The Vinyl Experience Devotional Guide FINAL

Transcription

WELCOME TO
THE VINYL EXPEREINCE
How does the Vinyl Experience work?
 Refuge will kick of the week with one of the songs
from Vinyl being the focus.
 Thursday to Monday you will have 3 days’ worth of
devotionals in this booklet to dig a little deeper into
the theme, artist and song
 Tuesday Morning 7:30 am at the church we will
have a time of discussion, encouragement and
accountability. (and breakfast)
Where can I find the Vinyl Expereince playlist?
On Spotify, which you can set up a free account, you will search
for chrisandtahrea. Click on my profile. At my account you will
find VINYL which are the 14 songs we will do at Refuge each
week. You will also find a playlist called The Vinyl Experience
which is an extended playlist with all the songs mentioned in
this devotional book. You can also find the playlist at:
f-pc.org/refuge/the-vinyl-experience
The Vinyl Experience Bible Study
Jan 6th … Week 1: The Dance Party
Song: OBB - Who Cares If We’re Dancing
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Rebirth of Joy
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: All Eyes on You by OBB
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Jan 13th … Week 2: A Black Night
Song: 12 stones – World So Cold
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: A Look at The Darkness
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Broken
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: A Look at Our Personal Darkness
Jan 20th … Week 3: Chaos
Song: Twenty one pilots –heavydirtysoul
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Salvation from the Voices
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Stressed Out
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Dealing with Stress
Jan 27th … Week 4: Dear Wormwood
Song: The Oh Hellos – Dear Wormwood
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Who is our enemy?
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Truth by Lecrae
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: World View: Knowing what you Believe
Feb 3rd … Week 5: Written On Your Heart
Song: Francesca Battistelli – Write Your Stories
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: The Word Writing Project
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Run to Jesus by Francesca Battistelli
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli
Feb 10th … Week 6: Making Me Knew
Song: Royal Taylor – Making Me New
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: New Creation in Him paul
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Ready Set Go by Royal Tailor
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Walking Daily with Jesus
Feb 17th … Week 7: Radical Life
Song: S.O – Radical
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Living a Radical Life
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Best Thing I have ever Found by Saigon feat Lecrae
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Sharing your Faith
Feb 24th … Week 8: Worship
Song: Benjah – Left Right
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Anywhere
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Rainbows Life of Worship
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Living Worship
Mar 2nd… Week 9: Wake Up People
Song: Andy Mineo - Uncomfortable
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Staying off David’s Roof
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Vendetta by Andy Mineo
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Remote Parents
Mar 9th … Week 10: Made for This
Song: For King and Country – Run Wild ….
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Running Free
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Messengers by Lecrae
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Ambassadors for Christ
Mar 16th … Spring Break
Mar 23rd … Week 11: The Light
Song: Brett Nicole – Glow
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Being the Light
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Brave by Moriah Peters
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Courage and the Light
Mar 30th … Week 12: Be Different
Song: Dillon Chase – Do it anyways
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: The Attacks of the World
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: BDFFRNT by Dillon Chase
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Living Different in our World
Apr 6th ... Week 13: Week 11: D.E.A.T.H.
Song: Social Club – Cops
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Staying Quiet
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Martyrs by Social Club
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Death and Life
Apr 13th ... Week 14: P.A.R.T.Y. Song: Shonlock – Beyond this World
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Heaven
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: I can Only Imagine by Mercy Me
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: What to Remember from the Vinyl Experience
•
WEEK 1
Jan 6th The Dance Party
Song: Who Cares if we’re dancing by OBB
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Rebirth of Joy
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: All Eyes on You by OBB
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Week 1 - Day 1
Devotional written by Chris Smith
Bruce Larson once wrote “A conference at a church in Omaha. People
were given helium filled balloons and told to release them at some point
in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since
they were Presbyterians, they weren't free to say "Hallelujah, Praise the
Lord." All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over 1/3
of the balloons were unreleased.
If I were to do this experiment at Refuge, would you let your balloon go? Well, it would depend
on your sermon Coach. Or did Jacob play my favorite praise song during worship! Or did my
friends say hi and include me in their conversation?
In our world today we confuse happiness and joy. Happiness is feeling pleasure and
enjoyment because of your life, a particular situation, etc.
Read Lamentations 3:16-18. Thoughts?
The author forgot what happiness was because of his circumstances but read down a
few verses. Read Lamentations 3:22-27
Joy is a state of happiness that does not depend on circumstances.
Are you ready to detach your happiness from the circumstances you face?
Not Ready
1
2
3
4
5
What are some the things that rob you of joy?
6
7
8
9
Ready
What are the dangers of living for happiness?
Read and summarize:

Psalms 16:11

Psalms 71:23

Romans 15:13
What is your favorite lyric of Who Cares If Were Dancing by OBB below?
Who cares if we dance all night 'til the sun comes up If we lose ourselves in Your crazy love
This ain't religion, no We've been forgiven, yea With no conditions, woah oh So who cares if
we're dancing
How great our God That he came for us That he, that he came for us 'Cause the more we fall
And the more we break The more He shows us grace So how could we just sit down With the
love that we've found Come on lets go all out, all out
Love is the reason, love is the reason Love is the reason that we dance, that we sing
Habakkuk 3:18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of m y salvation.
Remember our balloon from earlier? According to Habakkuk 3:18, those of us who are
saved should not have held onto our balloons at all because of the amazing grace of
Jesus in our lives. Because of His salvation we have joy.
Pray that the Lord will begin a rebirth of joy in your heart because of the sacrifice of
Jesus. How amazing is the Love of Christ!?!
Week 1 – Day 2
Devotional by Chris Smith
Watch this lyric video of the song All Eyes on You by OBB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv1s7kcz2EU
for a live link go to The Vinyl Experience webpage
What is your favorite Lyric below?
All Eyes on You
Everything else fades away
When You step on the scene
In my heart take center stage
And I'll follow Your lead
So let me step aside
and put Your name in lights
Headline this life
All eyes on You In everything I do
Everywhere I move
Let Your love shine through
So all the world can see
You've taken over me
So let me be a reflection of Your truth
And turn.
Let me be a reflection of Your truth
And turn.
All eyes on You x3
Yeah I was blind But now I see
You gave it all To set me free
So everyday Till my time is gone
I'll live my life
Turning eyes on eyes on You
No matter where I am
No matter who I'm with
With everything I do
Let it point to You
All eyes on You x3
You burn brighter than a million stars
And nothing can compare
Let me shadow who You are
Every second and everywhere
Let me step aside
And put Your name in lights
Headline this life
Everywhere I move
Let me be a reflection of Your truth
And turn.
All eyes on You x3
Everywhere I move
No matter where I am
No matter who I'm with
With everything I do
Let it point to You
Here are a couple of my favorite verse:
In my heart take center stage And I'll follow Your lead
Is it easier for you to lead or to follow?
How do these verses encourage you to follow?
 Luke 5:11

Acts 20:22-24

Mark 8:31-38
Headline this life
One of the names God gives us in the Old Testament for Himself is Jehovah Nissi or in English
“The Lord is my Banner”
Exodus 17:14-16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the
ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an
altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD!
The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
When you hear that name what do you think about?
Draw a picture or word picture to describe it.
You gave it all To set me free
How does 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 encourage us toward freedom?
Pray John 8:32 over your day today and ask him to keep you in the word all day.
Week 1 – Day 3
Devotional by Trey Shultz
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely
dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Are You Looking into the Light?
As a young church goer, hymns were part of every Sunday. Chorus and “praise music”
did not really come along until the 80’s. I love the new contemporary music but sometimes it is
good to reflect on the songs of our past. I am a very visual person so I like to imagine what a
song looks like. This is a story of Faith and the struggles of life, looking into light and darkness.
Matthew 6:21-23 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the
lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your
eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is
darkness, how great is that darkness!
Where is your treasure? Where are your eyes looking, into light or darkness?
What kind of things are you looking at on you tube? Are you looking into light or darkness?
What kind of things are you watching on TV? Are you looking into light or darkness?
What kinds of things are sharing on snapchat, Instagram or twitter? Are you looking into light
or darkness?
Read these words, then close your eyes and meditate on them for a few minutes:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
After spending time looking at Jesus in your mind, are you looking into light or darkness?
Which of the verses below most encourages you in the battle of light vs darkness?

Psalms 139:12

Luke 12:1-3

Luke 11:33-36
I would like to leave you with John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am
the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.”
Are you looking into the Light, Jesus, or are you pushing Him away to look at earthly things?
Pray this prayer from Psalms 121 [1] I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help
come? [2] My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. [3] He will not let your
foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. [4] Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither
slumber nor sleep. [5] The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. [6]
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. [7] The LORD will keep you from all
evil; he will keep your life. [8] The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this
time forth and forevermore.
WEEK 2
Jan 13th … Week 2: A Black Night
Song: World So Cold by 12 stones –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: A Look at The Darkness
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Broken
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: A Look at Our Personal Darkness
Week 2 - Day 1
12 Stones start their song World So Cold with these lyrics:
It starts with pain Followed by hate Fueled by the endless
questions No one can answer A stain Covers your heart
Tears you apart just like a sleeping cancer
I think this is a great place to start this week’s study on the effect of sin in our lives. The
darkness that seeks so swallow us whole. The lyrics above are an example of several patterns of
darkness that create a pathways to depression, Anger, Stress and other destructive sin in our
lives.
It starts with pain –
Pain is the physical or emotional suffering or discomfort cause by something. Our ability to deal
with pain is vital to our walk with Christ.
C S Lewis stated “We can rest contentedly in our sins and in our stupidities, and everyone who
has watched gluttons shoveling down the most exquisite foods as if they did not know what
they were eating, will admit that we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being
attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our
pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
Our pain, physical or emotional, screams out for our attention. The question is whether we go
to our Father, the Great Physician, or is we try to hide the pain under a mountain of
distractions. Alcohol, drugs, cutting and other escapes never deal with the thorn of sin that has
penetrated our lives. Listen to the scream of pain and give it to Jesus.
What pain are you facing right now in your life?
Followed by hate
If our pain goes undealt with it one of the emotions that will erupt out of the pile of distractions
is hate. Hate for whatever is causing the pain. Hate toward ourselves for trying to hide it. Hate
towards anyone who happens to be near us when we erupt.
If you were to honestly look into your heart and mind, what do you hate right now?
Pause and pray for the Lord to take away that hate.
Fueled by the endless questions No one can answer
Often time in our lives hate is fueled by doubt. When we doubt the plan of God in our lives, we
handle the pain we experience improperly.
James 1:2-4
[2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know
that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James, the brother of Jesus, says that we should face our trials with joy because of the work
that Jesus is doing inside of us? Maturity in Christ only comes through testing. Are we genuinely
in love with Jesus or will our love for Jesus be divided by the hate we have toward our
circumstances.
A stain Covers your heart Tears you apart just like a sleeping cancer
Read these proverbs on sin:



Proverbs 5:22
Proverbs 13:6
Proverbs 10:16
What kind of world do we live in Where love is
divided by hate Losing control of our feelings We all
must be dreaming this life away
In a world so cold
Often when sin takes hold of our lives, we feel the pain
and consequences and turn that into hate fueled by
doubt. The byproduct of that is a loss of control in our
lives and often it begins with our feelings and
emotions. Let’s take back control and break the cycle
of pain by taking it to Jesus immediately through
prayer and accountability.
Over the course of our weeks together, we are going to take a journey from sin to heaven. The
Vinyl experience is designed to parallel our lives as we discover Christ anew and walk faithfully
until we reach heaven. I pray that you will not grow tired of doing good but that you will accept
the challenge to grow in Christ.
Can you make it to the end?
Yes
No
Week 2 - Day 2
Devotional by Garrett Smith
Start your devotional by listening to Broken by 12 Stones on the Vinyl Experience Spotify
Playlist or look it up.
Do you feel: alone? sad? despaired? *deep screamo singing towards the end of the song*
‘brrooookkennnnnn’? We all have at one point or another. Whether you’re: friends, peers,
teammates, fellow Christians, parents, children or whoever admits it or not... We are all broken
people due to Adam… Whether that’s from losing some one, being lied to or lying to others,
being deceived or deceiving others, struggling in: school, life or whatever… There is no way
around it… It’s a season and we all go through it. Sin has made its way in and we all feel this at
one point or another. Don’t fret… You are loved. You are desired. You are wanted. We desire
you. God is passionate for you.
A broken heart is a moldable, workable and impressionable. He wants us this way so
that we can do amazing things for His Kingdom. A cold, hard, ruthless, bitter heart is not. God
cannot make what He desires with that, well… He could… but that’s beside the point. Think
about it… When we are brutal, unforgiving, harsh and/or cutthroat we tend to be very
stubborn, unteachable and difficult. Pause and let that set in………
When you’re closest to God, it is not in a time of being stubborn, unteachable and
difficult. We, Christ Followers, can be close to God/the Holy Spirit in: up times, down times,
hard time, laughable times, sad time and many other seasons of our life… But when you are
broken, without much hope, you are closer than any time spent with God like no other.
Again, don’t fret:
8 We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.”
-Isaiah 64:8b.
We are the clay, not the potter. We do not control this life, He does. It is not until you realize
this… That letting go of life, for Him, and letting him bring the beauty out of us for His glory do
you really grow close to him…
24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall…”
-1 Peter 1:24
Yes, this life is short... Why destroy that life with our own desires and wicked by nature
minds? We have a Creator that has a vision in mind for our short lives. Something above us and
not for us to immediately understand. ETERNITY.
28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my
yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
–Matthew 11:28-30.
Place your worries and burdens on Him (Matt 11:28-30). Make your burdens known to your
Brothers, Sister or Elder in Christ (Galatians 6:2). God loves us now, while we were still sinners
and Christ His Son died for us - in that Love for us – an undeserving people (Romans 5:8). Don’t
worry about tomorrow and the troubles it may bring (Matt 6:34). Have hope in the Lord, Walk
with the Lord daily, Run with your Lord when He tells you. With Him, He will give you the
strength and will soar on wings like eagles.
Now a couple of questions to reflect on:
1)
Are you a moldable heart or a cold hard heart?
a.
If you have a cold hard heart…
Do you really think this scripture isn’t for you? It is!!
b.
Pray to Him, repent (ask him for a changed heart) and turn from those evil
deeds.
2)
When your being molded into something beautiful can’t it hurt when God press’s on
you?
3)
When was the last time you have been asked by God to do something difficult?
4)
When looking back, did you ever imagine what God had been molding in your life?
5)
Where do you stand for Eternity? If you are not a Christian and desire to be one,
please, please, please talk with your small leader or Coach to become our brother or
sister in Christ.
Week 2 - Day 3
Devotional by Demi Floria
Do you believe that people are born basically good?
Most people would like to think that they are. Many people pattern their whole lives after a
vague idea of what it means to be ‘good.’ We want to think that we’re good if we appear to be
living better lives than the people around us.
Take a break and go to the Refuge website at f-pc.org/refuge and click on sermon podcasts.
Listen to the poem The House by Lyric Floria
Well, I will be the first one to admit defeat. I have tried to keep my house looking clean and
tidy. I’ve repainted, put up new curtains, and even remodeled rooms that didn’t look nice
enough. I have learned the best ways to answer questions and the easiest ways of avoiding
honesty. I am very good at this. But, the truth is that most of the time, I feel very inadequate.
And I feel very broken. I don’t invite you over to my house very often because I’m afraid you
might accidentally venture into one of the rooms I haven’t cleaned. It’s hard to admit, but this is
who I am. I am the broken one.
"Broken" could be defined as something that is not complete or whole. Broken means
something is missing. Something is damaged.
Look up Isaiah 59:1-2
Where do we see brokenness in this scripture?
We know that by definition, sin separates us from God. Separation from God is essentially what
brokenness boils down to. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.”
If we are born into sin, and sin is literally a brokenness inside of us, then are we not
fundamentally broken?
But our brokenness is only half of the story.
Look at Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
I think we forget that God understands what it feels like to be broken.
When we were separated from God, we were not the only ones who experienced the pain of
that brokenness. Not only was God rejected by the ones He loved, he allowed Himself to be
broken down, cracked open, and poured out by our sin. He knows the pain of our choices as
intimately as we do.
When we try to stage our houses to make them look shiny and new, we are disregarding the
pain and brokenness our separation from God causes.
Look up Matthew 23:27
This scripture calls our ‘clean’ houses whitewashed tombs. What do you think that means?
Look up Psalm 51:17
Have you even offered your brokenness to God?
In the light of this scripture, I've started to think of my own brokenness as the tools God is using
to rebuild my house. I have tried to paint over faded walls and replace old, stained curtains. But
when I welcomed God into my house, he tore it down. He wasn’t content with my version of “a
good life.” He didn’t die so that I could cover up my brokenness. He died to tear me down and
make way for something new. But wholeness can only become reality when my very self, which
is fundamentally broken, is broken. Ironic, isn't it?
What rooms do you have in your life that you need Christ to remodel? Feel free to draw your
heart floor plan below.
WEEK 3
Jan 20th … Week 3: Chaos
Song: heavydirtysoul by Twenty one pilots
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Salvation from the Voices
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Stressed Out
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Dealing with Stress
Week 3 – Day 1
We're a product of that generation that has access to everything,
One of the most challenging things about vinyl is picking songs. I spent nearly a month picking
songs and praying as I was researching music. I spent the most time researching and praying
about Twenty One Pilots. There is so much incredible music out in the world today at our
fingertips. We are a product of a generation that has access to anything and everything.
Can a band that does not outwardly declare Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior make Vinyl?
Apparently!
Read the Lyrics of Ode to Sleep off of the Vessels album… What Christian clues do you see in
these lyric?
On the eve of a day that's forgotten and fake, And the trees they await and clouds anticipate, The start
of a day when we put on our face, A mask that portrays that we don't need grace, On the eve of a day
that is bigger than us, But we open our eyes 'cause we're told that we must, And the trees wave their
arms and the clouds try to plead, Desperately yelling there's something we need, I'm not free, I asked
forgiveness three times, Same amount that I denied, I three-time mvp'ed this crime, I'm afraid to tell
you who I adore, won't tell you who I'm singing towards, Metaphorically I'm a whore, and that's denial
number four.
Now to our song, listen to the song heavydirtysoul once again as you read along with some of
the lyrics.
There's an infestation in my mind's imagination, I hope that they choke on smoke 'cause I'm smoking
them out the basement, This is not rap, this is not hip-hop, Just another attempt to make the voices
stop, Rapping to prove nothing, just writing to say something, 'Cause I wasn't the only one who wasn't
rushing to sayin' nothing, This doesn't mean I lost my dream, It's just right now I got a really crazy mind
to clean. Can you save, can you save my— Can you save my heavydirtysoul? Death inspires me like a dog
inspires a rabbit.
We have two topics for today’s study:
How to make the voices stop and can God really save my soul?
I read a quote today that said, “We have always assumed we were the originators and creators
of our own thoughts. It might be time to rethink that theory.”
Where do our thoughts come from?
Three Choices: Our Soul, The Holy Spirit or the Enemy namely the demonic
Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our
warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and
every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Notice that we are not waging war against chemical reactions in our brain but we are to discern
every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Read 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone
out into the world.”
We must test our thoughts and ideas to see if they are from:



Our soul, the seat of emotion and personality that is uniquely ours. These thoughts are often
times self-serving even doing the things of God but to stroke your own ego or identity.
Our enemy the devil and his team. These thoughts oppose scripture and lead us towards sin.
They are often subtle compromises that lead us close to the edge while our pride and idolatry
beg us to jump off the edge. We will talk more about our enemy next week.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit always uses scripture to lead us to follow Christ. The Holy Spirit
will lead us to love God more and love others more. The Holy Spirit also leads us to
righteousness and away from sin.
The key to unlocking the discernment abilities is the word of God. I know you always hear this
but it is truth. For example, if I was to tell you “Ranger Right Over Cross Check and be sure to
package when you see the mike favor.” You might think I has lost some marbles. You might
think is was a clue to a scavenger hunt but actually it is a play I used to call in football games.
Ranger Right is a formation with a lineman(the big guys) moving over to the right. The play is
called cross and the QB gets to check or call the side at the line of scrimmage based on what
the middle linebacker(mike) does. You would know that if you had been through 2 a days with
me. Watched film of our opponent and practiced 3 times during the week. why do we think the
war for our souls should be any different.
Do you study the plays? Do you watch other Godly peple live to learn their strategies? Do you
practice the strategies now so that later in life for the huge decisions you will be ready?
Somehow our enemy has tricked us into thinking this is not a war.
One of the tricks the enemy has used since the beginning is the idea of not trusting your coach.
Read Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the
LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any
tree in the garden’?”
The serpents question… Can you really trust God? Does he really want the best for you because
it looks like he is holding back the best tree from you?
In today’s world the same repackaged lie: Can God really save your soul? Does He even want
to? It is your choice not His?
We often forget the Might God we serve. Spend some time today looking through these verses
and underline words that remind you of our Mighty God.

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great,
the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should
change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not
fulfill it?

Isaiah 45:7 I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am
the Lord, who does all these things.

Nehemiah 9:6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of
heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in
them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you

Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of
faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor
things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Week 3 – Day 2
Listen to the song Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots on the Vinyl Experience Spotify playlist or
look it up however you can and read the lyrics below.
I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard, I wish I had a better voice that sang some better
words, I wish I found some chords in an order that is new, I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang,
I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink, But now I'm insecure and I care what people think.
My name's 'Blurryface' and I care what you think.
Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days, When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're
stressed out. Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days, When our momma sang us to sleep but
now we're stressed out.
Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young, How come I'm never able to identify
where it's coming from, I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it, Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd
probably only sell one, It'd be to my brother, 'cause we have the same nose, Same clothes homegrown a
stone's throw from a creek we used to roam, But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered,
Out of student loans and treehouse homes we all would take the latter.
Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days, When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're
stressed out. Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days, When our momma sang us to sleep but
now we're stressed out.
We used to play pretend, give each other different names, We would build a rocket ship and then we'd
fly it far away, Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face, Saying, "Wake up,
you need to make money."
Tyler Joseph explains the inspiration behind the album Blurryface. “Blurryface is this guy who
represents everything I'm insecure about. Honestly, we all know that we're insecure about
certain things, but what we don't totally understand is how those insecurities affect our day-today life. So it's helped me give my insecurities a seat at the table, so I can stare across at him
and give him a name and face and personality. I can kind of retaliate and I can see these
insecurities for what they are, and so this guy named Blurryface is someone that I'm trying to
understand -- but also defeat every day.”
Often times our greatest enemy is Self! Can we face the mirror in all honesty and defeat our
version of Blurryface. I want to use this analogy to identify the features of our own Blurryface to
defeat him.
The two top areas of battle I see in teenagers today are dealing with stress and self-image.
The American Psychological Association surveyed 1,900 teens and 1,800 adults and the findings
are enlightening. Look at these statistics:
 Teens deal with more stress (5.8) than adults (5.1) during the school year
 Over 30 percent of teens feel depressed, overwhelmed and fatigued although 54
percent of them say that their stress level has no impact on their physical health.
 Teens sleep far less than the 8.5-9 hours recommended by the National Sleep
Foundation.
 The number one coping mechanism for stressed out teens is social media.
Stress is an epidemic for teens in the high pressure world of school performance. We will talk
more about dealing with stress tomorrow but here are a couple verses to encourage you in
your battle against stress.

Philippians 4:6

John 14:27

Psalms 55:22
Lastly, we must find our self-image in our relationship with God not our performance with the
things of this world. God is our Creator and knows us better than we know ourselves. Look at
these verses and let them encourage you.

God Sees Beauty Differently Than the World - 1 Peter 3:3-4

God made you perfect – Psalms 139:14

God set eternity in your hearts so be joyful – Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

Beauty is found in fear of the Lord – Proverbs 31:30
Week 3 – Day 3
Devotional by Daniel Taylor
As I’m sure we all know by now, sometimes life is straight up stressful. Sometimes, we put so
much on schedules that we don't leave time to enjoy where we are actually at in life because
we burden ourselves with stress.
Stress can flood us from other people, parents, friends, teachers, family members, classes,
practice, and most often, ourselves. The question is 'how do we best deal with stress?' Stress
makes us yearn for a calmer, simpler, more chill time.
Take the lyrics from Twenty One Pilots, "wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days,
when our momma sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out.” When I get stressed, I just
want a way to find peace, a place of quiet stillness in which I can retreat to and just relax and
rest. Lucky for all of us, we know that we are children of God, Our Father, who offers us true,
unprecedented peace. Jesus says in John 11:28-29
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls".
Where do you go to find peace?
Jesus invites us to come to Him to find peace, true peace. We belong and were created by God
who longs for us to rest in His presence and be free of stress. Stress is so often a precursor to so
many negative things (actions, motives, attitudes, ect.) for us today. Satan uses stress to catch
us and entangle us daily. Be reminded today that we follow the Prince of Peace, the one who
offers us abundant peace when we commit our lives to Him and align our paths with his.
Here are some practical ways that I have found to deal with and manage stress:
Plan time to complete things: Some of us are planners, others of us aren't. Learning the basis
of being able to plan and organize our schedules can go a long way in dealing with stress.
How can you plan things in a better way this week?
Don't Procrastinate (that much): Procrastination, also defined as Netflix binging. We all do it. It
is in some ways the new age American dream. It comes in all forms, from TV or game
marathons to hours spent in the gym/on the field to hours of practice or reading or whatever.
We are the kings and queens of wasting time. Find ways to better use your time and not
procrastinate as much of it away. Make a schedule, use alarms, notes, accountability partners,
whatever it takes to learn to use your time better.
Are you a procrastinator?
Do you think procrastinating is causing stress in your life?
Commit to Pray About It: It's not just the cheesy Christian answer, I promise you it will change
your life. We follow and serve a God who wants us to share what is going on in our lives and
what is stressing us out with Him. He invites us to bring things to Him and lay them at His feet.
Read these verses about prayer:

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Romans 8:26

Matthew 6:5-14
Lastly, Trust God: Again, it’s not just the cheesy Christian answer, it’s a life-changing choice we
are all afforded. When we trust God with the things our life, we become more aligned with Him
and we allow the true Captain to steer the ship instead of fighting to steer for ourselves. When
we lay down our lives, our days, our plans, our busy-ness, our stress, we are able to find the
relief of God's peace and presence.



Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own
understanding.
Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in
God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your
salvation.
WEEK 4
Jan 27th … Week 4: Dear Wormwood
Song: Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Who is our enemy?
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Truth by Lecrae
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: World View: Knowing what you Believe
Week 4 - Day 1
Devotional by Lyric Floria
Dear Wormwood,
I first heard this song last April. It took about 7 months for me to get to the point of complete
and full understanding of what it means. The title of the song is taken from one of my favorite
C.S. Lewis books called The Screwtape Letters. This song explores the idea that we each have a
“Wormwood,” or deceiver that spends his time sowing temptation and deception into our lives.
As Christians, we know this to be true based on 1 Peter 5:8. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
The song is written in second person, as a letter addressed to Wormwood. It begins with the
lyrics, “When I was a child I didn’t hear a single thing you said. The things I was afraid of, they
were all confined beneath my bed”. This is the first kind of deception that the devil sows: fear.
He uses fear to keep us in a state of blindness and isolation. The more the devil is allowed to
speak into our lives, the more he feeds the lie of fear into our minds. The hardest part about
fear, is that we don’t often recognize it for what is.
Have you ever struggled with anxiety or panic attacks?
Have you ever felt overwhelmingly stressed?
You wouldn’t automatically recognize that as an attack from the devil, but that is exactly what it
is. The Bible speaks very clearly about fear and its roots. 2 Timothy 2:7 says “God has not given
us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a strong mind.” The spirit of fear is not from
God. This song emphasizes the importance of waking our minds up to see everything clearly:
either it is of God, or it is not of God. I will say it again, the spirit of fear is not from God.
The most important line in this song is the repetitive refrain: “I know who you are now”. It is a
declaration of strength and recognition. Once you begin to recognize the attacks of the devil for
what they are, they begin to lose their power over you.
Take inventory of your struggles: are there lies that you have been believing? Call them what
they are. LIES!
The devil does his best work in the background. He uses shadows to keep himself just out of
sight. This is where his power lies, in the foggy gray areas. The Word of God has a lot to say
about being sober-minded and alert. Jesus knew how easy it would be for us to fall into
laziness, tiredness, and foggy-mindedness.
This is why He gave us tools and truths to combat the deceiver.
1.
He has given us His Holy Spirit. This Spirit dwells inside of you, and should not be taken
lightly. The Spirit of God is a mighty thing, and has the power to expel darkness at a word. It is
important to pray for His Spirit to move in you.
2.
He has given us authority. Luke 10:19 says, “I have given you authority to trample on
snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you”.
When Christ redeemed us, He gave us authority over death and the grave. We are no longer
under the rule of the darkness, because “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and
brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves”. Colossians 1:13. When you are being attacked
and trampled on by the sin and darkness of this world, speak with the authority of Christ.
3.
He has given us the truth that He owns us. We no longer belong to the world and its
destruction. The devil has no power to steal us back from the Lord. He does, however, have to
ability to sow doubt and fear into us, causing us to go against our Father. Believer, you must
believe in the very depths of who you are that you belong to Christ.
My favorite line in this song is at the end. “I know who you are now, I’ve named you my
enemy”. The Lord has taught me in so many ways that there is power in names. The name that
your parents gave you is what you have always, and will probably always be known as. Your
name is a big part of what you know about yourself. You may not realize this, or think about it
very often, but who would you be if you didn’t know your name?
We also know how important it is to know the name of the Lord Jesus. Darkness trembles at
that name. Jesus! It is the name that destroyed the grave. Jesus! We sing that name, and fall on
our knees in worship. Romans tells us that if we “confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved”. That is a lot of
power in one name. Because we have been given authority in Christ, we have the authority to
call things by their name. We call each other brother or sister, we call God our Father, and we
call the devil our enemy. Calling him our enemy is important. We are drawing a line of
distinction between us, the redeemed, and him, the deceiver. Don’t allow the deceiver to live
rent-free in your mind, sowing fogginess and temptation to sin. Fall on your knees before the
Lord, and with His power, call out your enemy. This world is a battleground, and we are in the
Lord’s army. Don’t allow enemy spies to make their way into your thoughts.
What does your wormwood look like?
For me, it is most often anger and pride. I am tempted to be lazy, to be selfish, and to be
apathetic. Make a list of the things that “wormwood” has been sowing into your life. Pray for
God’s clarity in those things. Pray that He will give you His strength and authority to combat the
enemy.
Week 4 - Day 2
Devotional by Sarah Boyd
Look up the song Truth by Lecrae on the Vinyl Experience Spotify playlist.
Truth
Night and Day I ain't scared to say that we different
They play the prostitute but they like to say they just
intimate And Idols in their heart, they can't seem to
lose their grip on it See them walkin' in the direction
that canned and crippled them Our World is
different like Whitley and Wayne man They say we
look the same but we ain't chasin' the same thing
It all boils down to they think everythings relative
Jesus might as well be a South American president
Very evident, they say that Jesus was heaven sent
They lifestyle reflects they worship themselves
instead of Him They don't acknowledge the Christ if
they did they wouldn't worship themselves by the
way that they live All these rappers say they got guns
that spray off 16 I've got a Luke 9 that can take all 16
That's the Bible the one they prop But they don't
care about the author they think he's a joke.
"Man, It's just some folks say, "All truth is relative, it
just depends on what you believe." You know, "hey
man, ain't no way to know for sure who God is or
what's really true." But that means you believe your
own statement; that there's no way to know what's
really true. You're saying that that statement is true.
You're killing yourself. If what's true for you is true
for you and what's true for me is true for me, what if
my truth says your's is a lie? Is it still true? Come on
man! "
I promise everybody is asking the same questions
"Who am I? What is my purpose and my direction? "
Y'probably believe that you exist for no other reason
Than Self-satisfaction, hedonism and pleasing things
Life's about you getting' yours and bein' happy Even
if it means a divorce and switchin' families? Your job,
your house, your car, your spouse It's all for the
glory of you, helps you out You go to school get y'
degrees and get a job So you can make a whole lotta'
g's cause' life’s hard You never thought of livin to
please a real God And that's the reason he made you
See, he gave you breathe to breathe the chest to
breathe it. So you can taste and see He's the best,
believe it He made us for His glory and not for your
own homey Our God is Holy. You should repent and
die slowly
"See, there's this thing called "Secular Humanism", it
says man is the source of all meaning and all
purposing. You know what I'm saying? We're just the
result of a big cosmic explosion. We don't really have
a purpose or meaning, so we just come up with our
own purpose. We're the source of our meaning and
our purpose. How can a man, which is the product of
chance, a finite being be the source of purpose and
meaning? You can't! You're created with purpose
man! Get with The Creator yo! "
Man, everybody got a problem with God when you
mention the Christ Then they really get to turning
the knob But some say they roll with Christ But some
rappers made it seem like He was cool With all the
sin in their life NO! But then some say "How can
God exist when All this evil stuff in the world keep
persistin'? Wrong question. Ask again. ”How come
God ain't' let you feel the wrath from sin? " What
you thought last night deserved a first class flight To
Hell where God doesn't dwell. You got that right But
He bought back life, on a cross that night Christ died,
you ain't know that he crossed that price? All of
God's anger put on His son Then together, through
all of eternity. Now He was shunned. Praise God for
the life that was won for us Ain't got a beef with God
because the son was crushed
You look man, "Some people say that God ain't real
'cause they don't see how a good God can exist with
all this evil in the world. If God is real then He should
stop all this evil, 'cause He's all-powerful right? What
is evil though man? It's anything that's against God.
It's anything morally bad or wrong. It's murder, rape,
stealing, lying, cheating. But if we want God to stop
evil, do we want Him to stop it all or just a little bit of
it? If He stops us from doing evil things, what about
lying, or what about our evil thoughts? I mean,
where do you stop, the murder level, the lying level,
or the thinking level? If we want Him to stop evil, we
gotta be consistent, we can't just pick and choose.
That means you and I would be eliminated right?
Because we think evil stuff. If that's true, we should
be eliminated! But thanks be to God that Jesus
stepped in to save us from our sin! Christ died for all
evilness! Repent, turn to Jesus man! "
How would you define truth?
Read this story about truth:
Once, when a stubborn disputer seemed unconvinced, Lincoln said, "Well, let's see, how many
legs has a cow?" "Four, of course," came the reply disgustedly. "That's right," agreed Lincoln.
"Now suppose you call the cow's tail a leg; how many legs would the cow have?" "Why, five, of
course," was the confident reply. "Now, that's where you're wrong," said Lincoln. "Calling a
cow's tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."
Truth is the state of being true… lame right! That is actually from the dictionary! And that is
some of the problem in today’s world. How do you define truth?
I really like this following quote from the book The Influence by Matthew slick
“you must understand that feelings and personal preferences are not what determine truth.
You don’t create your own reality, nor do you create your own truth. You don’t make reality go
away if it is inconvenient. You must face it because truth is tied to reality and reality is
independent of you. Therefore, truth is independent of you.”
Can you think of an example where your feelings and personal preferences become truth over
Gods truth?
Most of the time false truth is created by wanting to please the society that we live in. Such as
the example of “you go to school get y’ degree and get a job so you can make a whole lotta’ g’s
cause’ lifes hard.” This is the lie society places within us. There is a lot of pressure to go to
college right after high school “What's your ten year plan?” Now I am not saying do not go to
school, what I am saying is seek God, rely on his guidance for you future. When we base going
to school so we can “get a job to make a lott’a g’s “ that’s living for ourselves and not God.
When we base our truth from our creator our mind set changes. You must first ask yourself, “do
I believe in God do you believe his Word as truth?”
Read the following scriptures. How do they relate to truth?
 John 17:14-18
 Romans 12:1-2
Are you conforming to the world in the way you live and make decisions or are you walking
with God in your daily decisions?
Do you Trust God’s word as truth?
Because of sin we have a desire to fight Gods word. For some reason we think we will have the
answers that make everything better and in return we tend to turn God into the bad guy and
leave out the fact that our God is Sovereign and the Righteous Judge. Such as this song
describes.
This quote from the book The Influence by Matthew Slick sums it up. “Truth does not control
people! Lies do!!” Which Lyrics from the song truth are the best reminders that God’s truth is
solid and absolute not dependent on man’s interpretation?
You see, following God’s truth is really simple but it may not be easy. We are hard wired to
flourish in God’s plan for us to be loving towards one another, serve him, and worship him.
Because we live within the world that is ruled by depravity, we sometimes fall prey to our
enemies schemes and forget what truth is.
Let’s do an activity:
I would like you to come up with two or three lies you live in or have lived in based on your
feelings or personal preferences and put that under the lie section. Then find scripture that
conquers those lies. Then find two or three lies of the world that you have been “controlled by”
and then find scripture that speaks truth into those lies and spend some time in prayer.
LIES
TRUTH
I will leave you with one last quote from The Influence.
“The wise seek truth, no matter what it is. The foolish hide from it and seek their own comfort
or try to distort truth to suit their own desires. Don’t be a fool. “
Week 4 - Day 3
Devotional by Joshua Haiker
What is a worldview? You may be very accustomed to this term, or this may be the first
time you have heard the word. A worldview is simply the way in which you see the
world. It is like a pair of glasses that interpret all of the information that you receive.
Whether or not they will admit it, everyone you come into contact with has a worldview.
It could be a secular worldview, also called secular humanism. Secularism is a pair of
glasses that many Americans wear. It is the idea that all things come from man.
Secularists go with the flow.
What is cool, what is trendy, what is the modern idea of what is right and wrong,
whatever man says. When someone wears the secular worldview glasses, all the
information they see is tainted by this idea. When they make decisions these lenses are
the determining factors of what is OK or not OK. Many of your friends might be
secularists. Even if they don't identify with a specific religion, worldview, or set ideas,
everyone still wears, a pair of glasses in which they see the world. There are many many
worldviews. Secularism, Buddhism, Hinduism, the Muslim worldview, the Mormon
worldview, evolution, which can be under secularism, and many many others.
As followers of Jesus, we wear a specific pair of glasses in which we see the world
around us. Our goal is to model our worldview after our Fathers who revealed his heart
through his word.
•
Spend a few minutes in prayer. Ask God to make his worldview clear to you
through his word.
In our goal to model our worldview after that of our father we will examine some
scripture. The first thing we will look at is what is God's view on himself.
Read the following scriptures and from these verses answer these questions.
Who is God? What is he like? What can you learn about God in these verses?
Isaiah 43:10-11
Deuteronomy 6:4
Numbers 23:19
Exodus 34:5-6
Deuteronomy 10:17
Genesis 1:1
Psalm 86
The first major piece in the Christian worldview is understanding that there is one God.
Understanding who God is, and what he is like distinguishes Christianity from other
worldviews.
The second piece of the Christian worldview is who is man? What is he like?
Read these verses and try to answer the next two questions.
Romans 3:10-18
Romans 3:23
Genesis 3:16-24
Isiah 59:2
The next piece in the Christian worldview is understanding that man is fallen, full of sin
which separates man from the glory of god. Not only is man sinful, man is in need of a
savior. The next piece in understanding the Christian worldview is who is Jesus? This
question is what makes Christianity so different. Read these verses and answer the
question, who is Jesus?
John 1:1-18
John 1:29
Colossians 2:9
Hebrews 1
When your glasses have these three parts in them, that God is full of glory and power,
that he made the heavens and the earth, that man is fallen and deserves death, that
Jesus is the son of God who made all things, you will see the universe how God see's it.
Listen to the song “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath and ask God to give you his
eyes as you go about your life.
WEEK 5
Feb 3rd … Week 5: Written On Your Heart
Song: Write Your Stories by Francesca Battistelli
–
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: The Word Writing Project
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Run to Jesus by Francesca Battistelli
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli
Week 5 – Day 1
Today’s devotional will be a little different. Today we are doing a writing project together. Let’s
warm up with a little word association game. As soon as you read the words below write the
first thing that comes to you mind. Don’t think or be clever just react.
Gift
Social
Thessalonians
Lights
History
Blood
Banner
Get away
Under
Alright, let’s reflect on last night. What did the Lord teach you last night?
One more warm up. Write a line that Rhymes with the lines below.
Once when I was young I saw a bee, …
When I walk barefoot in the grass I feel ….
Sitting in the chairs listening to him sing…
Alright, now that you are warm I want you to use the next two pages to do accomplish two
projects. First, I want you to create a word picture for the word HEART (see my example below)
and on the second page I simple want you to journal about your vinyl experience so far
specifically focused on the love of Christ in your life.
HEART
H
E
A
R
T
What has been your favorite song of vinyl so far? Why?
What has been your favorite activity so far of The Vinyl Experience? Why?
What is one thing the Lord has taught you during the first few weeks of Vinyl?
Write a couple thoughts of what you are looking forward to in the rest of Vinyl.
Week 5 – Day 2
Take a couple minutes to listen to the song Run to Jesus by Francesca Battistelli. You can find
this on the Vinyl Experience Spotify Playlist or look it up on YouTube.
Hey, lonely, Hey, sad eyes, Hey, you who needs some sunshine, All you gotta do is open up the blinds,
Hey, worry, Hey, heartache Help is not that far away Just open up your eyes He'll be there, every time
When you're all out of heart and out of hope And you don't really know which way to go
Come on, come on, run to Jesus If you're lost and you don't know where to start
It don't really matter where you are Come on, come on, yeah, run to Jesus, run to Jesus
Do you know that your story Starts and ends with mercy And it's waiting in His arms 'Cause He knows
what you're feeling So don't you stop believing He's got you right where you belong
Which of the lyrics above is your favorite?
My favorite verse is Do you know that your story Starts and ends with mercy. I love this line but
I don’t think most people understand mercy. Use the verses below to come up with a definition
of Mercy.

Psalms 40:11

Romans 9:14-18

Psalms 51:1

1 Timothy 1:12-16

Psalms 103:1-4
Your Definition based on the verses above:
My definition according to the verses above:
Mercy is an unrestrained work of God done according to His steadfast love, a work of God’s
patience to show His glory and to eventually crown us as sons and daughters of the King.
How can we exercise the definition of mercy in our own lives?
Well, I read a story about a mother who once approached a mighty ruler seeking a pardon for
her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and
justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for
mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," the ruler replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it
would not be mercy if he deserved it.” How can we show mercy to those who have wronged
us? The idea of fair and justice is championed by us when we are the ones wronged but grace
and mercy are our plea when we are the wrong doer. Perhaps mercy is the better answer.




Luke 6:36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy
triumphs over judgment.
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Can you think of some times that you refused to show mercy?
Often, that unforgiveness can give birth to bitterness. The answer to bitterness is mercy.
Remember the lyric: Do you know that your story Starts and ends with mercy. Our story began
with mercy : while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and it will end not with
judgment but with mercy by the blood of Jesus! Hallelujah!
Spend some time in prayer and use this Guide:




First, Thank Jesus because of the joys set before Him, He endured the cross.
Secondly, confess any sin for which you need mercy.
Thirdly, ask the Lord to reveal to you anyone you need to show mercy to. Write it down.
Lastly, ask the Lord to reveal and take away any bitterness you have held toward that
person. Ask the Lord for freedom from those thoughts and feelings.
Week 5 – Day 3
Devotional by Sarah Boyd
Listen to the song Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli on the Vinyl Experience Spotify playlist.
Every time I listen to this song the following scripture comes to mind.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all
things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26
A few years ago while I was at work I felt God telling me to pray with someone in person
at Refuge that evening. I was really tired from a stressful day and knew I was not going to go so
I compromised with God. I thought “okay I will pray, I will call her.” I did not have her number.
Then I said “I will e-mail her,” but I did not have her e-mail and I didn't even know exactly what
he was wanting me to pray about anyways.
I ended up ignoring the call to pray with her in person, prayed at home instead, and
chose not to go to Refuge that week. I felt uneasy the rest of that evening and even into the
next week. The next week I saw that person and said “I felt the Lord saying to pray for you can I
pray for you?” After I prayed, and her not knowing my struggle between my selfishness and the
Lord, she said, “that is exactly what I needed to hear last week!” Ouch! I will never forget the
disappointment I felt afterwards.
After this experience I started to understand what the fear of the LORD meant and what
an honor it is to be a vessel for his work. There really is no greater joy than being urged by the
Spirit into action and having a front row seat to what the LORD is doing.
Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit leading you?
Do you fear the Lord and obey him when he is telling you to get rid of sin or be bold for him?
Is the Holy Spirit really welcomed here in your life in your day to day or only when the
circumstances are right?
Look up the following verses and reflect on the Holy Spirit’s role:

John 3:5-8

Romans 8:1-6

1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Use the lyrics below in your prayer time. Highlight, write verses or thoughts by them as you
prepare to pray. If the Lord gives you the name of a person as you read write it down and ask
the Lord why that name came up.
Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here
There's nothing worth more That could ever come close
No thing can compare You're our living hope Your presence Lord
I've tasted and seen Of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free And my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord
Holy Spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fil the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
Your presence, Lord
Let us become more aware of Your presence
Let us experience the glory of Your goodness
Spend some time in prayer thanking God for this precious gift. Repent from the times you have
ignored the Holy Spirit calling you to get rid of sin and form the times you have ignored the
LORD’s call to action. Pray that the LORD speaks to you and leads you in the way you should go.
WEEK 6
Feb 10th … Week 6: Making Me Knew
Song: Making Me New by Royal Tailor –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: New Creation in Him
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Ready Set Go by Royal Tailor
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Walking Daily with Jesus
Week 6 – Day 1
Devotional by Paul Valdez
A New Creation in Him
Take a moment and listen to Making me New by Royal Tailor on the Vinyl Experience Playlist.
Would you agree that we all appreciate "new" things in life? Think about your first new bike,
those new pair of shoes, or maybe that new phone. Oh...how our eyes light up when we first
see it! And why wouldn't we smile after getting that first glimpse of a shiny untarnished new
device or smelling that distinct aroma of brand new leather? Let's face it, we like new things.
That is a feeling I believe God has given us. He too knows the joy that can come from new
things. And the amazing difference between our new things and His new "things" is that His
are imperishable! Let's reflect on this statement as we meditate on the following verse:
John 10:28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone
snatch them out of My hand."
Through Jesus, we experience first the gift of eternal life, from which then by the Holy Spirit we
can begin to exercise the spiritual gifts God has given to us in. Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Now let's turn the table, and consider that feeling you had when you were the giver of a new
thing. Can you recall the joy you felt when the person you gifted smiled brightly with much
thankfulness?
Imagine what it would be like if the gift you gave never rusted, broke, or was stolen from them.
Now that is a gift worth celebrating! And Jesus, knowing just how special the gift of eternal life
is, has given it to you and desires you to share this good news with others. Let's reflect on this
statement as we meditate on the following verse:
Psalm 96:2 "Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day."
Now that you've had some time to consider the greatness of His gift, we can seek God's wisdom
as we reflect on the song chosen for this devotion. Let’s play a little game of true and false as
we consider the lyrics:
True or False When you open your heart to the gift of Salvation, you can hide it and keep quiet
(read Romans 10:9)
True or False God's love is a miracle
(read John 3:16)
True or False God won't let go of me
(see John 10:28 above)
True or False We are dead until we receive Jesus into our hearts
(read Ephesians 2:1)
True or False When we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and some things become new
(read 2 Corinthians 5:17)
True or False Jesus would never come like a thief in the night
(read 1 Thessalonians 5:2)
True or False Jesus gave it all for you
(read Phil 2:5-11)
May you walk in newness of life rejoicing in what the Lord Jesus has done for you!
As you end your devotional, spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to bring back the joy of
your salvation as you meditate on the gift of Jesus in your life. Pray the verses above in the
True/False section and a guide.
Week 6 – Day 2
Ready Set Go
Start today’s devotional by listening to the song Ready Set Go by Royal Tailor on the Vinyl
Experience Spotify playlist or look it up. Follow along with the lyrics below.
Lived so long with my eyes on me Too deaf to hear, too blind to see
Oh, broken hearts on the city streets but I can hear that you’re calling me to
Be the hope, be the light, be the love Right now, starting right now
Oh, you put my life in motion Your love makes me want to give my all
Ready set go Ready set go oh So no, I’m not holding back anymore
Like an engine ready to explode I’m ready set go Ready set go oh, oh
Can’t stop this clock is counting down, go down So many lost waiting to be found, oh yeah
I would go where you’re leading me, God Reach my hands to the least of these
I'll be the hope, be the light, be the love Right now, starting right now
Oh, you put my life in motion Your love makes me want to give my all
Ready set go Ready set go oh So no, I’m not holding back anymore
Like an engine ready to explode I’m ready set go Ready set go oh, oh
Give me the green light Show me the finish line No more spinning in circles
No more wasting time So let it start today, where I flip the switch say
You're my light, I won't fight, I'll go wherever you say To the top of the highest mountain
To the bottom of every valley I'll be the spark that turns into the grand finale
This love is something everyone needs to know Hearts are callin', no more stalling, it's just
Broken hearts on the city streets but I can hear that you’re calling me to
Be the hope, be the light, be the love Right now, starting right now
What lyrics mean the most to you where you are today?
Yesterday Paul talked about being a new creation in Christ. Today’s challenge is to stop spinning
in circles and stop wasting time. Let’s start our new life today walking with Jesus. How you ask?
You put my life in motion –


Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male
and female he created them.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 4:22-24 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is
corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on
the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Your love makes me want to give my all After we have been made new putting off our old self, Ephesians 4:25 says “therefore”. In other
words, we have a responsibility to protect this new creations by
Speaking Truth
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the
truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Control our Anger
Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
and give no opportunity to the devil.
Avoid Idleness or laziness for generosity
Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work
with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Control our speech by avoiding gossip, crude joking
[29] Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for
building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Be attentive to the Holy Spirit – I feel like I need to explain this one a little bit more. When we
grieve the Holy Spirit, we are actively opposing the leading of the Spirit. We are willfully
disobeying. We are hardening our hearts and mind so that we can no longer feel or hear the
guidance of the Spirit. We are actively avoiding the word of God (God’s text messages to us).
Keep your mind active and attentive to the Spirit!
[30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
Shield yourself from bitterness, anger and judgment
[31] Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from
you, along with all malice.
Display kindness to a lost world
[32] Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you.
Spend a few minutes with the Lord and today I would love for you so spend 5 minutes just
trying to listen for the Lord at the end of your prayer. Read through Psalms 40 as a guide and
listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Week 6 – Day 3
Devotional by Tahrea Smith
Walking Daily with Jesus
Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which
neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on
every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
What are your favorite foods?
What foods seem to satisfy you?
We need God. As we need food. We need food daily (for the most part) for life. The way God
has created us is that food sustains our physical body. The verse above teaches we should be
humble because we see God’s power as creator. God created us with certain needs and food is
a good example of one of them. Yes, we can debate how much food we need, what kinds of
foods are best for us, etc. BUT the bottom line is that we all need food to live. That is how God
set it up for us. God is so gracious to us that HE has blessed us with taste buds. Can you think
of some foods you so enjoy because of the taste of them? God could have set it up for us to
just give us food for only sustainment, but He didn’t. He lets us enjoy foods such as savory
desserts, crunchy, salty and spicy foods, juicy sweet fruits, melt in your mouth foods etc. But
this is still not the whole picture.
We cannot live a full life on just physical foods. We need HIS Word. Daily…for a real fulfilling
life. In the gospel of Matthew when satan was tempting Jesus, he answered, “It is written: ‘Man
shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
I praise God that he ‘spelled it out’ for us. We cannot live on just physical food.
Can you think of a time you were satisfied or even blessed with yummy food, but still felt void
or sad? Pray and ask God to remind you of such a time.
He need HIS Word. Even though we think we can live a fine or even fulfilled life, God is telling
us we must have His Word for true life. Makes me wonder what blessings I am missing out on.
It reminds me of CS Lewis’s quote, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong,
but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition
when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a
slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far
too easily pleased.”
The child thinks a little mud is awesome because he can’t imagine the vast sea.
Can you relate to this. Have you ever wanted something, but did not get it to find out that
there was something better?
God has so much to reveal to you. He has so much to bless you with in your soul. His peace,
comfort, direction, JOY! When God teaches, reveals truth, and encourages me, it gives me
hope and direction in my relationship with Him. As I walk with Him daily, reading HIs Word and
praying, He builds my faith and I am blessed with such satisfaction, excitement, & joy that is
unexplainable. My hope is that this brings HIM glory which is my goal!
Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth
more than my daily bread.
What is it you treasure?
Does this bring you joy?
I am praying for each of you to treasure His Word more than you do your daily food and even
more than the things you have listed above. God gives us freedom. He allows us to choose the
foods we eat and He also allows us to determine how we spend our time. Walking close to Him
is key. To know Him better is to spend time with Him.
How much time do you spend getting to know Jesus? In reading the Bible and being still
before Him?
It is easy to relate our relationship with the Lord with our human relationships.
Do you have a friend that you had a close relationship with that moved away?
Think of your relationship when he/she lived close and how it is now. Some people lose touch
while others are better at making the effort to stay close. Regardless, I am going to relate that
relationship to how ours can be with God.
When you spend time with someone, you know more about them. You share activities,
feelings, and emotions. You talk, listen (hopefully) and do things together. After they moved,
you probably do not have the same relationship. Yes, you may still talk some. Chances are the
longer it has been the less ‘close’ you are. Some of you after not talking for a long time can still
pick up where you left off as far as ‘closeness’ goes. Sometimes it is hard to make conversation,
sometimes it is not. Sometimes there is guilt of what you should have done and sometimes
there is not. It is the same with Jesus in how the relationship works, BUT HE IS PERFECT! His
love is NOT dependent on how we ‘perform’. HE is always there! He wants to be close to us
and does not hold grudges. The more we spend time with HIM the closer we are to HIM from
OUR end of the relationship. When we do not, WE are missing out in the joy and excitement of
HIM. HE satisfies us! We are so easily distracted by the worldly ‘stuff’ but HE has so much
more!! Not that we cannot do any of what this world offers, but it should not take the place of
the most important way to spend our time!
Psalm 89:15-16 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your
presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long they celebrate your righteousness.
Do you rejoice in HIM because you are walking with HIM?
Psalm 119:45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
Do you seek His precepts? (His ways?)
HE gives Freedom! His precepts give freedom. May we learn to TRUST HIM more and more as
we walk daily with HIM!
As I close, let me pray over all of us: I am praying we seek God in spending time talking with
Him- Just pouring out our hearts. I am praying we hear from Him- that we spend time reading
the Bible, being STILL before HIM, listening to the Holy Spirit, seeking Godly counsel & lining it up
with THE SPIRIT in us!
WEEK 7
Feb 17th … Week 7: Radical Life
Song: Radical by S.O
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Living a Radical Life
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Best Thing I Ever Found
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: One Way to Follow
Week 7 – Day 1
Devotional by Stephen Burnham
Living a Radical Life
What is your Christian definition of radical ?
The dictionary defines radical as: (especially of change or action) relating to or affecting the
fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.
Are most Christians radical in their faith ? Why not? Are you?
Can someone be too radical? How can this harm the name of Christ ?
One of the key components in being radical for
Jesus is being grounded in the truth. Otherwise
we work in vain. Matthew 7:21-23 is frightening
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On
that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons
in your name, and do many mighty works in your
name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
However, God demands that we be radical about Him. Our fundamental nature is changed. The
effects of Jesus in our lives is far reaching and thorough.
How can being radical bring glory to the Lord ?
Was Jesus radical ? What examples come to mind ?
Look at these verses & write the radical attribute or trait they show:

Mathew 21:12-13

John 3:16

Hebrews 11

2 Samuel 6

Mark 1:40-42
Who are some people you know who are living a radical life for Christ? What makes them
radical based on what we have learned today?
What are some steps you can take to be more radical in your faith ?
Spend some time reading and praying through Hebrews 11. As you read about these radicals of
the faith ask the Lord to birth in you some of the same boldness and faith as these men and
women of the faith.
Week 7 – Day 2
Best Thing I have Ever Found
Start today’s devotional by listening to the song Best Thing That I Found by Saigon on the
Vinyl Experience Spotify playlist or look it up. The song is labelled explicit but as you follow
along with the lyrics below you will see it is mislabeled.
Another face, in the crowd Fall from grace, I'm comin down
You're the best thing that I found You're the best thing that I found
Lost your way, I lost my crown I'm still here, feet on the ground
You're the best thing that I found You're the best thing that I found, that I found
Saigon: I used to get these feelings and think of these crazy things But when you shine your light on me
it's like you gave me wings I thought I was depressed, you showed me how much more I was blessed I'm
thankin you Lord, this I could confess You know more than anybody all that I had to go through I heard
you when you said that's just somethin I had to show you For me to get to know you like I know you And
when the Reaper tried to come to get me you came to save me, I owe you Some call you Jesus as Father,
some say you the holy ghost I know you love me cause when things get ugly you hold me close This is
why I try to live the life of just righteousness Feelin like the opposite, somethin you wouldn't like for us
Coulda easily got addicted and couldn't kick it You told me to never try it, that's why I never did it
Heavenly Father never forget it My life without you, I'd just rather not live it
Lecrae: Yeah, not ashamed of my pain, not ashamed of my struggle I lost some battles but I'm still out
here facin this trouble Facin my trials cause they only make me stronger Starvin in these streets will only
elevate your hunger Beat me down and laughed at me, tell me that this is foolishness They can't take my
hope away from me, nobody's movin it Faith ain't what you make it, faith is all I got to make it Tired of
you forsakin, you naked left in the vacant Forget them naysayers and haters and stay at it Sometimes a
dream broken is a dream worth havin Passions passed in my pastor, can't rewind it and back up Focus
fixed on the future so tell my failures to back up Get back up after you fall when yo' back is up on that
wall Ain't no backup that you control, just look back up at God and call Uhh, sometimes the pain is the
motivation of trust And them scars are the evidence that the journey was rough Yeah, none of it was in
vain, re-adjusted the aim Missed a couple of shots, still ain't out of the game
Mark or underline your favorite lyrics and make notes.
When I hear this song the first thing that jumps out to me it the chorus and the best thing that I
found. Jesus tells the people the Parable of the Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44 and it says
this:
.
Is that the way you view Jesus? As a treasure?
I was reading about the great missionary David Livingstone. The body of David Livingstone was
buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried in the Africa he loved. At the
foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of
this man who they loved and respected.
If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be? In
your pocketbook? In your phone? On your social media page? Where is your heart?
When we truly see Jesus as our treasure we have two choices. Either to put Him on display for
all to see or to bury Him in the back of our mind behind our true treasures which we display.
Tomorrow we will talk about how to put it on display but I wanted to leave you with a story.
While on a dig twenty years ago, Rob Cutshaw found a rock he described as "purdy and big." He
tried unsuccessfully to sell the specimen, and according to the newspaper the Constitution,
kept the rock under his bed or in his closet. He guessed the blue chunk could bring as much as
$500 dollars, but he would have taken less if something urgent came up like paying his power
bill. That's how close Rob came to hawking for a few hundred dollars what turned out to be the
largest, most valuable sapphire ever found. The blue rock that Rob had abandoned to the
darkness of a closet two decades ago -- now known as "The Star of David" sapphire -- weighs
nearly a pound, and could easily sell for $2.75 million.
We are tempted to sell our soul cheap for the cut-rate thrills of the world. We sell out… To
finish today listen to the song Sell Out by Lecrae from Church Clothes 2. I’ll do anything to gain
your respect is the mantra of the world. Satan is the CEO of Lie A lot Records. Empty promises
give death. The gospel of Christ brings life!!
Week 7 – Day 3
Sharing our Faith
Why are we so scared to share our faith?
Many of us like to claim one-one-six but are we truly
unashamed? Does our life reflect Jesus?
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Are you willing to share the gospel with people you know this week?
Here are some keys to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Tell your story.
It is hard to argue with the work of Christ in someone’s personal story. It is ok if you have not
arrived at the end of your struggles. God will use your transformation as an example of His
power because His power is made perfect in weakness. In fact, if you were to wait until you
were finished you would be dead.
Trust God because He is the author and perfecter of faith
Ultimately your job is to trust God and encourage others toward Him. Someone’s eternity does
not rest on your ability to share the gospel perfectly or your ability to live a perfect life. But we
are honored to get to be a part of what God is doing.
 Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let
us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Live out your faith in front of others.
Talk the talk and walk the walk. Work out your salvation to make the name of Jesus greater as
an ambassador for Him. Live out a life being transformed intot he likeness of Christ.
 Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect.
 Ephesians 5:8 For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light
Don’t wait.
Do not listen to the lies that you are not good enough or knowledgeable enough to share your
faith. Just do it. Step out for Christ. Jesus endured the cross for our sin the least we can do is be
unashamed to talk about Him. If we are unwilling to speak boldly for Him we have a love
problem. Love is not quiet. Love is loud! Love is bold!
In the space below I want you to write out the names of some people you could share Christ
within the next two weeks. Pray for God to give you an opportunity. If you are scared to ask
God to give you an opportunity begin praying now for a greater love for Christ. People would
say that is too harsh a way of thinking but I disagree. If someone asked me if I was married and I
refused to answer… that is an answer. And that is a horrible answer. Why is it different with
Christ? Perhaps you are the one that needs to hear the love of Christ but also the radical nature
of our relationship with God.

Matthew 10:32-33 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will
acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, "But whoever denies Me before men, I
will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
The Lord is our Banner. Raise Him up! Speak of Him when you sit and when you rise. Tell the
world about Jesus. Finish your time worshipping to the song Tell the world by Lecrae.
Don’t forget those names and opportunities below.
WEEK 8
Feb 24th … Week 8: Worship
Song: Left Right by Benjah –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Anywhere
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Rainbows Life of Worship
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Living Worship
Week 8 – Day 1
Take me up down anywhere you want I’m just along for the ride…
Read Psalm 113 below:
Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the
name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its
setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised! The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory
above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the
ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren
woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
This week is all about worship. Worshipping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! What is
worship? Here are a couple definitions. Choose your favorite:




A.W. Tozer – Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a
humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and
overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which
philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.
James Packer - To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look Godward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see.
Warren W Wiersbe – For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the
quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the
purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the
surrender of will to His purpose -- and all of this gathered up in adoration,
Bishop of Canterbury, William Temple – quickening the conscience by the holiness of
God, feeding the mind with the truth of God, purging the imagination by the beauty of
God, opening the heart to the love of God, and devoting the will to the purpose of God
What were the key words that made you choose one of the definitions above?
How would you describe your personal worship?
How do you worship Jesus away from Sundays and Wednesday night?
One of the dangers we have as a modern day church is to separate performance / expectation
based worship from worship based on spirit and truth. We often like the worship if our favorite
song is played regardless of whether God is present or not. After attending church one Sunday
morning, a little boy knelt at his bedside that night and prayed, "Dear God, we had a good time
at church today--but I wish you had been there!”
Would you notice if God was not with you?
Read these verses about worship and mark down any key components of worship you see:

Psalms 29:2

Psalms 96

Romans 12:1-2

John 4:22-24

Matthew 15:7-9
Spend a few minutes worshipping the Lord today. Turn up the head phones and sing out loud if
you can. Look up praise songs on youtube there are many songs with lyrics so you can sing
along. Don’t make an excuse to avoid this. Let the Lord calm you heart and mind as you pour
out worship to Him. Worship is your spiritual exhale. The space below is for any lyrics of those
praise songs that speak to you.
Week 8 – Day 2
Devotional by Jacob Hardman
To start your devotional time today, listen to Rainbows by Benjah on the Vinyl Experience
playlist or look it up on your own.
We’ve been programmed to worship But the wrong gods we flirt with Run after all the glitters Deceived
by smoke and mirrors It’s like a never ending maze Can’t see clear with this haze Need the Son to burn it
off Before we go and get too lost
It's like, Everywhere i’m lookin’ man, still not satisfied Don't know why i lookin’ fam , wandering hungry
eyes Im eating every day, but never really full Always wanting more, so i keep on chasing after
Rainbows, after rainbows, chasing rainbows They come out after rain Chasing Rainbows, after rainbows,
chasing rainbows Always waiting for it to rain Rainbows every day, they come out after rain have you
ever met a man that found the gold they give away they say, don’t u give up now, u almost got it found
keep chasing and keep wanting, keep spinning round and round
Yea I need it need, gotta get it get it Can't live with out it, out it, so so where is it is it Thats such a prison,
living living for thrills and getting getting what’s not that, yea such a mystery, is it not really, Will it give
me this, Can't give me that, I feel it in my grip, I won't ever give it back I need it like I'm fending, I'm out
here scheming, life can be a nightmare gotta keep on dreaming Gotta keep on reaching, scratching
scheming, asking, seeking, grasping, needing, pleasing This thing to me man, like air, yea the only reason
I'm breathing Help me please don't ever leave, till I get this in my life My everything I'll ever need
forever be alright, right Don't believe the hype, fairy tales just ain't real life Dreams do come true, but
don't be fooled, man what this world will push to you is...
Money money money, thats all they talkin' bout The richest man can’t afford rain in a drought 2x We’re
all born with this thirst, but it's so far from a curse Drink the dirty water you’ll get merked, call the
doctor and the nurse It's not the thirst thats wrong, it's what you turn to thats what harms. Hear the
siren hear this alarm, and don't fall for the charm no.
What was your favorite lyric in the song and why?
In the first part of second verse of the song, Benjah describes chasing after his sin only to find
that "it's not really a mystery." He then describes his soul-crushing need for Jesus.
Do you feel the same need for Jesus? If not, why don't we feel a need for Jesus?
Read through verse 3 of the song.
What do you think Benjah means when he says: "The richest man can't afford rain in a drought?
What do you think it means when he says: "It's not the thirst that's wrong, it's what you turn to
that harms?"
As humans we are born with an innate need to worship. Be it worshiping a deity, a possession,
another person, the Earth, our reason, science, or even just ourselves. Do you agree with this
statement?
Throughout the song Benjah describes worshiping things that fail to satisfy him. What are some
things we worship that don't truly satisfy? Why do these things not satisfy us in the end?
Worshiping Jesus Christ is the only thing that truly satisfies us in the end. Do you agree with this
statement? If so, does your life reflect this statement? Why or why not?
What do you thing the difference is between worship, and living worship? Read James 2:14-26.
How do you think faith and works relate to each other.
Living worship is faith being made clear to everyone by works. You are not saved because you
have works, but works without faith are worthless. Living worship is living your life in a way that
is pleasing to God, even with no one around. Living worship is living your life in a way that your
life is one great work for God.
End your devotional time with worship. Listen to This is Living by Hillsong Young and Free on
the Vinyl Experience Playlist on Spotify.
Week 8 – Day 3
Have you ever come into a Refuge “no feeling it” only to find yourself in an overwhelmed place
of worship? Psalms 22:3 says that He is enthroned and dwells in our praises. This is the mystery
and the miracle of the breakthrough power and presence of God when we worship! When we
worship, we affirm the truth of God’s Word, and it is being rooted deep in our hearts.
Several things happen to us during worship. Here are a couple ideas:
Worship can minister to our souls. Music has an ability like nothing else to minister straight to
our soul. It seems to bypass everything and begins to rebuild our trust and faith in Jesus. It
seems to melt away the hidden things making room for the word of God to rebuild us.


Psalm 84:10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather
be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 63:1-4 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; soul thirsts for you; my flesh
faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon
you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is
better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I
will lift up my hands.
Worship can be a declaration of our weakness and God’s strength. As we breathe out our
troubles and weakness, He will fill us up with a lyric from the song or even ministers to us
through a flood of emotion that rolls over us.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Psalm 34:17-20 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of
all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He
keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Through worship, God can take away our worry and stress. God has told us to trust Him and
worship is one of His reminders that He is in control.


1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace
of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
Worship can be a reminder of the unity we have in Christ. As our voices mix together, we can
feel the worship of others encouraging us to worship with them. We are the body of Christ and
unity is vital.


Philippians 2:2 Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being
in full accord and of one mind.
Ephesians 4:1-6 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy
of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one
hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of
all, who is over all and through all and in all.
When we worship, the invisible God is at work doing invisible and powerful things. We get
realigned, refreshed and refueled; we find unspeakable joy and indescribable peace. We
discover the breakthrough strength of God, which enables us to walk in the truth, live in His
presence and see Him fight our battles for us. It is how we can put the beauty of the Gospel on
display, receive His many blessings and at the same time be a blessing to the world.
As we have done all week, let’s end this devotional with worship. Listen to the two songs below
and write down any lyrics that God uses to refresh your soul.
From the Inside Out by Hillsong United - Live in Miami Album on the Vinyl Experience Playlist.
Even So come by Kristian Stanfill on the Vinyl Experience Playlist
WEEK 9
Mar 2nd… Week 9: Wake Up People
Song: Uncomfortable by Andy Mineo
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Staying off David’s Roof
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Vendetta by Andy Mineo
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Remote Parents
Week 9 – Day 1
Devotional by Rudy Cedillo
Staying off David’s Roof
God prepare me for the war Comfort be the thing that'll make a king fall Eyes on the Lord, gotta
grip that blade of the sword – Andy Mineo in Uncomfortable
David gave into temptation with Bathsheba. The Bible tells us that sin begins in our heart with
our desires. The sin of lust initiates with the eyes, our gateway to the heart. David tried to
cover up his sin with lies and murder. King David you may remember he was King of Israel,
writer of psalms, and mostly described by God as, “A man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).
Read our story, found in 2 Samuel 11:1-5:
1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his
servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But
David remained at Jerusalem.2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his
couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman
bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman.
And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So
David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had
been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman
conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”
David walked on the roof and he saw a naked woman in a bathtub! David knew all the ins and
outs of his home. He knew exactly where the bath houses could be seen from his roof top.
Look at James 1:14-15.
but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to
death.
Our sin begins way before we realize it. It begins when we let down our guard of self-discipline
and we start wandering from God. David’s sin started on the roof top not in the bed with
Bathsheba. It starts with our eyes and it works way to the heart and emotions and then moves
to the rest of our flesh.
Can you remember a time when your eyes led you to sin? When?
We should know that the sin of lust begins with your eyes, it then happens a second and third
time. Before you know it your life is revolving around that sin. We need to remove ourselves
from any situation that might cause us to sin. Remember God promises to give us strength to
withstand temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need to do what David could have done.
GET OFF THE ROOF TOP!
What rooftop activity are you involved in right now?
Often times our “rooftop” is comfort. We are so used to the sin that is rampant around us that
we don’t even notice ourselves looking over he edge. We need a wake up call. Andy wrote a
song to try and wake us up. John wrote to the church of Sardis warning them to wake up
because what we think is acceptable is not always up to Gods standards. Do these verses speak
to you?
Revelation 3:1-6 [1] “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has
the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. [2] Wake
up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete
in the sight of my God. [3] Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If
you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come
against you. [4] Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their
garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. [5] The one who conquers
will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will
confess his name before my Father and before his angels. [6] He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Pray that God will help you overcome temptation and wake up to the reality of areas where you
are too comfortable. Pray these verses over your small group today:

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is
faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will
also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.


Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Week 9 – Day 2
Devotional by Corley Johnson
Tactics for the Angry Soul when you hold in your vendetta
Start your devotional time by listening to Vendetta by Andy Mineo on the Vinyl Experience
Playlist on Spotify or by looking it up on your own.
I told you so I told you We are the ones Cause 'Pac did a lot more for me than Barack Salute La, da-da,
da, da, da, da, da We're not afraid to lose everything we got Cause all we really got is our word, word,
word The pen is greater than the sword La, da-da, da, da, da, da, da
By the people, for the people Seems like you only look out for your sort of people I look around, it's
more evil God I see it in me You see, um Everyday we closer to that funeral Everyday a struggle, but the
struggle still beautiful And doctors don't got patience for their patients So they just send them to that
pharmaceutical We tell 'em that they need drugs But I know that they need love I ain't scared of that
war or the violence The thing I'm more terrified of is [-silence-] I wanna snatch my generation out this
apathy Gotta do that now 'fore this voice grow out of reach And what we feedin' people that's a tragedy
So what you want, the chemicals or calories? Nobody taught us how to eat Momma gon' work the sixty
hour weeks What's for dinner? Well, what's quicker and cheap You got remote parents, you'll be raised
by the TV My momma worked the night shift Still made it out to every single game While my father sat
at home I promise when I have my own that we will never be the same Vendetta
Look, Mr., Mr. or Mrs Government official, we just won't listen You can't relate to how we livin' from
where you're sittn' That's why the artist got more influence than the politician This my generation
We know the news never tell the truth so we go to Twitter for our information It's so fast, ya'll seem
slow to us By the time you print it tomorrow it's old to us We are the ones that you used to be, brave
idealists with a dream That went corrupted by the cream, yeah This pen is not for sale They nickel and
dime'n We still throwin' quarters in a wishing well And I know you can't imagine losin' the lifestyle that
you so used to havin' And, yo, we still make decisions for the fact that they awesome Not just for the
profit margin Hold up, how i'm talkin? I got excess, others got need I gotta answer to God for all of these
sneaks I got a hundred pairs, but only two feet God forgive me, I've been thinkin' 'bout me We point
fingers at people who sin different, skin different But the same color we bleed You wanna know the real
problem in America? Always has been and it always will be, me If you had any other answer you've been
deceived We've been lookin' for salvation in education, money, leaders, and policies But we got a bigger
need We got a sin debt that we inherited We divide ourself by class, skin color, and our heritage Well
our Creator bankrupt the heaven so that we could all be there with Him Brothers and sisters
Read the verses below:

Jonah 4 - But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and
said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to
flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and
abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take
my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the LORD said, “Do you do well
to be angry?” Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for
himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.
Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade
over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the
plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so
that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat
down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is
better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the
plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the LORD said, “You
pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a
night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are
more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much
cattle?”

Ephesians 4:26-27 - Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give
no opportunity to the devil.

Matthew 5:22 - But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother(1) will be liable to
judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’
will be liable to the hell of fire.
“I told you so” must be one of the biggest roots of any vendetta. I personally struggle with
judgment. I have said, “I told you so” too many times to count. In my life, I judge people and
carried a vendetta over big things and even things that when you look at it was nothing.
What is a Vendetta? The dictionary says a vendetta is prolonged bitter quarrel with or
campaign against someone.
Have you ever carried a vendetta against anyone?
As you listened to the song Vendetta what was your favorite verse?
One of mine was “We point fingers at people who sin different.” I remember when I was 14, I
would go to church and at the end of every service we would end in a group prayer. I would
keep my eyes open for part of it so I could see whose else had their eyes open. I wanted to see
who the bad Christians were. Who would not close their eyes for praying to God? I mean come
on! Then it hit me! I was condemning myself!
Now, I know that is silly. How could I think down on someone for that, something that small.
But I want you to stop and think.
Have you ever been mad and holding anger for someone?
Have you been mad at someone for lying to you? Have you ever lied?
See this is how a vendetta begins. Someone wrongs you. YOU do not show grace YOU make the
judgment against them. Something you can’t forget is that you are a sinner too. And everyone
you know is a sinner. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus died for you both.
How do these verses speak to you?


Romans 2:2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is
based on truth.
Matthew 7:3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no
attention to the plank in your own eye?
Something to think on when you get angry is that no one has lied more to you than you. Don't
let your pride go to your head! Stop judging. Pray for them because they are in the same boat
as you. They are stuck in there sin living with other sinners and they need your grace.
You are going to stumble sometimes just like people are going to fail you. But God shows you
endless grace enough for the both of you. If you want to live a Godly life and a more joyful life
show grace as much as you can. And when you fail, give it to the Lord and rest in your Heavenly
Father.
Week 9 – Day 3
Remote Parents
Prayerfully read Isaiah 55. What jumped out at you?
Here are the first 3 verses.
Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
God is teaching us that HE is our satisfaction! In the song ‘Uncomfortable’, Andy explains that
there is the feeling of never being truly satisfied with the things of this world.
When it comes to our parents, we have expectations. We have a longing for someone to care
deeply about us and to love us unconditionally.
Think about this a moment and write down some expectations you have for your parents.
God blesses us with other human relationships. Other adults (Aunts, uncles, youth workers
etc), family and friends. Take time to thank God for those people now as you list them.
Do you have different expectations for them? Write some down.
Now think about how God is really the only one to truly satisfy these needs. Look up some
Psalm 90:14. What does it teach about how God satisfies us and our response to this?
Read all of Psalm 91. I love how this Psalm teaches us about taking refuge in the Lord!
What are your thoughts of this chapter?
Verses 14-16 state, “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him,
for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in
trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my
salvation.”
Sometimes it is hard to set aside expectations you have of others, especially your parents. I
would like you to pray and ask God to heal you from hurts that you have from intentional things
your parents have said/done.
Write down things that come to mind and give them to the Lord.
Also, think of the times that you are disappointed because your parents seem ‘remote’ distant, uninvolved, uncaring.
Are some of these your expectations that they may not know about?
Pray and ask God to heal you from these unmet expectations and ask God if He is leading you to
talk with them about any of these. God is our healer. God is our strength to do hard things.
Mostly, God is our satisfaction. I am praying for you as you seek God in these things.
WEEK 10
Mar 9th … Week 10: Made for This
Song: Run Wild …For King and Country –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Running Free
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Messengers by Lecrae
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Ambassadors for Christ
Week 10 – Day 1
Devotional by Garrett Smith
Living Free
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through
Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin
in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who
do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4.
Let’s break this down…
“2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law
of sin and death.”
This world has only one fork with two paths essentially: sin and death (to Hell) or in Jesus Christ
who gives eternal life (to Heaven). See Romans 6:23 or Romans 8:13…. Many, many, many
other verses can be provided on this… These are just in close proximity to this bible study.
“3For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh”… The law is the
law…. However, we all know that the flesh is weak – see Matthew 26:41 or Galatians 5:19-21.
“God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he
condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully
met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Also see Galatians 5:16-17 or Romans 7:5-6.
These two verses are key here.
…He condemned sin in the flesh!!! In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be
fully met in us! Us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit!
We, who have accepted Christ and are Christ follower are free of the flesh – Christ has
condemned the sin in the flesh!
1) Are you living free or dragging that old ways and chain around with you?
2) Know that if you are a true Christian that Jesus is at the right hand of God and is
interceding for us. Read Roman 8:32-39.
3) Look up “Newsboys – I am free” and worship him in song for the freedom He has
granted us. You can find this song on the Vinyl Experience playlist.
Week 10 – Day 2
DIVE DEEP: Running Free
Read 2 Corinthians 3:12-17
Summarize it below.
What does this passage teach us about freedom?
How do you get ‘The Spirit’?
How cool is it, that the moment you surrender your life to God, HE gives you His Spirit - so HE
gives you true freedom! We are free to live without the burdens we often place on ourselves
unknowingly.
Read Psalm 119:45 What does this verse teach is how to walk in freedom?
Sometimes we feel like the ‘rules’ God has instructed for us stifle our freedom. This is a lie from
the enemy. The ‘rules/instructions’ God has given us allow freedom.
Think of a times you have felt free to be yourself without any pressure to impress others in
anyway. Name a couple below.
This is probably because you feel safe. You know those people’s love is more unconditional and
accepting. James also speaks of how the law gives freedom in James 1:25 and James 2:12.
Look up these verses! Summarize below what they say about the law.
If you are truthful instead of telling a lie, you do not feel the ‘worry’ of being found out. This
freedom is because of the rule of honesty. If you do not have sex outside of marriage, you do
not feel the ‘worry’ of getting an STD or pregnant.
You have the freedom to experience peace. Do you feel this peace?
You have the freedom to run in the gifts God has created you with. You do not need to feel the
weight of any performance. You cannot earn God’s love and you cannot do anything to make
Him love you less.
Sometime instead of running free for freedom, we can run from things as Andy raps in this
song. Do you run from fear?
What are some examples of this?
One example I thought of was that sometimes running from fear can make us want to control
situations or people. This is not freedom because it traps us instead of gives peace.
Andy also mentions that we can run our mouth. I laugh at this one because it is more of a
struggle for some than others, but regardless we all need wisdom guidance in what we say,
how we say things and when to say things. Take a few minutes to ask God to reveal sin and
help guide you in how you use your speech.
I praise God for no condemnation. He offers forgiveness and help. If you have confessed sin
and still think of it or get ‘down or depressed’ because of it, quote Romans 8:1-2.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through
Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Because of this, when the negative thoughts come, renew your mind, rebuke satan’s tactics of
this and praise God for His Spirit and grace!
Praise God that HE has created you to run free. To experience HIM in amazing ways!
Week 10 – Day 3
Devotional by Josh Shultz
To start your devotional listen to the song Messengers by Lecrae on the Vinyl Experience
Playlist on Spotify.
Calling all the messengers Calling all the messengers (Can you hear it?) Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey
We've been given a call Been forgiven, risen, we livin' to give him our all
Rise up from your past it's holding you down
This moment is all that matters the future is now
How will the people know if we don't tell 'em if we fail 'em
They stumblin' in the dark but the light is what we carry
Yea, don't have to wonder your purpose or what you here for
Reflect his image and show the world what he cares for
And I know it's alright And you know it's your life
And we know that time's running out Can't wait around cause The time is now
I've been a lot of places where the scene ain't pretty
I've seen plenty of hatred death and destruction where ignorance kills many
The blind leading the blind we turning a blind eye That alone is a crime we got the power of life
I know that we make mistakes don't let 'em keep you away
Mercy love and His grace is the reason we move ahead
Speak out though we never been qualified to do it
I ain't earned it, I was loved into it I'm brand new, yea
And I know it's alright And you know it's your life
And we know that time's running out Can't wait around cause The time is now
This song reminds me of 2 verses:
 John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.
 Matthew 27:18-2 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to
the very end of the age.”
One is the message we are to present to the world. Jesus is the way to salvation. The other is
our charge as messengers. If you are a messenger, you must be a follower of Christ. If you are
not a messenger then you need Christ. I love the message this song brings in that we have all
experienced problems in life but we are called to spread the message of Christ.
There is a lot going on in our world right now and not much of it points to Christ. Christ will be
coming back soon and we need to prepare the world for what is to come. Without Christ, our
world is dying.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you
know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are
saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a
pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Take some time to think about your relationship with Christ. If Christ were to come back
tonight are you ready to meet Jesus?
Take some time to think about your friends? If Christ were to come back tonight would they be
ready to meet Jesus?
Have you been the messenger that Christ has called you to be or do you need to respond to
Christ’s message?
Take some time to pray for Jesus’ return. In that time pray for your friends that need Jesus.
Remember Revelation 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings
and Lord of lords. Pray for the return of our King!
WEEK 11
Mar 23rd … Week 11: The Light
Song: Glow by Britt Nicole
–
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Being the Light
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Brave by Moriah Peters
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Courage and the Light
Week 11 – Day 1
DIVE DEEP: Being the Light
John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was
made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man
sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so
that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to
the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the
world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came
to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to
those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born
not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Who is The Light?
Jesus!! Yes!
Highlight some of the things John 1:1-14 says about Jesus.
He is the Light, but we have HIS Spirit in us as believers. SO, we are the light too!
Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see
your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
What is the point of us being a light?
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
We want to share the good news of Jesus and make disciples. Being a light is also loving on
others. Can you name some ways to love on others? (think of things that make you feel loved)
He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not
do for me.’ When you love on others, you are loving God.
What keeps you from being the light? Two main things:
Distractions
What are some distractions in your life?
What things take time that you could be a shining light for Jesus?
What things do you put before in priority in being a light for Jesus?
What struggles or circumstances distract your trust in the Lord and hinder you being a light for
Jesus?
Desires (that are selfish)
What fleshly desires cause temptations in your life?
How do these desires keep you from being a light for Jesus?
Pray and ask God to help you to be a light. Ask Him what you need to confess and ask HIM to
empower you to recognize distractions and change your selfish desires. Ask God to do a work
in your life to love on others. He will put the ideas and power to follow through. Rely on HIM,
not self to do this. It is not the ‘works’ from self, but the power of the Spirit that will enable you
to love on others with JOY! I am praying for you!!
Week 11 – Day 2
DIVE DEEP: Being the Light
To start your time today listen to the song Brave by Moriah Peters on the Vinyl Playlist.
No one ever told me This would be easy
But I never knew That it could be this hard
Oh the worry the worry the worry Is weighing on me
Could you help me break down All these question marks And make me
Brave I'll fight like a soldier
Brave Rise like a warrior
Brave Won't stop till the final day
Brave I want to be stronger
Brave Gonna be bolder
Brave Look up and I see the way
You make me brave
I know I know I'm no superwoman
But impossible is possible with You
So no, no, no more running, no more
hiding
Strike the fire so I'll be fearless too
And make me
Brave I'll fight like a soldier
Brave Rise like a warrior
Brave Won't stop till the final day
Brave I want to be stronger
Brave Gonna be bolder
Brave Look up and I see the way
You make me brave
None go with me Still I'll follow Through the joy And through the sorrow
Cross before me World behind me There's no turning back
Moriah Peters in her live chat about the song Brave revealed some of her thinking behind the
song. She wrote the song as a battle cry to help her overcome her own fears and insecurities. In
today’s devotion we want to take a similar journey to discover this battle cry.
What are some of your deepest fears?
The problem with fear is that it blocks creativity, productivity and relationships. When you face
your fears by grasping onto God's courage, you regain your capacity for experiencing these
things as you live out your life purpose.
The most common fears that Christians face are the fear of failure, fear of rejection, financial
fear, and the fear of death. We will study the first two today and the last two tomorrow.
The Fear of Failure
Most people in today’s world struggle with the fear of failure not understanding the selffulfilling nature of this fear. As Christians, we should embrace the pressure of performance
because our identity is secure in Christ not our accomplishments. Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be
strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who
goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” He will never forsake us because our
relationship with Him is not dependent on our success. One of the reasons I excelled at calling
plays at the end of close games was because trust in God allowed me to think clearly and
quickly. Did we win every game? No! Did I call some bad plays? Yes! but those did not crush me.
As Christians and leaders, you must embrace the opportunity instead of shy away from it. Look
at 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Do you struggle with the fear of Failure? If so pray the verse above over your life!
The Fear of Rejection
When I ask people to share their faith with others, the number one excuse I hear is “what if
they won’t like me anymore?” Thankfully, Jesus did not think this way. If wa re truly going to
follow Jesus we must be ready to handle rejection. It is part of being a Christ follower. But we
can have courage because God will always be with us.
 Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you
go.”
 Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift
you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Take some time to pray today that the Lord will release you from fear and worry. Use the
scripture above in your prayers.
Week 11 – Day 3
Financial Fear
The fear of being poor and missing out on all that this world has for us is rampant in our world
today but do you realize that according to Credit Suisse you are rich! 69% of the world has a net
value of less than $10,000. That means if you went out and sold everything that you owned,
clothes, car, PlayStation 4 and games, shoes, etc. and you got $10,000 then you would be in the
top 30% of the richest people in the world.
We worry so much about money but Jesus said stop worrying!
Look at these verses and be encouraged!

Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or
what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and
the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather
into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And
which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious
about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I
tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the
grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much
more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that
you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be
anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Proverbs 3:5-8 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your
own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to
your bones”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ
Jesus”
Fear of Death
The fear of death is often hidden behind other fears. Death generally hides in the shadows. The
fear of darkness, heights and many other things are all based in the fear of death. Jesus speaks
very boldly about death in Matthew 10. Read it below:

Matthew 10:26-28 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be
revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light,
and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and
body in hell.
When we have Jesus, we can see death differently. Jesus has conquered death. Where oh
where is your sting death? Hebrews 13:6 says “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my
helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”
We can be confident in the Lord because we have eternal life. Although this might not be our
best life now we face it with confidence because Jesus has given us eternal life.
As you face your fears, pray the verse in each section over those areas and claim victory. Be
courageous! But don’t forget Psalms 27:14

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the
Lord!
If you continue to struggle, have faith and wait on the Lord.
Be strong. Be courageous. Be Brave!
.
WEEK 12
Mar 30th … Week 12: Be Different
Song: Do it anyways by Dillon Chase –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: The Attacks of the World
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: BDFFRNT by Dillon Chase
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Living Different in our World
WEEK 12 – DAY 2
Today, we will be talking about the schemes of our enemy. We will try
to look at satan’s attack plan so that we can defeat it. First thing first.
There are not really rules but there is a playing field.
2 Corinthians 10:3–5
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the
weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take
every thought captive to obey Christ.
The battlefield is our minds. Two of the strongholds satan tries to establish are Arguments and
Opinions. Let me break these down:
Arguments: This is the onslaught of reasons given with an aim of persuading others that an
action or idea is correct. Generally the exchange of divergent view turns heated or angry.
The Basis of Arguments is the disagreement on what is truth. This is the source of the first
attack in the garden of eden. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of
any tree in the garden’?”
Satan’s Resources in the realm of Argument:
Doubt, Mistrust, Relative truth, Truth dependent on Circumstances, Apathy
The Second stronghold is Opinion. Opinion is based in idolatry. We decide our opinion is
greater than truth. The difference may appear to be subtle but you cannot defend these attacks
in the same way. You see, it is not that you doubt God, you just think your way is better. I see
this all the time as people are confronted with the word of God that is different than their
opinion.
Satan’s Resources in the realm of Opinion:
Opinion-based Identity, Twisting the Truth to fit their opinion, lack of time in the word of God
I remember an occasion where I was talking with a youth about modesty. I love her to death
and she is right that boys should not be looking lustfully at girls regardless of what they wear.
God has called boys to have not even a hint of lust in Ephesians 5:3. But among you, as is proper
among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or impurity or greed.
I remember seeing the struggle when I told her that regardless of the boys God’s word calls us
to dress modestly. In 1 Timothy 2:9 it says, “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves
in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls
or costly attire,”
What was the battle going on her mind?
I believe it was a battle of submission to God’s truth over her own opinion. We all have this
struggle in our own ways. How can we defeat it?
Look at Ephesians 6:10-20 [10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put
on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we
do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13]
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand firm. [14] Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, [15] and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the
gospel of peace. [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all
the flaming darts of the evil one; [17] and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God, [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that
end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, [19] and also for me, that
words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, [20] for
which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
What is the purpose of each piece of the armor and strategies listed below?
Courage
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Shoes of Peace
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the Spirit
Prayer
Perseverance
Spend some time in prayer that God would help you defeat the enemy with the armor of God
and help of the Holy Spirit.
WEEK 12 – DAY 2
Devotional by Josh Boyd
On any given day I am working with inmates who have done wrong to others and are waiting to
be taken to court for their crimes. I am not always treated nicely by the inmates either. It would
be easy for me to be angry, rude and treat them unfairly because they hurt me with their words
and actions towards me. However being changed and made different by Christ and my
relationship with him, He requires me to avoid falling to what my flesh desires and filter my
words and actions through him and his word the holy scriptures.
I have to constantly pray and search the scriptures about my interactions with inmates at my
job and for Christ to work through me so that I do not let their actions cause me to react in an
unbecoming or ungodly way. Christ is constantly teaching me that not all the inmates are bad
and that they are people too that deserve to be treated fairly. I have ran into inmates that read
the bible and attend church services provided at the jail chapel. There are times that I am to
talk to inmates one on one about how I have been changed by Christ and the importance of
staying focused on him while in jail and out of jail once they get out so that they might avoid
getting arrested and put in jail again.
In closing even though I may not speak about Christ on a daily basis with the inmates or be
leading any inmates to Christ, I know that God has chosen me to be a light in the dark world of
jail. It is displayed in the way that I treat and speak with the inmates.
Listen to the song BDFFRNT by Dillon Chase on The Vinyl Experience playlist
As you listened to DFRNT by Dillon Chase think about how God is calling you to be different and
how you might begin to embrace and act on his calling. Tomorrow we will be looking at the
verses a little closer.
How do the following verses about being different or changed through Christ encourage you?



Proverbs 4:14-15 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of
evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into
a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in
me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
Are you ready to be different? Are you ready to be the salt and the light? Pray for God’s
strength today.
WEEK 12 – DAY 3
Jesus and his followers are in the world, Don't take them out, The world will perish
They are like salt, They are light, Keep them there with all its mess and all its confusion
Keep them there, But don't let them be of the world – John Piper
Today we dive deeper into the intro to the song BDFFRNT. Read the verse and then answer the
questions that follow.
John 17:14-19 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not
of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but
that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them
into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Jesus prayed this over you and I as he was preparing to go to the cross. What does it mean to
be in the world but not of the world?
Matthew 5:13-16 [13] “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its
saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled
under people's feet.[14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15]
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in
the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that(1) they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Salt or light? Which would you choose and why?
1 John 2:15 – Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him.
What is John teaching about in but not of the world here?
1 Corinthians 5:9-10 – I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at
all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with
idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.
Paul is telling us not to withdraw but to discern your relationships. Are the people youa re close
to leading you toward Christ?
Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect.
What are the benefits here of not conforming?
James 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and
widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
James is challenging us to keeping ourselves unstained by the world. How?
This song also plays on the challenge of Christ which sometimes seems impossible. But God is
calling us to be discerning and to have impeccable timing.
Adaptation and confrontation – should we adapt and be like the culture or rebel against the
culture and confront it seeking to change it…YES!
participation or separation – should we participate in the activities of the world or separate
from some of it? YES!
In the world not of the world – See the above devotional.
do not be conformed or I become all things to all men – how can we not conform and yet
reach people where they are at with the gospel. Only with God’s help!
Be indigenous or be a pilgrim – blend into the culture or push through the culture? YES!
These are the questions that Jesus faced with a perfect record. He followed the Jewish law until
law hindered him from doing God’s work. He did not conform, He made all thing new. He
changed the culture often by his actions more than his words. He participated in wedding and
funeral and also went off to secluded places to pray and spend time with His Father. We are to
be like Christ. DIFFERENT! Lord help us be like you!
WEEK 13
Apr 6th ... Week 13: Week 11: D.E.A.T.H.
Song: cops by Social Club
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Staying Quiet
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: Martyrs by Social Club
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: Death and Life
Week 13 – Day 1
Devotional by Demi Floria
Staying Quiet.
Have you ever chosen not to talk about Jesus because you didn’t want to offend someone?
Our world has taught us that we cannot speak openly about our beliefs to people who don’t
agree with us. It has taught us that we all have a right to not be offended. And that if what you
believe offends someone, you don’t have the right to talk about it. The world has taught us to
accept each other. It would have us call this love. It would have us keep quiet, turn down the
fanaticism, and peacefully silence any talk of absolute truth or sin. Coexistence is a myth. When
we buy into this idea, we are watering down of our beliefs into something non-confrontational
and impotent.
Revelation 3:15-16 “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either
cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth.”
When you talk about Jesus, are your words hot, cold, or lukewarm?
The world pushes us towards coexistence, but it has not taught us to truly love. The world’s
definition of love and the one we find in the Bible are very different. Ephesians 4 points out
that if we are to become fully mature in Christ, we must speak the truth in love. John 15 paints
Jesus as the greatest example of friendship there ever was by saying that “greater love has no
one than this: that he lays down his life for his friends.”
When I look at these two scriptures together, it appears to me that learning how to love
requires learning how to speak the truth. What if truly loving others means saying the things
we know they don’t want to hear? What if Jesus is so important that the only way of loving our
friends is to make sure they know the truth, even if it offends them?
Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with
his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
What does this scripture say about the relationship between love and truth?
Zechariah 8:16 “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in
your gates judgments that are true and make for peace.”
What does this scripture say about the relationship between truth and peace?
So, do you love your friends enough to challenge them?
Do you love them enough to speak the truth even if it’s not popular?
If you truly believe that Jesus is the only Salvation for this broken world, then you must learn
how to speak up. Staying quiet is not an option.
Below write down a couple areas of compromise you have let slip by in your life or your friends
life. Pray for the Lord to give you an opportunity to speak about them in love to you r friends.
Start by asking them to point out things in your life when they see them and then gently
challenge them to have the same openness in their own life. This depth will grow you closer
than a brother.
Week 13 – Day 2
Remember our conversation about being in the world but not of the world? Today we study
this deeper in the lives of Christian Martyrs.
Stop and listen to the song Martyrs by Social Club on the Vinyl Experience playlist.
In order to have a heart ready to die for Christ, you have to understand that “In the world” is
simply a reference to our location while “of the world” is pointing out where is our source of
life comes from. Which is your source of joy? love? Peace? We are aliens here waiting for our
true freedom from the flesh. Read the stories of the faithful that gave it all for Christ. Sum up
each story with a 3 word summary. I will do the first one with you.
Stephen
Acts chapters 6 and 7 give us the account of Stephen’s martyrdom. Stephen is considered one
of the first Christian martyrs after Christ himself. Stephen was speaking the truth of Jesus
Christ. However, his words offended the listeners. They put together a council that brought
false-witness to the things Stephen was saying (Acts 6:11-13). Stephen proclaimed that God’s
own people were at fault for suppressing the prophets’ call to righteousness. They even killed
the Holy One, Jesus Christ. Their reaction was to gnash on him with their teeth. They ran
Stephen out of the city and stoned him. Yet Stephen patiently accepted the persecution that
was given to him. Stephen asked the Lord not to hold them guilty who had stoned him. He
essentially repeated Christ’s words on the cross.
Summary: FIRST BOLD WITNESS what’s your summary?
Simon Peter
Brought to Christ by his brother Andrew, Peter is known as the disciple who spoke often before
he thought. After Christ’s death Peter was the fiery preacher prominently seen in the first half
of the book of Acts. He founded the church at Antioch and traveled preaching mainly to Jews
about Jesus Christ.
Peter was martyred under Nero’s reign. He was killed in Rome around the years 64 to 67.
Tradition holds that he was crucified upside down. Like Andrew, his brother, he is said to have
refused to be crucified in the same manner as Christ because he was unworthy to be executed
in the same way as the Lord.
Summary:
Polycarp
As with many people in the early centuries, Polycarp’s exact birth and death dates are not
known. Even his date of martyrdom is disputed; though it was some time between AD 155 and
167. Polycarp was probably a disciple of the Apostle John who wrote the books of the Gospel of
John, the three Epistles of John and the book of Revelation. Polycarp may have been one of the
chief people responsible for compiling the New Testament of the Bible that we have today.
Because of his refusal to burn incense to the Roman Emperor he was sentenced to burn at the
stake. Tradition says that the flames did not kill him so he was stabbed to death.
Summary:
Jim Elliot and Four Missionary Friends
Jim Elliot, along with four of his missionary colleagues was killed on January 8, 1956 while trying
to establish contact with the Auca Indians in Ecuador (now known as the Waodani people). Jim
Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Flemming and Roger Youderian had been working to make
friendly contact with the Auca tribe which they had seen from the air. Though they had only
met one tribesman face to face, they had participated in trades with the Auca from a plane to
ground system. When Elliot and his friends landed on a river beach on that fateful January day
they were slaughtered by the waiting men.Their deaths were not in vain though. The widows
continued to try and make peaceful contact and eventually won the hearts of the tribe. God has
used this recent missionary martyr story to inspire new generations of missionaries willing to
give their lives for what they believe.
Summary:
Justin Martyr
"I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their
words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable." When Justin was arrested
for his faith in Rome, the prefect asked him to denounce his faith by making a sacrifice to the
gods. Justin replied, "No one who is rightly minded turns from true belief to false." Justin's
Second Apology was written soon after Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161. In these
writings, Justin tried to show that the Christian faith alone was truly rational. Four years later,
Justin and his disciples were arrested for their faith. When the prefect threatened them with
death, Justin said, "If we are punished for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hope to be
saved." They were taken out and beheaded. Since he gave his life for the "true philosophy,"
Justin has been surnamed Martyr.
Summary:
For more in depth stories of martyrs see Fox’s Book of Martyrs
http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/foxs-book-of-martyrs/
Week 13 – Day 3
If you look at the word picture above, you will see two words. (if you need help turn your book
upside down to try and find the second word)
Today, we are going to talk about the difference between those two words.
Over The Vinyl Experience, we have walked from a look at our depravity in A World So Cold by
12 stones to life in Christ in Write on Our Hearts to Martyrs. Today our death and next week
HEAVEN!
Death is a natural consequence of our sin. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 0And we all sin. Romans 5:12 Therefore,
just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to
all men because all sinned—
As a believer in Christ, death is the vehicle that takes us to heaven. Death was the path Jesus
walked to buy our freedom. But He is not in the grave. HE has risen. He has risen indeed.
Colossians 1:21-23 says, And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil
deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and
blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and
steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed
in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
But God does not call us to live in death. He has given us eternal life. On the next page are some
implications of this truth.
If God has given us eternal life, then we should live heavenly minded. Look at Galatians 6:8
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who
sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Our life should be about sowing words of
encouragement leading people to the Holy Spirit.
How could you sow life into people through your words?
Remember our Romans 6:23 verse earlier. Look at the preceding verse. Romans 6:22 But now
that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to
sanctification and its end, eternal life. The wages of sin is death but grasping the idea of eternal
life in Christ is key to our sanctification.
What is sanctification?
How are you doing with your personal sanctification?
Eternal life is a major part of our life as we fight the good fight. 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good
fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you
made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
What do you think it means to take hold of eternal life?
The eternal life we have in Jesus should spark us to pray more. 1 John 5:11-15 And this is the
testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life;
whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who
believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is
the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears
us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests
that we have asked of him.
Break down the above verse. What are the key components?
God’s gift of eternal life should have far reaching affects. Pray for the Lord to help you grasp his
gift of eternal life.
WEEK 14
Apr 13th ... Week 14: P.A.R.T.Y.
Song: Beyond this World by Shonlock –
Day 1 – DIVE DEEP: Heaven
Day 2 – SING A NEW SONG: I can Only Imagine by Mercy Me
Day 3 – DIVE DEEPER: What to Remember from the Vinyl Experience
Week 14 – Day 1
“Heaven is a wonderful place filled with Glory and Grace, I wanna see my Savior’s face cause
heaven is a wonderful place, I wanna go there.” When I first became a Christian, we used to
sing this song in a round, girls one part and guys the other. Heaven is a wonderful place…
Describe your picture of heaven:
Here are a couple of my observations from scripture and I will also try to answer a few of the
questions you might have about heaven.
1. Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for you. Heaven is a prepared place for those who know
and love Jesus. Also,

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go
to prepare a place for you?
2. It is a place, a city, that we should be looking forward to!


Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is
not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and
builder is God.
3. There is no hunger or thirst but there are springs of living water and feasts. Those desires are
fulfilled. There is not scorching heat or other trials. There is a throne and Christ is the center of
it.

Revelations 7:13-17 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and
where did they come from?" 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who
have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and
night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 Never again
will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching
heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to
springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
4. There are cities and there is no need for a temple because God is all encompassing. Worship
is all around us and His Presence is felt at all times. The city of God is open. Why? For us to go
explore and discover the things of heaven. For us to go visit and enjoy God’s new heaven and
the new Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:22-27 [22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the
Almighty and the Lamb. [23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the
glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] By its light will the nations walk, and the
kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and
there will be no night there. [26] They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
[27] But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but
only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
5. The food will be natural and incredible. The trees will even heal and have properties different
than our world now. All things will be new and different but we are living in the shadow so
many things will have a similar form.

Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city;
also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each
month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be
anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will
worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no
more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will
reign forever and ever.
6. Our goal here should be to lay up treasures and crowns in heaven. What are those? Anything
that brings glory to God is everlasting. Relationships build on Christ will endure, memories that
are saturated by Christ will endure. Heaven is about God not you, to your treasures, trophies
and memories apart from Jesus will perish. Those things we treasure in our hearts based in God
will remain.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Do you look forward to heaven?
Pray that the Lord will give you a view of heaven that helps us endure the hard things of this
world because in heaven our treasure, Jesus, is waiting eagerly for us.
Week 14 – Day 2
Devotional by Celeste Valdez
Set aside what you’re holding physically & mentally. Create a quiet spot & listen to I Can Only Imagine by
MercyMe. But don’t just “listen,” feel the song, breathe the song, & imagine the song in your mind.
Now that you’ve heard the song, below this sentence write down any distractions you have.
Do those things keep you from worship? Why?
When we come before the Lord, many of us feel distracted, unworthy, & upset in some way. We come
before God in an unstable state. Our mind & heart are absent.
Read Psalm 13.
David is everywhere in this Psalm. His mind is worried God has forgotten him while his heart is troubled
with sorrow and the fear of enemies. He is unstable. Regardless, David has brought himself into the
presence of God through worship. And no matter how unstable he may feel, God is faithful and shows
his steadfast love.
Write down how God shows his love to you, no matter how big or small.
The whole purpose behind worship is to praise God for who He is. He is love. He is light. He is life.
Coming to God in an unstable state, we should understand that we are broken and in need of God. But it
doesn’t stop there. God will fill us in His presence. Can you picture what that looks like? Can you
imagine?
Being in God’s presence, as unstable and broken as can be, we are still made holy by God. How would
you react if someone were to pardon you and remove the punishment you deserve? Better yet, how
would you respond if after being pardoned, you were blessed with a life in heaven?
Draw a picture or write a few words describing what you would do.
Now, read how David responded to God’s grace & love in 2 Samuel 6:5-15. Then, pray that you would
submit to worshipping God with all of your being. Whether you dance, sit still, stand, fall on your knees,
sing hallelujah, or keep from speaking at all, I pray you worship.
Week 14 – Day 3
If you are reading this page, you made it to the end of the Vinyl Experience. Here are a couple
of questions of reflection.
Thinking back, what did Vinyl mean to you?
What was your favorite activity we did at Refuge during Vinyl?
What was your favorite week of bible studies through the Vinyl Experience?
As I think back, ahead of time , my favorite moments in the Vinyl Experience were the times
where I felt like the bible study was written for me that day. Even though I wrote quite a few of
the devotionals, it is different when you live them out.
The other thing I love is how music penetrates my hardened heart and takes me back to times
where God was so faithful. It has been such a joy to experience Vinyl with you! I pray that the
Lord has walked beside you through all of this. I pray you are closer to the Lord today than back
January 6th when we started this journey together. Love you guys!
APPENDIX A
Bible reading plan
APPENDIX B
Spiritual warfare
Our Responsibility
Go to WAR!!!!
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Daniel 10:2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine
entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first
month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and
behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his
face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished
bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men
who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves.
8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully
changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I
fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling
on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to
you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up
trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and
humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The
prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help
me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your
people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”
15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute.
2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as
apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no
surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond
to their deed
1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge
for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of
Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one
bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of
Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food
offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer
to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the
cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of
demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
THE WAR
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We
destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought
captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole
armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has
righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ
with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple
of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God
satan
Job 1:6-7
1 Thes 2:18
adversary
spirit of opposition
devil
1 Peter 5:8
slanderer
spirit of gossip
lucifer
Isa 14:12
day star
shining one
spirit of pride
baal-zebub
“lord of the flies”
God of filth
lawlessness
spirit of gluttony/waste
belial
Matt 12:24
2 Kings 1
2 Cor 6:15
evil one
1 John 5:19
evil
spirit of evil
tempter
1 Thess 3:5
one who tempts
spirit of criticism
meririm
John 12:31
prince of world
spirit of ownership
spirit of disobedience
accuser of brethren
Rev 12:10
serpent
Gen 3
dragon
Rev 12
angel of light
2 Cor 11:14
spirit of contempt
leviathan
counterfeit of God
spirit of deceit
Spirit of false religion
NAMES OF GOD
ELOHIM
1 Kings 8:23
Genesis 1 (32)
God
spirit of unity :Trinity
EL SHADDAI
Job (31)
God Almighty
spirit of power
ADONAI
Genesis 15:2
Isaiah
Lord
spirit of ownership
JEHOVAH JIREH
Genesis 22:14
Lord will Provide
spirit of provision
JEHOVAH ROPHE
Exodus 15:22
The Lord who heals
spirit of wellness
JEHOVAH NISSA
Exodus 17:15
The Lord Our Banner
spirit of exaltation
JEHOVAH M’KADDESH
Leviticus 20:7-8
The Lord Who Sanctifies spirit of wholeness
JEHOVAH SHALOM
Judges 6:24
The Lord of Peace
JEHOVAH TSIDKENU
Jeremiah 23:5
The Lord Righteousness spirit of justice
YESHUA
Isaiah 43:3
Savior
spirit of grace
GAOL
Job 19:25
Redeemer
spirit of payment
spirit of peace
Revelation 2
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp twoedged sword. 13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you
did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where
Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of
Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food
sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the
Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of
my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who
conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written
on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
How you live your life within the armor as your defense?
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We
destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought
captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of
the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which
God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart
of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—10 these things God has revealed to us through
the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of
God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt
of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the
readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with
all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening
my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare
it boldly, as I ought to speak.
ARMOR OF GOD
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Shoes of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the Spirit
False Religion
False Philosophy
John 8:31-38
1 John 3:10
Mal 2:6-7
Heb 11:1
1 Cor 2:6-16
Eph 6:17
1 Cor 10:20-22
Colossians 2:8
WHOLENESS
HEART
WALKING
CONSIENCE
MIND
WEAPON
True Religion
True Theology
Commitment to truth
Steward of spiritual gifts
Satisfaction in Jesus
Belief and no doubt
Dwell on Grace
Sharpen your Sword
James 1:26-27
John 3:30
1 Corinthians 10:18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the
altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply
that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and
the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
VS.
James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's
religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and
widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him
and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.8 See to it that no one takes you
captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the
world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been
filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
VS.
John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one
who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at
the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The Vinyl Experience Devotional Guide FINAL

Transcription

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