GOD IS GOOD 03 MAR 2026
BIBLE STUDY: FAITH AND FOCUS
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With the new puppy in the house, I was nervous to take the kids to church this past weekend. I really hate the idea of coming home to a puppy in a crate covered in pee and poop...it's not fun for me, and I also don't think the puppy enjoys it.
With that said, I also think that raising my children to espouse a relationship with Christ is my most important job on this earth.
Now, I have mixed feelings about taking these teachings into my own hands. James 3:1 says “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” ...if that doesn't make you nervous about volunteering to teach the Gospels, I don't kow what would; however, I decided that this shouldn't scare me from teaching my children - if anything, I thought, it should drive me to ensure my teachings are faithful, that they give my children an unobscured understanding of the parables.
So this past Sunday, we did a study I called "Faith and Focus." We examined Matthew 14:22-33:
“Lord, if it is you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
...In our study, we examined this scene under a bit of a microscope. You see, Peter's faith is demonstrated by his implying that he was confident he could walk on water, if only Yeshua commanded it to hold him. We know from myriad places in the bible that FAITH is critical on our walk through this life, but this story gives us something I wanted to illustrate for my growing children, which is that there is a second element shown here - the element of FOCUS.
See, while Peter's faith was clearly enough to enable him to walk on water, his footing was unsustainable because he lost his focus. He steps out of the boat and onto the water, he takes a few steps (focused on Jesus). Then, he looks around himself. He takes his eyes off of Christ, and focuses his attention on the untamed waters and winds, and is consumed with fear as he begins to sink into the tumultuous sea.
What I understand from this, is that we need not only faith in our King and Savior Yeshua Hamashiach/Iesus Cristos/Jesus Christ - in order to rise above the storms of life, our faith is only the beginning. If we focus our eyes and minds on the storms around us, they will consume us regardless of our faith.
We must tune out the circumstances that surround us. We must focus on our Savior as the Holy Spirit guides us in faith.
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
(Gospel of Matthew 24:6–8)
Stay focused, my friends, keep your eyes on HIM who has bought you at a price.
NEW NAME THAT TUNE VIBES
Before my move to NC, I recorded all the Name That Tune videos you've been seeing and scheduled them to release on the first of each month. At the time, I was really focused on building my account and staying consistent.
As my Hive usage grows and matures, I have come to a point where I really don't care about growth. I want to use this as an outlet, as a fun place to meet up with others and share ideas and content.
...as such, when the pre-recorded name that tune videos run out in July, I am considering changing to a new model. Up to this point, I've just tried my best to play the key notes to make the most recognizable short version I could do. Going forward, I'm thinking I will put on headphones and play along in whatever way feels natural.
The result will likely be videos that are slightly longer, maybe less overt, and - while I will be trying to do one each month - probably less consistent. I'm hoping that with the extra time that comes from covering the full tune, the challenge will be new and hopefully a little more fun :)
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