Summer 2016 SEEK Themes

Freelance submissions due by July 15, 2015 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.

Dos and Don’ts of writing articles/stories for this theme list: DO read the Scriptures (these will be studied in class), as well as the suggestions of What to Write.

DO dig in deeper. DON’T use obvious material the students will likely have studied in class.

DO employ supplemental Scriptures beyond the most well-known passages.

DO quote from the King James Version.

DON’T put words in God’s mouth or suggest what God thinks. Quote what He says.

DON’T submit your first thoughts.

DO some research (include the sources that verify your information).

DO get AND send with your article permission to tell someone else’s information.

DO stick to the desired word count: 850 words minimum, 1000 maximum.

DO use good grammar and spelling. DO rewrite, tighten, and proofread your work.

Do include a suggested title on your manuscript.

DO put the intended issue number and its date at the top of your manuscript, or it will be rejected.

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 2016: Unit 1, Judgment and Salvation (Issues 1–3); Unit 2, A World Gone Wrong (Issues 4–7); Unit 3, Life on God’s Terms (Issues 8–13).

Issue 1: The Day of the Lord (Day of Reckoning) June 5, 2016 Scripture: Zephaniah 1:4-6, 14-16; 2:3 What to Write: Research some of the false gods the Israelites had accepted, and explain why God would be so upset. How specifically were the beliefs in opposition to God’s ways? Describe some famous pagan “sacred places” in the world today. Use Scripture to show how the Lord might view Christians visiting and revering those. (Deuteronomy 12 is a good reference for both those ideas.) Write a how-to for speaking God’s truth in love to nonbelievers. We talk of wanting nonbelievers to repent. But this passage is about believers repenting. Help readers examine their own lives in this regard.

Issue 2: That Day Is Coming (The Consequences of Disobedience) June 12, 2016 Scripture: Zephaniah 3:1-8 What to Write: By using Scripture to show God’s patience and the multiple chances He gives people, dismantle the false notion that the “God of the Old Testament” is just an angry God. Believers are to trust in God’s perfect justice. Explore why we so soon question Him; provide help to grow in this area. Contrast a business or organization that failed because of corrupt practice against one that operated by God’s principles. List Bible accounts in which people responded to God’s warning to stop their disobedience. Draw application for us today.

Issue 3: A Day of Joy for the Remnant (The Joy of Restoration) [Father’s Day]

June 19, 2016 Scripture: Zephaniah 3:9-14, 20 What to Write: Verse 20 says God wants to “gather” us in. Being with God is like being at home.

Since this is Father’s Day, expand on the idea of being “at home” by living daily in tune with our heavenly Father. Joy tends to cause singing. List the Top 10 Reasons for Joy that can be expressed in our praise singing in corporate worship. Testify to how it felt when someone forgave you. Expand that thought into the even greater forgiveness Christ provides. Show how continuing to rebel against God robs one of true joy. A true story of father-child reconciliation would be appropriate this Father’s Day. Issue 4: Ignoring God’s Plain Truth (Willful Ignorance Will Lead to Disaster) June 26, 2016 Scripture: Romans 1:18-32 What to Write: Verse 28 speaks of knowledge of God. But it’s popular today to believe that God is distant and unknowable. Use Scripture to correct that idea. Yes, nonbelievers ignore what God says. But isn’t it worse when believers do? Caution believers to live what they believe. Help believers see the importance of being different. To do this, dig into the fact that God laid out guidelines for Old Testament Israel so their behavior would be especially different from that of the Egyptians (whose country they were leaving) and the Canaanites (where they were headed).

See, for example, Leviticus 18:1-5; Deuteronomy 6:20-25; 7:25, 26. In our culture, certain behaviors and attitudes begin to be billed as “progressive” rather than as sinful. Use Scripture to show that God’s high standards not only don’t change but also give us the best life, both personally and nationally.

Issue 5: Needing More Than Law (Inadequacy of the Law) July 3, 2016 Scripture: Romans 2:17-29 What to Write: Present a multiple-choice quiz (perhaps humorous) to help readers evaluate potential hypocritical choices they might make vs. choices that indicate true godly living. Use various Scriptures to list “behavior that God loves”—and explain how each brings glory to His name. Encourage readers to live to God’s standards but without becoming prideful in their own accomplishments. How does one guard against that? Use the famous “woes to the Pharisees” (Matthew 23) as the basis for a “how not to please God” article. An article with a patriotic flavor would be in order. How/why do we show loyalty to our country? Are we more loyal to our country than to God? Issue 6: Struggling Under Sin’s Power (Everyone “Blows It”) July 10, 2016 Scripture: Romans 3:9-20 What to Write: In Part A, clarify the believer’s relationship to God the Father and the Lord Jesus (emphasizing our sinfulness and the Lord’s gracious salvation). Then make Part B extend to how those facts dictate what our relationship to others (both believers and nonbelievers) should be.

Examine the concept of “That’s Just the Way I Am.” List some “lesser” sins and expose how we tend to downplay our own sins while pointing out the “greater” sins of others. What does Scripture say? Verse 10 says that nobody is righteous, yet the Bible does refer to our being righteous and calls certain individuals righteous. Explain this seeming contradiction. All world religions and perversions of Christianity operate on a works-based system rather than on grace.

Give some of the details; then praise Christianity’s uniqueness!

Issue 7: God Set Things Right (Both Just and Justifier) July 17, 2016 Scripture: Romans 3:21-31

What to Write: Verses 22-24 indicate that God has an open door for everyone to come to Him. Use that and other Scriptures to debunk the common notion that Christianity is “too narrow.”

Highlight the narrowness of some of the world religions. Share several true stories from the news that feature both love and justice simultaneously in action. Draw the conclusion that we’d be dissatisfied if God were any less than the perfect mix of love and justice. Create a “balance” tool that helps readers remember to forgive others as easily as they themselves wish to be forgiven.

Possibly give several examples of: “If I want to be forgiven when I ___, then I should forgive when ___ is done to me.”

Issue 8: Unwavering Hope (Not Without Hope) July 24, 2016 Scripture: Romans 5:1-11 What to Write: Do a study of the 4 qualities in verses 3, 4 (tribulations/suffering, patience/perseverance, experience/character, hope), perhaps featuring people in the Bible who each exhibited one of those in a special way. If “we have peace with God” (v. 1), why are we so stressed out? How about some reminders to live in this peace “even if ___ happens.” An old hymn is titled “Nothing but the Blood.” Explore the vital (if somewhat grisly) topic of the blood of Jesus as our only hope. Detail the whats and whys of things people tend to put their hope in.

Illustrate (with true examples) how easily those can disappoint vs. hope in God, which will not disappoint. Present strong Scripture proof to help readers KNOW that God is always present with them (as opposed to the current trend to conjure some experience in order to FEEL His presence).

Issue 9: From Death to Life (Choose Life) July 31, 2016 Scripture: Romans 6:1-4, 12-14, 17-23 What to Write: Do we really “walk in newness of life” (v. 4)? Help readers act like they actually believe the message they speak. Feature some things to say/not say, do/not do. To zero in on some of the aspects of this passage, use other Scriptures as well as death terminology (perhaps subheads like: funeral, corpse, zombie, tombstone . . .). Verse 13 indicates that we are to use every part of ourselves as “instruments of righteousness.” Give specific (and more than the obvious) ways each individual can use hands, mind, feet, eyes, etc., in God’s service. Contrast an old life of sin with a new life of righteousness, using a “then and now” format.

Issue 10: More Than Conquerors (Safe in God’s Love) August 7, 2016 Scripture: Romans 8:28-39 What to Write: (Note that verse 28 gets overused and in shallow ways. Such articles will be rejected.) “More than conquerors” (v. 37) brings to mind the military nature of our spiritual battle. Explore some of those aspects—by using Scriptures that specifically mention our “battle,” the armor of God, “victory,” etc.—to help readers focus on Jesus as our perfect commander worth following. Verse 34 says that Jesus intercedes on our behalf. How does He do that?

Describe how each item in verses 38, 39 might attempt to separate us from God’s love (share true incidents) and provide a countermeasure to each from Scripture. Share a true story of someone who was “more than a conqueror” in some spiritual battle. Emphasize both the power of God and also the person’s own claiming/wielding of that power.

Issue 11: Living Under God’s Mercy (Children of Promise) August 14, 2016 Scripture: Romans 9:6-18 What to Write: Share your own spiritual family tree—and specifically how each person helped shape your faith. Encourage readers to be a branch in the spiritual family trees of others. Do this

by playing out various scenarios (on the job, in social settings with friends, in unexpected meetings with nonbelievers, etc.). Use sample dialogue. Write something like “A Child’s Rights.” List some rights that children should expect as members of families; then parallel similar things that children of God can expect.

Issue 12: Grafted In (Finding Common Ground) August 21, 2016 Scripture: Romans 11:11-24 What to Write: Discuss how secular efforts attempt to help people overcome bias against another race, age, culture, gender, economic status—but that only the church has a true way to do that.

Why does the common core belief in Jesus Christ make this possible? Report on a given church’s ministry designed to enhance cross-cultural dynamics in its community. Give readers specific steps they can take to make sure there’s a welcome in their church for people who may be of different races, cultures, economic status; and that people of all ages also have a place. When Old Testament people and the New Testament church “mingled” with pagan peoples, they constantly tended to mix pagan practice into true worship. How can the church today lovingly reach out to people of other religions while also remaining on alert to the Bible’s warnings that His teachings must not be compromised?

Issue 13: Love Fulfills the Law (Love for Others) August 28, 2016 Scripture: Romans 12:1, 2; 13:8-10 What to Write: Digging into verse 2, describe different ungodly behaviors/standards/attitudes that our current culture pushes; then give very specific ways that Christians can, instead, help set a higher standard. If love fulfills the law . . . go through each of the 10 Commandments, showing how love is involved in the obeying/disobeying of them. “God’s will” is always a big topic. We tend to want to know God’s will regarding choices about specific jobs, houses, etc. Show from Scripture the big picture of what God’s will is for every person. Encourage readers to focus on that (with the idea that most of the lesser decisions will fall into place then).