Simon did an excellent job in leading us through the Bible study which was based loosely on the film Monsters, Inc. and dealt with issues of fear, deception and truth.  We started by looking at the following readings, before moving onto the less focused questions:

• 1 Samuel 3:1-21 – the call of Samuel
• Mark 10:13-16 – ‘let the children come to me’
• Genesis 3:1-7 – the deception and the fall
• Luke 8:22-25 – Jesus calms the storm
• Titus 3:1-8 – be ready for every good work
• John 3:1-21 – ‘truly, truly I say to you…’

The questions in no particular order:

• Is the devil a fallen angel, and if so, how did that happen? {shorter version}
• Where does the popular image of the devil as a horned red creature come from? {examples}
• Are there other books which didn’t “make it into” the Bible?
• How was the final composition of the Bible Decided?
• Will our earthly marriages continue in heaven?

If I’ve missed any of the questions and you’re still wanting answer, let’s keep the discussion going in the comments.

And Finally

For those who remember the Amicus fascination with LineRider, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s finally come of age (or perhaps ‘sold out’).  McDonalds have used it to create one of their adverts.

Next week: Not sure yet – sorry, but I have essays leaking out of my ears and little other capacity to think.  Perhaps this…

Simon skilfully guided us through the much-loved film clips, and through a wide-ranging collection of Scriptures. There were a whole bunch of excellent discussions and questions, and we were all challenged during the course of the evening. One question in particular kept us busy for some time:

• what exactly did Moses’ wife do with the foreskin of their son?
  [click to see if you can work it out]

If you can work it out, it might make you think a whole different way about the title of this week’s update…

We were pleased to welcome Alex back into the Amicus fold and look forward to her continue attendance. Aside from the question above, even the discussions during the social time were diverse and a little odd, with a discussion between Nicci and Alex about ‘chickens having sex’ and trying to pass it off as a discussion about Chaucer. I don’t remember the context, but there was definitely mention of a ‘sexy goat’ at one point too. Of course it wouldn’t be right if I failed to report the following quotes – as ever, you need to be there to understand the context and humour:

“Beef tables!” – Nicci

“I have feathers and wings…” – Alex

To close the evening we spent some time in a prayer huddle sharing things to celebrate and items of concern, before closing in prayer and remembering each concern before God. Please continue to pray for the things we shared together as you go through the next week.

Reminder: annual membership fees are now due – please pay as soon as possible to avoid us sending round the heavies! Don’t forget – only those who have paid their membership fee will be allowed to order an Amicus Hoodie.

Next Week: will be another Film Evening at EasyRew Towers (Ricky & Tracy’s) – bring along your DVDs and we’ll provide the refreshments. If transport is a problem, let us know with enough notice and we’ll sort it out for you.

We resumed the session with the same teams, except for one tactical substitution, but before long the losing team got frustrated and a little disheartened. We shuffled the players around before starting again from scratch – this time the game was much more even. Perhaps a little too well-matched as there was only one goal scored in about 20 minutes, but an enjoyable game anyway. Then we had a complete change and tried to play dodgeball by following the rules which feature in the film of the same name (rather than the Junior Section favourite). It took a couple of attempts before we got the rules right, but we persevered, even in the face of enthusiastic debate. If you’re interested, you can play Dodgeball online here. On a not-quite-related note, check out the FaceBall phenomenon. Either watch the short video introductions below, read “A FaceBall Primer for the Memory Deficient“, or take a quick look at a couple of photos of how the game is played. It definitely looks like a possible future Amicus activity.

Despite discussing it with as many people as possible, and a reminder on the website last week, the Ikea breakfast wasn’t very well supported. Obviously a number of people of people have excuses because they are at work – but the rest of you… Despite there only being three of us this time, we had a great time. The breakfast was as good as ever, and a bargain, and we chatted about a whole range of things, none of which we’ll share. You’ll have to come along next time…

It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally managed to get round to writing the “start of session” letter. Yes I know it’s a few months late, but it’s done now. You can download it here, and it will also be emailed to all current Amicus members. It also includes the order form for the all new Amicus Hoodies which are available at the bargain price of just £20 (click the picture to the right to see the design). If you would like to purchase one please complete the form and hand it to an Amicus leader by Friday, 2nd May at the latest.

Next Week: Simon will be leading us in part two of our Bible Study series {see prequel and part one}