God desires a relationship with us. In return, He wants us to make a choice about who we will follow. Are we all in?

Many of us know a lot of facts, but the truly wise are able to put that knowledge into practice. The Christian life should be one where the knowledge of scripture influences our daily walk.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Most of us heard that phrase in childhood. We have enough life experience to know that words can hurt, whether intentional or unintentional. James encourages us to think more about our words and the effect they can have on others.

If we believe something, it should change our behavior. In James 2, we are reminded that faith and works are both important parts of the Christian walk.

This week we share “good news of great joy.” God was not content to stay distant. He did not walk away because sin separates us from Him. He sent His Son into the world to live among us to so that we could one day live with Him. God is with us.

People tend to make judgments about the worth of others based on appearance, social status, wealth, ethnicity and other outward differences. James cautions against that kind of favoritism and encourages us to value others the way God does.

James 1:19 says that, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” This week we talk about getting a better handle on our anger and doing what the word says.

As we spend this time of year giving thanks and remembering family, let’s remember how God tells us in Deuteronomy 6 to remember Him and share about him with our families.

As we continue our series on James, it is clear that the values of our culture and the values of Christians are very different. This week we look at how God defines high and low positions and how our desires lead toward good or bad actions.

Guest Speaker, Dale Linge, shares this lesson from Matthew 28 and tells about the good work being done by Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort. You can learn more about the organization at www.disasterreliefeffort.org or view the video referenced during the lesson at http://youtu.be/5YYpeeuDb8g