One Single Story

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Trust and Forgiveness

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Jay Rivenbark, and Alyssa Bream discuss the following questions:

As I was reading this passage, I was struck by the question that was asked by the Pharisees and the religious leaders which is recorded in verse 16. "Why does he eat with such scum?" The word "scum" surprised me.

That sort of makes sense to me from the perspective of their culture. But what was the big deal about having a meal together?

Do you think there are still people that our modern churches struggle to imagine having a place at the table?

How can we celebrate sinners coming to Jesus today?

Do you think modern churches do a good job of celebrating sinners coming to Jesus?

The reading for the day is:

Leviticus 4:1–5:19

Mark 2:13–3:6

Psalm 36:1-12

Proverbs 10:1-2

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Conflict Resolution

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Sheryl Daughety, and Wendy Korbusieski discuss the following questions:

I noticed the title of this lesson is "living without conflict." Do you actually think that is possible?

What do we do when living in peace with God creates conflict with others who do not desire to live in peace with God?

Is living in peace with others the same thing as trying to please everybody?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 37:1–38:31

Matthew 28:1-20

Psalm 34:11-22

Proverbs 9:9-10

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Conflict Resolution

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Sheryl Daughety, and Wendy Korbusieski discuss the following questions:

We've been talking a lot this week about conflict resolution in relationships. I can't think of anything that can create more conflict than offering someone correction.

So what is the solution?

How do we initially build a relationship with someone so we can discover what kind of a person they are?

Something we often miss in America is that developing wisdom happens in community. Do you think our individuality hinders developing wisdom?

Knowing someone's character is less about instant judgment and more about long-term engagement with them. Why is that so hard to do?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 35:10–36:38

Matthew 27:32-66

Psalm 34:1-10

Proverbs 9:7-8

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Conflict Resolution

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Sheryl Daughety, and Wendy Korbusieski discuss the following questions:

We usually think of jealousy as a negative emotion. So you can understand why I'm going to ask why God calls Himself jealous.

Why do you call it miraculous?

We talk a lot about the positive and negative aspects of insecure jealousy. But what is the cure for jealousy?

How do you personally tell the difference between jealousy that is rooted and insecurity and jealousy that is rooted in love?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 34:1–35:9

Matthew 27:15-31

Psalm 33:12-22

Proverbs 9:1-6

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Conflict Resolution

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Sheryl Daughety, and Wendy Korbusieski discuss the following questions:

So, how do we know what happened between Peter's denial and the time when he showed up in Matthew 28:16 with the other disciples?

Healing broken relationships is a complex topic because there are many factors that can be in play in different situations. Can all relationships be healed?

Tell us about a time in your life when a broken relationship was restored and is now better and healthy.

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 32:1–33:23

Matthew 26:69–27:14

Psalm 33:1-11

Proverbs 8:33-36

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Conflict Resolution

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Sheryl Daughety, and Wendy Korbusieski discuss the following questions:

This is one of the most dramatic scenes during the arrest of Jesus. But I couldn't help but notice the difference between Peter's reaction here and his later denials of Jesus. Why does he boldly defend Jesus here but acts like a coward later?

It seems almost impossible to be in the midst of a conflict and still hold on to the perspective that God is in control. What do you do to remind yourself in tough moments that God is in control?

How did Peter's reaction and his later denials of Jesus eventually work out in God's plan?

Have you ever had conflicts in relationships that turned out to perfectly fit into a larger plan in your life?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 30:11–31:18

Matthew 26:47-68

Psalm 32:1-11

Proverbs 8:27-32

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Communication in Relationships

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Jay Rivenbark, and Alyssa Bream discuss the following questions:

So do you think the writer intended for us to draw a contrast between the two women?

Have you ever witnessed someone in a relationship that moved them away from God? What happened?

Most of us would say that we are not as bad as the seductive woman of Proverbs 7, nor as perfect as Wisdom in Proverbs 8. What can we learn about ourselves from these two extreme examples?

Do you think a good way to evaluate your relationships is to ask whether a relationship is moving you closer to God?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 26:1–27:21

Matthew 25:1-30

Psalm 31:1-8

Proverbs 8:1-11

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Communication in Relationships

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Jay Rivenbark, and Alyssa Bream discuss the following questions:

Our theme this month focuses on relationships. We have chosen to talk about Psalm 30:1–12 today, part of our daily Bible reading plan. So I guess my question is how does this relate to relationships?

What stops people from telling their personal testimony to others?

Do you have any ideas about how we might can incorporate sharing testimonies in our own church community?

Tell us about a time when you experienced a sense of hope when you were listening to someone else share their personal testimony.

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 23:14–25:40

Matthew 24:29-51

Psalm 30:1-12

Proverbs 7:24-27

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Communication in Relationships

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Jay Rivenbark, and Alyssa Bream discuss the following questions:

I have to say this passage is a little risqué. The actions of this woman in this text are very bold and dangerous. When I read a passage like this, it makes me wonder why the character of the young man in this scenario is not described with the same degree of criticism.

You said this passage highlights the importance of communication in relationships. Are you referring to the words the woman used to seduce the man?

How does this passage help you communicate to your children and family members?

Do you think the average American person would dismiss this text as being misogynistic? What does this say about our culture?

In this text, there are two people who never say a word: the son who is listening to his father, and the naïve young man in the illustration. What do you get from that observation?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 21:22–23:13

Matthew 24:1-28

Psalm 29:1-11

Proverbs 7:6-23

Theme From Sunday's Sermon: Communication in Relationships

On this edition of One Single Story, Pastors Stephen Mizell, Jay Rivenbark, and Alyssa Bream discuss the following questions:

A common connection that I have heard when we talk about relationships is that our relationship with God directly affects our relationship with others. Do you think that's true?

Our culture is very different from the Hebrew culture. What can we learn about the importance of family from passages like this?

How do you think the word of God can improve relationships in marriage, in parenting, with siblings, and others?

The reading for the day is:

Exodus 19:16–21:21

Matthew 23:13-39

Psalm 28:1-9

Proverbs 7:1-5