SPOTmail Update!

Wrapping Up Mark 

This week, we close our study in Mark.  It comes at an appropriate time.  This Sunday, we'll study Mark's perspective -- er -- that is, Peter's perspective on the events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion.

Last week, Jesus made his triumphant entry into the holy city of Jerusalem.  When asked why his entry was considered triumphant, you came up with some pretty good answers.
    

Everything seemed to be going so well for Jesus.  The crowd was jubilant as he entered the city.  He ran merchants out of the Court of Gentiles in the Temple.  This Sunday, we see the tide turn quickly as we study Jesus' passion.  I've chosen not to preview the title of this lesson.  You will have to come and find out in person.  It may surprise some, BUT if I do my job, you will "get it".  
    

In closing, thanks for your prayers for Dad and us.  He really is doing much better now.  As he was released, the doctors told him they had given him a good tune up, so he was good to go.  

See you Sunday,
Don 

SPOTlunch does Pizza !

SPOTlunch will be at the South County CiCi's Pizza this Sunday after class.  Kevin Hurt promises that we'll not be disappointed by the variety of food and also promises to bring along coupons so we don't blow our entire week's lunch budget in one stop.

Don Robbins says CiCi's is one of his favorite places to enjoy pizza.  That's an endorsement you can't ignore!

CiCi's Pizza is located across from Dave Sinclair's Ford & Lincoln Mercury dealerships on South Lindbergh, east of Lemay Ferry Road.  Near where Dohacks used to be!  (That's an inside joke for people familiar with Brooks' directions, which frequently reference non-existent landmarks.)

Brooks will try not to make a wrong turn when he gets there.    

Paintball SPOTS

Tore, an Xtreme Paintball Park www.xtremepaintballpark.com near Jefferson Barracks, has offered Concord members a great package price for a half-day of paintball.

Here are the details -- Saturday, April 10, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  A $25 fee covers entry, air, gun rental, face mask, and your first 500 paintballs.  If you want to stay longer or paint more people, it will cost a bit more.

SPOTclass ex-patriot Bob Hohmeier is coordinating the activity.   If you're interested in decorating your body in paint SPOTs at a discount price, contact Bob at 314-541-7429 or via email at Jubes56@gmail.com.  He needs a head count by April 3.

EGGSperienced Volunteers STILL Wanted

The SPOTclass will be helping with this years' Easter Eggstravaganza this Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until noon. 

We will be manning the Knock It Over event -- running the game, handing out the prizes, and interacting with the kids who play. 

You can still volunteer for a single shift or for the entire day.  If you can help, email spotspot@gmx.com.

SPOTfun Polling Results

Kevin Hurt will reveal the results of the SPOTclass fun poll this Sunday, and we may even schedule our next event.   He'll be sharing the top three ideas from our members, and we can look forward to doing those "fun activities" over the course of the next several months.

Snacks

• 3/28 -- Kevin & Susan Hurt
• 4/4 -- Easter Sunday, no class - but there will be snacks available in the atrium.

Prayer Requests

• Rusty's friend at work who is about to retire.  He may have dementia or Alzheimer's.
• Rob Elder who has undergone stress tests.
• Lori's dad. (See Don's note above)
• Dani's friend Darla Boyer and her father and mother.  Mrs. Boyer had surgery for a broken hip and suffered a massive stroke during surgery and is not expected to live.  Mr. and Mrs. Boyer have been married 70 years, and Darla is an only child.

Prayer Request

Keep Don and Lori in your prayers. Lori's dad has a malfunctioning/leaking aortic valve. Open heart surgery is required to repair the problem, and at 83 the risk is too great. He has gone home to Don & Lori's house and will do the best he can until God calls him home.

Easter Video

An Easter video....click on watch preview!!! It's a riot...but kind of rings true!

Easter Invite Bundle « Videos « The Skit Guys

SUNDAY UPDATE ON MONDAY!!!!

Lesson Recap

In this lesson we covered Mark chapter 10:32-chapter 13, and we looked at expectations.  We started by discussing the expectations we have of our teens, and they of us. We then covered five sets of expectations found in Mark.

Verses 11:1-11 Expectation of the Crowd:   Here we see that Jesus had taken care of every detail.  As he entered the city on the colt there was jubilation, as the crowd thought that Jesus was to be their conquering king.  They expected him to save them from the harsh Roman rule.

Verses 12-14, 20-21 Jesus' Expectation from the Tree: Jesus was looking for cooperation from his creation and used the tree to illustrate a truth.  Jesus wanted to take care of spiritual needs, while most expected Him to take care of their physical needs.

Verses 27-12:40 Expectation of the Religious Authority: The religious leaders expected to catch Jesus by asking him many questions.  They failed.  They wanted to catch him with trick questions, and wanted to see him killed because they thought He lied.

Verses 41-44 Expectation of the Widow: The widow gave the least, but Jesus praised her as giving more than anyone.  When you give all you have all that is left is God!  Here Jesus saw the great depth of commitment to God.  He also detected the widows great sacrifice, and blesses her as giving the most noble gift of all!

Chapter 13 Expectation of a Day to Come:  This whole chapter is Jesus talking about the Kingdom to come.  One day he will return for his Church, and claim the "insiders"!

What expectation does Jesus have of you?

30 Hour Famine

The 30 Hour Famine is coming, and our youth prepared by sleeping in the cold night in their cardboard village.  They fasted for 15 hours in preparation for their full 30 hours starting on April 24th at 11:30.  The event was covered by Channel 2 news.  You can see the video here.

The students will be collecting donations to help feed children in Ethiopia.  You can donate directly with your student, or donate at the booth set up in the Atrium.  You can also head over to the CSM website for more details. 

Poll Results

The results of our activity poll are in.  We had a wide variety of ideas.  I have chosen the top three and will announce them Sunday!!  These events will be held over the next three months!

Church Paintball Event

As mentioned previously on the blog, a church group is getting together for a day of paintball!  You can find the details in the prior blog post.  There are several large bar-b-que pits at the paintball facility, so if someone wants to spearhead a cook out that day (April 10th), you can get in touch with Bob Hohmeier at  314-541-7429 or via email at Jubes56@gmail.com. 

SPOTlunch

The postponed SPOTlunch at Ce Ce's Pizza will be held after class on Sunday.  We will be visiting the South Lindbergh location (across the street from Sinclair Ford, in front of Home Depot).  We have about 12 coupons for buy one get one free!

Easter EGGStravaganza

We can still use a few more volunteers to man a game booth at the EGGStravaganza this Saturday from 8:30 to noon.  Email spotspot@gmx.com if you would like to help us man the "Knock It Over" game, and socailize with the kids (and adults!).

Not a Fan

I know I have mentioned this in class, but I wanted to pass along the link for those who are Facebooker's for the Not A Fan group for Completely Committed Follwers.  You can become a fan by visiting their Facebook page.  This is an amazing group that will challenge your faith daily!

Prayer Requests

- Pray for Rusty's friend at work who is about to retire.  He may have dementia or Alzheimer's.  

- Pray for Rob Elder who is in St. Johns doing a stress test.
- Pray for Lori's dad. He is doing about the same.  His breathing is OK, but they are still running tests and deciding how to help him.  He is in Barnes Jewish.

- Pray for Dani's Friend Darla Boyer and her father and mother.  Mrs. Boyer had surgery for a broken hip, and suffered  massive stroke during surgery and will not make it.  Mr. and Mrs. Boyer have been married 70 years, and Darla is an only child.