We have all done it.  We hear a message, a sermon.  At the time we heard it, we think about how God has spoken to us (or maybe we check our email …).  Then a few days later we have amnesia – we can’t remember what the message was about, let alone let God change our hearts. The goal of our ministry is to equip and transform, and sermons play a role in achieving this goal.

In an attempt to help you think more deeply about these sermons – and thus draw closer to the Lord Himself – we are trying an experiment.  We have prepared for you some “discussion notes” on the messages.  You might try to go over them yourself, or maybe in a group.  Perhaps you will want to re-listen to the message.  But in the end it is our desire that it will help you become more like our Lord Yeshua. 

In case you missed it, or need a refresher, you can listen to the original sermon here.

Over the course of Biblical history, the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has used a rather strange cast of characters to accomplish His plan to redeem and renew His creation.  A brief sample of people G-d has used tells you Go-d hasn’t consulted with “self help” books about leadership when He made His choices: an unschooled fishermen, a reviled tax collector, a long-haired muscle man, illegal immigrants, and to top it all off, a donkey.  Not exactly the governing board of Microsoft.

But one of my favorite examples of how G-d uses anyone He chooses –often the lowly in our eyes - is the time God used a foster kid.  Foster kids often face unique challenges that other children do not.  Foster children struggle with their identity and value – “why did my parents not want me,” and “what is wrong with me” are common questions.  In today’s society, where kids and adults struggle with self-esteem and significance issues, the problems experienced by kids in foster care only make these issues tougher to overcome.

Perhaps this is why G-d chose a foster kid to facilitate one of the most important events in the history of the Jewish people?