The Threads Blog

As we prepare to welcome the new year, we’re probably all hearing the same question: “Are you making any New Year’s resolutions?” New Year’s resolutions usually range from “I want to get in shape” to “I want to read the entire Bible this year” to “I’m resolving not to make any resolutions” to “I want to floss for 30 days in a row.” (OK, that last one was mine last year. And yes, I did keep it.) But whether we choose to make New Year’s resolutions or not, we can always improve our practice of the spiritual disciplines, and that’s precisely where January’s study will take us.

Merry Christmas! What better way to follow up Christmas and end 2010 than with a reminder that we’re called to share the good news of the gospel with those around us. Here is Brandon Heath’s music video for the song “Give Me Your Eyes.” Join us in praying that 2011 will be a year of seeing the world through the lens of Christ.

Have you had any opportunities to share your faith this Christmas season? Leave us a comment sharing your story. This blog community is a great opportunity to benefit from and encourage your fellow LifeMatters leaders!

This week’s LifeMatters lesson focuses on the story of the good Samaritan from Luke’s Gospel—undoubtedly a story you’ve heard many times. Anytime we study passages of Scripture this familiar, we rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us something new. So tell us: In your preparation for Sunday’s lesson, what new truth(s) did you learn about the story of the good Samaritan and its application to your life? Maybe this week we can teach each other a few things, too!

Merry Christmas from Threads! This year we’ve put together an iMix of some of our staff’s favorite Christmas songs and created a Christmas poster and postcard in case you needed a little inspiration this lazy December day. Send the postcard out to your group members and post the poster on your meeting room wall … or door … or wherever you feel like it. We hope this helps you feel a bit more Christmas cheer today.

We often get requests for custom art for groups to use as they go through one of our studies. If you have a small- to medium-sized design need that we can help you with, post your need as a comment on our “Free Art Friday” blog. We’ll choose a few requests each week and e-mail you if your project was selected.

December has arrived, and that means the start of a new Sunday School quarter. A new quarter means a new iMix, which means new music for you to enjoy! Download the Winter 2010-11 iMix by clicking HERE.

The Winter 2010/11 issue of Collegiate is now in full swing, and we hope you picked up a copy! Over the next 13 weeks, we’ll be diving into 1 & 2 Kings, focusing on the ways in which our character and decisions ultimately affect our future. As you’re getting started, we recommend that you purchase and download the Winter 2010/11 iMix today. Just follow the link below, or you can find it on our Collegiate page of threadsmedia.com/collegiate. If you’re a Bible study leader, you’ll also want to download and print the FREE teaching plans available on the site as well!

Last week we held a photoshoot for the June 2011 LifeMatters issue, which focuses on the concept of spiritual versus heavenly treasures and how we really feel about our possessions. Here are a few outtakes from the shoot.