Several weeks ago, we started this series on the book of James.  The church is in its 2nd decade of existence, the Jews were scattered, so James writes a letter to the churches to give counsel and as a guide to help Jewish Christians navigate cultures with completely different norms and beliefs than those that existed in Jerusalem.  James shared about suffering!  We discovered how that suffering exists and is the natural course of life since the fall of man but that suffering doesn’t change the fact that God is good.  Suffering exists, but as God’s children, He can use the trials of life to develop us into complete and mature Christians.  That is why James starts his letter off with “consider it pure joy.”  Remember, James was writing this letter to help navigate the Christian Jews on practical ways of living as Christians in a world of different cultures and beliefs.  James shared about faith and how that faith is demonstrated in your deeds, conduct, and speech.  Zac shared from James on the subject of wisdom, and how that to navigate through this life we need to ask God for wisdom that only comes from him.  Bro. Wayne shared about foolishness and that foolishness is something that we need to avoid and how it’s foolish to be materialistic, to doubt, blame God with temptation, to be a friend of the world, to be involved in strife and division, and to be self-centered.  Then last week, Derrick shared about community taken from James

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