Esther 2:5-23

"Beauty & Character: A double-threat girl"

Today we are introduced to Mordecai and Esther. As we journey thru the message we focus on two topics:

1) The Providence of God.

2) Character.

Esther 1:10-2:4

"Disposable Relationships"

Today we look at the relationship between a King and Queen, and in this we learn 5 lessons.

If you want to experience LESS in life:

1) Make life-altering decisions when you are drunk.

2) Look solely on outward appearances.

3) Invest solely in what makes you look good.

4) Place power as a priority over people.

5) Always remember the grass is greener on the other side.

Esther Disposable Relationships: 5 steps to experiencing less in life. Esther 1:1-10-2:4 Today we look at the relationship between a King and Queen, and then we learn 5 lessons regarding relationships. In this we say - if you want to experience less in life: Make life-altaring decisions when you are drunk. Look solely on outward appearances. Invest soley in what makes you look good. Place power over people. Always remember the grass is greener on the other side.

Esther Introduction / A Kings Party Esther 1:1-9 Today we begin our journey thru the book of Esther. Elements of todays teaching include: Introduction and overview of the book of Esther "A Kings Party" (vs 1-9) Discussion on excess, settling, and the Kingdom of Heaven. *Attached is a pdf of this weeks study guide.

Esther 1:1-9

Intro / A Kings Party

Today we begin our journey thru the book of Esther. Elements of today's teaching include:

1) Introduction / overview of the book of Esther

2) A Kings Party (vs. 1-9)

3) Discussion around the subjects of excess, settling, and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today we pause to catch a vision of what God is doing with our The Shift Downtown Campus.

What does it mean to enter into a covenant? A covenant with God, your church, or someone you love... Mark describes what it may look like to covenant with your church body and see the fruit of that kind of commintment as you grow in your community.

What are the foundations of our faith? How do we put into practice the discipline of discovering what our fondational doctrine is? Mark leads us into this teaching on how to incorporate these truths into our lives.

Growing Pains "Stewardship" What does God have to say about how we steward our resources? The gospel confronts our flesh right between the eyes. Jason leads us into submision to the Lord in all areas of our lives, including our wallets.

Growing Pains "Trials" Today we look at the subject of trials in the broken world that we live in. As we look at James 1:2-4 we are reminded of: God's activity in trials The great hope that we have as His children.