Freelance submissions due by July 15, 2011 All about us: SEEK® is a magazine created to encourage adults in their walk with Jesus Christ. SEEK® corresponds to the topics of Standard Publishing’s adult curriculum line and is designed to further apply these topics to everyday life. How to write to this theme list: Please read the Scriptures listed so that you know what will be studied in class. Listed are the aims of the lesson— the points of the lesson that students will apply to life. Your story or article will be an example of how someone did or can apply these points to real life. REMEMBER TO MARK ON THE MANUSCRIPT THE ISSUE NUMBER AND DATE FOR WHICH IT IS BEING WRITTEN. Word count: 600 minimum, 1200 maximum. (Manuscripts without this information will be rejected as not written to theme.) Use the King James Version when quoting Scripture. No decision will be made on any manuscript prior to the submission due cutoff date. Please e-mail your submissions to seek@standardpub.com. Quarter titles for Summer 2012: God Calls for Justice [Old Testament Survey]—Unit 1, Justice Defined (Issues 1–4); Unit 2, Justice Enacted (Issues 5–9); Unit 3, Justice Promised (Issues 10–13). Issue 1: Practice Justice (Justice for All) June 3, 2012 Scripture: Exodus 23:1-9 Lesson Aim: Everyone desires and deserves justice. How can we reflect the justice of God to friend and foe? Describe how it feels to be the recipient of injustice or the recipient of justice. Explain the difference between justice and revenge. The text suggests that legal, moral, and religious laws are inseparable, showing God’s concern for the whole of life. The passage emphasizes that there is one law for all, whatever a person’s status. Regulations in this passage specify protecting the weak and helpless. Encourage the reader to grapple with the difference between God’s justice and justice that is often dispensed in society. Explain how the latter can be made to be more like the former. Introduce New Testament concepts that suggest a believer ought to surrender certain rights for another (“turning the other cheek,” 1 Corinthians 6:7, etc.). Discuss when one should demand justice and when one should surrender that claim, and why. Issue 2: Live as God’s Just People (Acting with Compassion) June 10, 2012 Scripture: Leviticus 19:9-18, 33-37 Lesson Aim: People want to feel significant. We ensure others that they are valued when we treat them with love, justice, and generosity. Expound on biblical guidelines that develop compassionate living. Give examples of adults discovering that acting compassionately involves a determined choice, not simply kindhearted emotions. The holiness of the people is to reflect God’s holiness in concern for the needy, in truthfulness coupled with fair and impartial justice, and in respect for human life and reputation. “I am the LORD” appears 8 times in this passage. It is a reminder that the people are God’s people and ought to live in a manner that demonstrates that truth. Provide stories that will motivate the reader to compassionate acts by both a desire to reflect the love of God and a desire to help those in need. Caring is an important part of justice. Issue 3: Celebrate Jubilee (Making a Fresh Start) June 17, 2012 Scripture: Leviticus 25:8-12, 25, 35-40, 47, 48, 55 Lesson Aim: Some people are oppressed because of the unjust circumstances into which they are born and live. By observing a year of jubilee, the Israelites gave those who were oppressed the means for making a fresh start. Give examples of how believers are called to exhibit a high level of sensitivity to the needy and downtrodden and to provide a fresh start for human beings of every condition and position in society. Issue 4: Love God; Love People (Loving as We Are Loved) June 24, 2012 Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:12-22; 16:18-20 Lesson Aim: People respond in various ways to being loved. As recipients of God’s love, we love God in return; then we seek to be fair, act justly, and love others. Loving God is more than a sentimental response; it means serving God with one’s heart and soul. Expound on opening your heart to God in order to be receptive and responsive to God’s direction. Love what and whom God loves: justice for the orphan and widow, mercy and compassion for the stranger, concern for the weak and oppressed. Share with the reader a time when an unexpected measure of love was extended to you. Compare and contrast what it meant for people living under the covenant of law with what it means for us who live under the covenant of grace. Issue 5: Samuel Administers Justice (Rescued!) July 1, 2012 Scripture: 1 Samuel 7:3-17 Lesson Aim: Safety and security are important to our readers. Samuel taught the people that their security was a direct result of their loyalty and obedience to God. Challenge the reader to identify situations in their community in which people do not feel safe and determine ways to help. Make a list of “foreign gods” that distract believers today from the true worship of the Lord. Discuss how we can “put away” these “false gods.”
Issue 6: David Embodies God’s Justice (True to the End) July 8, 2012 Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:1-7; 1 Chronicles 18:14 Lesson Aim: Everyone wants to have a meaningful existence. Acknowledging God’s authority in our lives enables us to become the people God created us to be. What does it mean to worship God and “act justly”? Expound on how readers can work for God’s justice and equity in their social and political spheres of influence. Issue 7: Solomon Judges with Wisdom and Justice (Wisdom and Justice) July 15, 2012 Scripture: 1 Kings 3:16-28; 2 Chronicles 9:8 Lesson Aim: People need a just and wise mediator when life presents unjust situations. Because of Solomon’s relationship with God, he was able to make just and wise choices. Describe a time when you needed someone to intervene on your behalf to find a just resolution to a situation. Answer the question: “How does one become wise?” Compassion needs to be present when addressing a problem that has defied solution. Persecuted Christians depend on God’s presence in them for boldness to act out God’s justice in an unfair world. Issue 8: A King Acts on a Widow’s Behalf (Restorative Justice) July 22, 2012 Scripture: 2 Kings 8:1-6 Lesson Aim: People who are estranged from their families may long to return home. By acting in a benevolent manner, we can offer hope to those seeking justice and restoration. Show ways that God works behind the scenes to help His people. Share testimonies of Christians who have experienced God’s restoration in their lives. Encourage readers to allow God to use them to bring about justice and restoration for others. Lesson 9: Jehoshaphat Makes Judicial Reforms (Return to Justice) July 29, 2012 Scripture: 2 Chronicles 19:4-11 Lesson Aim: People want to be judged fairly. That happens when human judges adhere to God’s standards and fearlessly apply God’s law. Compare the appointment of judges in biblical times with modern-day judicial appointments. Compare and contrast the difference between human justice and divine justice. Believers understand that God is the ultimate authority to which humans are accountable for giving justice. As a child, did you ever get disciplined for something you did not do? Encourage the reader to use such experiences to empathize with people suffering injustice today. Lesson 10: Praise for God’s Justice (Executing Justice) August 5, 2012 Scripture: Psalm 146 Lesson Aim: People appreciate receiving real and permanent justice. God is faithful and just to those who place their hope in Him. Describe ways to show thanksgiving for God’s help by helping others. Does God care about people when the innocent are hurt or killed? God has a heart for those who are suffering either from their own sinfulness or because of the sins of others. Tell stories that demonstrate one of God’s 12 divine attributes (Psalm 146:6-10) and indicate why it makes Him worthy of praise. Suggest ways for helping the unfortunate in one’s own community. Lesson 11: God Promised a Righteous Lord (Hope in Spite of Darkness) August 12, 2012 Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7 Lesson Aim: Our hope is found in the coming Messiah who established a just and right kingdom. What are some ways that Christ offers hope and peace to a discouraged world? Give examples of how the light of Christ dispels the darkness of sin. God cares, and has always cared, about unjust conditions of all people and wants all people to be reconciled. Explain how God’s kingdom is not flesh and blood but spiritual in nature and is governed by a sovereign God who works for justice. Lesson 12: God Promised a Righteous Branch (The Just Leader) August 19, 2012 Scripture: Jeremiah 23:1-6; 33:14-18 Lesson Aim: Leaders may betray the people whom they serve. Explore the benefits of being under the leadership of a righteous shepherd. Disciples are assured that they are adopted into the family of God through Christ Jesus, reaping all the benefits this family membership entails. Expound upon the characteristics and benefits of trustworthy and responsible leadership in the church. Lesson 13: God Promised to Be with Us (Meeting Our Deepest Need) August 26, 2012 Scripture: Ezekiel 34:23-31 Lesson Aim: People are searching for tranquility and wholeness. A lasting relationship with God and an assurance that He is with us meet our deepest need. Share examples of how you have found peace and wholeness. Tell how being a follower of Jesus helps you find meaning and purpose in life. Discerning disciples distinguish between good and bad shepherds without losing faith in God. Discuss the church’s responsibility as a community caring for people not only inside the church but also outside of the church.