As the result of your feedback, beginning with the winter quarter (December-February) and continuing with the spring (March-May), we will post each lessons Focal Bible Passages from the Common English Bible (CEB) on www.adultbiblestudies.com for easy downloading. It will also be linked in the AdultBibleStudies.com Newsletter each week.

Beginning with the summer quarter (June-August), the Focal Passages will again appear in print in both the Student and Teacher books. We will mostly use the CEB version of the text, while sometimes including the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) when it will better help students engage and appreciate the biblical texts.

Winter Theme:
Promise
Genesis | Hebrews | Isaiah|Matthew | Acts | Ruth | 2 Samuel | Jeremiah | Exodus

This winter, our lessons support the theme of "Promise." The writer of the student book lessons is Michelle Morris.

Hope
The five lessons in this unit center on one of the things promise gives us: hope. Hopethe expectation that, regardless of what is happening in the present, God has a good future for usis an underlying and uniting theme in these lessons. Lesson 1 follows Abraham, who left his homeland and moved to Canaan, trusting that God had something good ahead for him. Lesson 2 recalls how Abraham's trust that God was going to give him a place as an inheritance motivated him to make the move. Lesson 3, based on one of the servant songs from Isaiah, speaks of the hope of a servant who "will bring justice to the nations" (Isaiah 42:1). Lesson 4 focuses on the angel's announcement to Joseph that Mary would bear God's Son, declaring that Jesus is the fulfillment of "God with us." Lesson 5 looks at Jesus' final words to his disciples before ascending into heaven, planting in them the hope of the Holy Spirit's coming and the reality of Spirit-filled living.
Spiritual Practice: Scripture

Covenants: The Basis for Committed Relationships
The four lessons in this unit focus on covenants and the promises they include. God's covenant with Abram, Ruth's covenant with Naomi, God's covenant with David, and God's new covenant announced through Jeremiah and extended to us remind us of God's faithfulness in keeping promises.
Spiritual Practice: Anam Cara (Soul Friend)

Holiness Expressed
The four lessons in this unit call us to live into the promise God gives us to be holy people. Holiness, a primary attribute of God, is also present in the world God has created; these lessons invite us to look at holiness in four of the ways in which it is expressed: holy place, holy presence, holy people, and holy purpose.
Spiritual Practice: Works of Justice

• A comprehensive Bible study plan with more flexibility in terms of Scripture selection and topics.
• Observation of the church seasons, including Advent and Lent.
• Suggestions for developing spiritual practices (prayer, confession, worship, mindfulness, solitude, community, hospitality, neighboring, service, and celebration).
• One font size in the student edition to accommodate all readers.
• No printed Scripture text allowing you to choose your own Bible translation.

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