered in the Scripture.

To win the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible, leave a comment below. The winner will be selected and announced on Friday.

Congratulations to the winner: Mrs. Bailey

What is your favorite Bible translation?

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It’s not too late to join us for the online Summer Bible Study through John and Genesis! Click here to pick up your Summer Bible Study special.

The post Giveaway: Win a Holman Christian Standard Study Bible @BHpub appeared first on Margaret Feinberg.