Christian Living, Identity, Wisdom
John Beeson
To My Freshman Self: Look More Like Jesus, Even ...

This week I have the blessing of sharing a post from my daughter, Camille. Camille just graduated from college. In her post below, which she wrote as a college freshman, she offers wisdom for herself as a high school freshman. I’m sure you’ll be blessed by the hard truths she wrestles with. -John

Hi high school freshman me! It is freshman college me, writing to encourage you in hard truths that you will wrestle with over the next four years.  

As I begin college, I am borderline overwhelmed with the repercussions and magnitude of my sin patterns.

To My Freshman Self: Look More Like Jesus, Even if it Means Rejection
Recommendations, Marriage, Prayer, Vocation
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. What it means that Christ is praying for you today: Dave Harvey says, “Now, because of our Advocate, we receive what Christ deserved: a full hearing before our loving Father. We are not beggars hoping heaven might notice us. We are beloved children invited to make our requests known to God (Phil. 4:6). Christ was forsaken so we could be heard. His advocacy means our prayers reach the throne.”

  2. One at a time: Andrea Sanborn wants us to consider something about how Jesus performed his miracles, “Most of his healing miracles were simply performed for one person.

This Week's Recommendations
Church, Prayer
John Beeson
Quietly Fighting the Most Important Battle

Christians know that the realities of this world are beyond what we see. Paul reminds us that, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 4:12).

But what do we do with such knowledge of an invisible war being waged?

May I suggest one very simple way to participate in this war? Join your pre-service prayer team.

Every Sunday at New Life at both campuses, we gather at 7:30 to spend time in prayer for the day ahead.

Quietly Fighting the Most Important Battle
Recommendations, Spiritual Growth, Christian Living
John Beeson
The Bee Hive In Video

Greetings, faithful readers!

Do you know that we publish The Bee Hive in video and podcast form? Check out The Bee Hive’s playlist on New Life Bible Fellowship’s YouTube page or search for New Life Bible Fellowship on whatever podcast platform you use.

Here are a few samples of the videos on YouTube. Enjoy!

The threat of passivity
 The croucher
Why we don’t trust pastors

The Bee Hive In Video
Recommendations, Christian Living, Faith, Fear
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. Let me dwell in your tent forever: Wes Bredenhof explains how to understand David’s cry  in Psalm 61:4, “Let me dwell in your tent forever!” “Now here’s an important detail about the tabernacle:  no one was allowed to dwell in it.  It was God’s dwelling and God alone.  By God’s command, the High Priest came into the Most Holy Place once per year.”

  2. The body keeps score. But the mind and heart do too: Beth Claes says, “Being a Christian doesn’t prevent trauma or eliminate body-mind responses to it. But recognizing that God created us with an interconnected body, mind, and heart informs how we understand trauma

This Week's Recommendations

deceit

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The Croucher

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The Croucher

I was two years out of college, working as a Detention Officer at Madison Street Jail in downtown Phoenix. I was assigned to the juvenile unit, one of the most volatile units in the jail.

One particularly mouthy teen had been in the unit for only a week. He decided the best way to prove himself in front of the other juveniles was to try to provoke me. I tried not to take the bait.

Until I did.

I was gathering the juveniles from visitation when he refused to leave. He cursed me, mocked me, and then, once I uncuffed him from his visit, he ran,

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Escape

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Escape

“What’s the thread between your addiction and your longings for your future?”

“Escape,” he responded.

Given his story, escape made perfect sense. How else could he cope with the overwhelming weight of life? When pain comes—as it inevitably does—we are tempted to seek escape. We often avoid hard conversations in hopes of escaping conflicts and let downs. In an attempt to numb the hurt, it’s easy to scroll, eat a bowl of ice cream, buy something on Amazon, or watch porn.

The global market for pain management drugs is substantial and rising. In 2023, the market was valued at $80.1 billion or $84.07 billion.

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