The St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowships welcome you.

Prime Timers is a St. Martin's Adult Bible Fellowship (A.B.F.) geared towards people in the Prime of Life, ages 50-64. We meet in the Payne Education Center in rooms 207-209 from 10:15am to 10:50. You are invited to explore the Bible with us in a course authored by the United Council of Churches.

The Prime Timers are studying the Old Testament, Restoration and Covenant Renewal.

Our readings in May are from Haggai and Nehemiah on rebuilding the Temple and renewing the covenant. If you can't wait, the reading for next week is at the bottom of this page!

The Temple Rebuilt 

The Prime timers class always begins by asking about our members Good News. Every month we schedule a dinner get-together and this month it was a wine pairing dinner at the Art Institute of Houston. For around $50 per person we had a wonderful meal, wine and gratuity included! The Courses Restaurant is on the sixth floor of the Art Institute. Its open for Lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and for Dinner Wednesday through Friday from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Reservations are recommended, 713-353-3644. These are seniors preparing your meal under the supervision of Chef Scott Fernandez, there is a glass window into the kitchen so you can see your meal being prepared. Highly recommended.

Ben Welmaker is teaching Prime Timers in May as we rebuild the temple. Our reading comes from the prophet Haggai, speaking the word of the Lord during the reign of King Darius. This places the time from 521 to 485 BC. The Jews return to Jerusalem after their exile. The temple is in ruins, plundered and burned. The wall around Jerusalem is down, leaving the Israelites in a constant state of insecurity, with no place of worship.

Haggai 1:6 "You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." Haggai tells the people that it is time to rebuild the temple. The reason their lives are hollow and their actions less than fruitful is their disregard of the Lord.

What are your priorities? We have so many choices, do we have them right? Ben took a poll of the class and determined our group priorities to be 1) God, 2) Spouse, 3) Work, 4) Children, 5) Church services, events, 6) Home/yard maintenance, 7) College/schooling, 8) Parents, 9) Volunteer work and 10) Recreation/hobbies.

Ben discussed Spiritual Journals, a subject the class expressed an interest in previously. Everyone is familiar with the basic type of journal, where you record what happened during your day. Then there is a "commonplace book" a book where you record ideas, wise sayings, beautiful lines of poetry, distinctive enough that you dare not trust them only to your memories.  Then there are spiritual journals, places where you record things that affect your spiritual life. Ben gave us an example from his own Spiritual Journal, this passage from Psalm 18:32 "It is God who girds me about with strength and makes my way secure." And this from Psalm 18:20 "The Lord rewarded me because of my righteous dealings; because my hands were clean he rewarded me."

Ben concluded class with a prayer.

The Lesson for Sunday, May 11th is "Rebuilding the Wall"

Key Verse:  Nehemiah 2:18

Focus of the Lesson: When a person of vision is in charge of a task, people will join in the work with a passion. How do we discern a worthy vision and recognize a visionary leader? God gave Nehemiah a vision of rebuilding the walls and the leadership ability to seek the king's favor and motivate people to work.

The reading is Nehemiah 2:1-8, 11, 17-18. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Nehemiah 1:1-2:20

   ¹In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; ²so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."
I was very much afraid, ³but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

   ⁴The king said to me, "What is it you want?"
Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

   ⁶Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

   ⁷I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

   ¹¹I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days  ¹⁷Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." ¹⁸I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.

NIV