It’s Week Five of Virtual VBS for GrownUp Girls® 2017! I’m headed to England where I’ll be for the next four weeks — but I’m looking forward to checking in here as often as I can, to read your insights into this awesome but (according to Bible commentators) “most neglected book of the New Testament.”
* This year we’re meeting in a Facebook group, but sending highlights via email to those who don’t do social media.
This week’s assignment: Read the book of 2 Peter straight through in still another translation, and then re-read 2 Peter 3:1-10.
Memory Verse: 2 Peter 1:7.
Remember as you read to underline key words and phrases, and ask the 5 Ws and an H (who, what, when…).Ask: What do these verses mean? Why is this important? How does it apply to our lives today?
You may want to record your thoughts in a notebook or journal.
Wednesday in the Word: (mini-post)
Hey Friends! Wanted to share a few thoughts with you based on this week’s passage, 2 Peter 3:1-10! Back when I was growing up, I often heard the older folks at church sighing, watched them shake their heads, and give each other knowing glances: “I just wish the Lord would come back soon!”
I couldn’t understand it. I mean, I loved Jesus — love Him still! I wanted to go to Heaven to see Him and everything… but I still had “a lotta livin’ to do!” There were so many wonderful things in this world that I wanted to experience. And besides, the end times sounded absolutely terrifying.
Fast-forward to 2017: My latest book (written with my friend Martha Bolton) “Can I Just Hide In Bed ‘Til Jesus Comes Back?” Because I get it now. Because I’ve lived a little… okay, a lot. And I’ve discovered that life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! There’s so much fear and worry, so much sadness and pain. Broken hearts, broken bodies, broken lives.
I love Jesus more because of all He’s brought me through – all I’ve learned of Him through the good times and the bad. And I’ve had enough of the hard stuff! I can’t wait to be free – to see Him face to face.
Sometimes I feel a little annoyed that it’s taking so long… but then I remember the promise in 2 Peter 3:9. God hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t abandoned us here or left us stranded. He isn’t slow – He’s patient. He’s letting the clock run out, because there are so many people – our future brothers and sisters in Christ who are meant to share forever with us, but have yet to join the Kingdom.
Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t come back in the 1800s? You and I would never have been born, never had the privilege of becoming a part of His forever family.
And I don’t know about you, but I have a long list of friends and loved ones I’m still praying for… So… patience, sweet friends. Let’s trust Him with the timing, and look to Him for strength to see us through!
Thursday Discussion / Journaling Questions:
1) Peter says AGAIN in 2 Peter 3:1-2, “I’ve tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember… I want to remind you…” (NLT) Why do you think it’s so easy for us to forget the truth? Forget spiritual realities? How have you found ways to remember, to stay focused and “fix your eyes on Jesus”? (Hebrews 12:1-3)
2) What insights have you received this week, as you spend more time in 2 Peter 3:1-10? What is God speaking to your heart?
Fun Friday:
One of the best things about VBS when you’re a little girl is the snacks — am I right? Today, let’s share our favorite snacks… post a recipe or a picture or a link below!
I’ll start us off… As most of you know, I’m in England this month, enjoying a belated honeymoon and preparing to speak (with my handsome husband) at the C.S. Lewis Foundation’s triennial conference, Oxbridge 2017. My family is British on both sides — I’m the first American. So I grew up watching my great-grandmother and grandmother almost every afternoon, putting on a pot of tea and making fresh scones. Here’s the recipe — enjoy!