FALL 2025 - God's Gym

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Genesis 2:18

September 7, 2025:    

God’s Plan

Genesis 2:18-25

In the beginning . . . God! How fitting that God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible! In the first 35 verses, His name appears 35 times! This story is truly about God. God had a plan for His creation, and it included a special role for human beings. These creatures were created in His image and destined for His glory. He created both male and female humans. He blessed them. He joined them together and assigned them the task of shepherding His creation in community with one another and with Him. Beautiful.

 Weekly Reading:  Genesis 2:4-25

September 14, 2025:  

What Happened?

Genesis 3

We studied this very text in our previous series on mental health. However, we need to examine this key passage again in the context of our discussion about the value of relationships. God has existed in eternity in community with Himself. He uniquely designed human beings to live in community as well. As we read last week, the first “not good” in the Bible is the statement from God that “It is not good for man to be alone.” Genesis 2 ends with such hope and potential. Genesis 3 has a very different ending. Today, we will address the effect of sinfulness on the relational realities of human beings now living in a broken and fallen world.

 Weekly Reading:  Genesis 3

September 21, 2025:  

Home is Where . . . It All Begins!

Deuteronomy 6:1-12 

God designed human beings to begin our journey on planet earth in the context of a family. Each human is born into a family. A newborn baby is completely dependent on nurturing adults in order to simply survive, much less thrive. It is in that setting (a family) that so much happens to all of us. Everything begins at home. We learn how to live life in the context of a family setting. These crucial relationships are so important for us to experience health and a wholesome experience of reality. These core relationships continue to be foundational to the human experience.

 Weekly Reading:  2 Timothy 1:3-5

September 28, 2025:  

Why Can’t We Be Friends!

1 Samuel 18-20

Not only are we born into the context of a family, but we also mature as humans through a complex process that includes an intricate web of relationships. We live in community with friends. These friendships are vital to our health and well-being. In our culture today, loneliness has reached epidemic proportions. So many people have chosen to isolate themselves from true friendships. God’s desire for us is to live in healthy relationships with true friends who enrich our lives and vice versa.

 Weekly Reading:  Proverbs 27

October 5, 2025:      

Your Spiritual Family

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Just as we are born into human families, we are born again into a spiritual family. The church is our spiritual home! God has designed us to live with one another as fellow believers in Christian community. Christians have been spiritually gifted by God to both live in community with other followers of Jesus as well as contribute to the overall health of the family. We live out our giftedness in the context of relationships in the Church.

 Weekly Reading:  1 Corinthians 12:1-11

October 12, 2025:  

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Matthew 5:13-16

The relational web that contextualizes our lives extends beyond family, friends, and church. We also belong to broader communities. We are a vital part of neighborhoods, organizations, schools, civic realities, and the like. God redeems us so that we might be useful in His Kingdom endeavors. We have a wonderful opportunity through these networks, acquaintances, and broader circles to bring the hope of the Gospel to a broken world.

 Weekly Reading:  Ephesians 4:17-5:2

October 19, 2025:  

Working 9 to 5!

Proverbs 6:1-19

For many of us, we spend a great deal of our waking hours at work. We forge both official and unofficial relationships at work. We have the opportunity to invest ourselves in meaningful endeavors that provide for our families, offer meaningful contributions to our society, and serve as a blessing in the lives of others. All of these realities contribute to a sense of fulfillment and purpose to us as the people of God on assignment in His creation.

 Weekly Reading:  Proverbs 12

October 26, 2025:  

I Want to Know What Love Is!

1 Corinthians 13

Love is the key! Love is the answer! Love makes the world go around. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. We talk about love, sing about love, write stories and poems about love ---- we love . . . love! At the heart of relational health is a true understanding of love. The good news is that God is love! God shows us how to love. God empowers us to love. God can love others through us. This week, we will explore the value of love in all of our relational contexts.

 Weekly Reading:  1 John 3:11-24