Woven

After a full week of study, I'm going to keep my words brief today. I have two things I want to share with you. Then, we will move past our study of the first kings; Saul, David, and Solomon, and move on to the prophets.

Very soon, ladies, we will move out of the Old Testament and into the New. I'm praying that the Old Testament stories have become more real to all of us making it more likable. It's far from boring! It's our history and heritage. Throughout the Old Testament, we can easily find "pictures" of each of us and God's loving heart towards us. I LOVE studying the Old Testament and have treasured our time there.

Today, read Psalm 103 for one last pause in David's words. This psalm is a good one to end with. After all that we've studied about God's activity in the life of David and David's family, what else could he do except, "bless the Lord, oh my soul."

In your journal, write out some of the verses that mean the most to you. Today, you might even find a verse tucked in this Psalm that you want to write on a note card and tape to the refrigerator, a mirror, or somewhere else you look regularly.

Now, I'm so excited to share a sermon with you. We didn't get to study Solomon's writing at all really. His life is so interesting, so I don't want to miss the opportunity to share something with you from Ecclesiastes. Angie had an interesting take on this book and its meaning. As I read, I kept thinking about a sermon series I listened to a long time ago by Matt Chandler at The Village Church.

The sermon series is from 2006, and it's 16 sermons from the book of Ecclesiastes. It's in-depth, and it is GOOD! I knew I wanted to share a sermon from this particular series, but how in the world would I choose only one?

Last weekend I was in West Palm for a baseball tournament. I did a lot of driving, so I had plenty of time to listen. I didn't listen to all 16, but I listened to many trying to figure out what would give you the best overall understanding of Solomon and the book. I settled on this one, but my secret prayer is that you'll want to know more and listen to the other 15 sermons as well. :).

I've shared before that Matt Chandler is a favorite pastor of mine. I appreciate the deep dive he takes into scripture and how desperately he wants people to know the Bible and apply it appropriately. This sermon, from 2006, is early in his pastoring. It's not the best quality of sound, and Matt says, "ummm" a good bit more than he does now. If you'll stick with it, though, I know you'll come away with nuggets of truth and understanding for life.