Names of H.O.P.E.

H.O.P.E. Testimonials

H.O.P.E. has changed my life. I remember the night I said I had learned to like myself. That was a totally foreign concept to me, but it had happened. It changed my whole way of thinking. (Shelly G., adult H.O.P.E. group)

H.O.P.E. has helped me handle a lot of anger problems, sadness and losses. It’s a really fun place to go. H.O.P.E. helps me understand better how my family works. I have a mommy, and older brother and my father is God. Jesus is my best friend in the whole world. (Heather M., H.O.P.E. for Middle School Students)

H.O.P.E. has taught me that it’s all about God and not about me. God is God and I am not. Now, instead of asking ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I now ask, ‘Why is this happening for me.’ (Steve C., adult H.O.P.E. group)

Before coming to H.O.P.E., I was horribly depressed and very angry. I felt lost. I desperately wanted to belong, to be part of a family. But H.O.P.E. has changed all that. I finally have what I’ve been longing for, people who love me and care about me and miss me if I’m gone. I have a family! I have a family to support and encourage me on life’s journey. Instead of desperately wanting to belong, I now desperately want to be used by God to help others know that there is hope. (Wendie G., adult H.O.P.E. group)

I learned that H.O.P.E. was a safe place where people accepted you for who you are. It helped me not be afraid to talk to people. I learned that God wanted me, He loves me unconditionally, and He has a plan for my life.

(Adult H.O.P.E. group member who requested anonymity)

H.O.P.E. is not the closing of your eyes to the difficulty, the risk or the failure; it’s a trust that if I fail now I shall not fail forever and if I’m hurt I shall be healed. It’s a trust that God is good all the time, love is powerful, and the future is full of promises. (Adult H.O.P.E. group member who requested anonymity)

H.O.P.E. Small Groups

H.O.P.E. groups generally meet once a week. For evening groups, the schedule we have used (and recommend) begins with 30 minutes for food and fellowship followed by 30 minutes of worship. After worship, the groups begin and last for 1-½ hours. We use a three-leveled model for our groups (described below) that’s intended to develop long-term involvement in the journey toward wholeness and healing. The structure arose from our belief that our emotional issues result from underlying spiritual needs. Therefore, we believe that by addressing spiritual needs you can successfully enable transformation that produces emotional wholeness and healing. In this way, we believe we’re appropriately addressing the disease and not just the symptoms.

1.   Level 1: This is the central entry point into our ministry. This group is always open for new members, so it allows us to have a group that someone can join on any given day. We use the Doorway to H.O.P.E. curriculum and present the material in a classroom setting that is team-taught. The first half of the time is devoted to presenting the lesson, while the second half of the time is used to break into small groups to allow for Checking In (discussed further in the Overview of Names of H.O.P.E.) Each small group has a group leader from the ministry.

In addition to having a group that’s always open for new members to join, we have found two more reasons why there is a need for this group. First, many people who come to us are not ready to commit to a recovery small group because they are not ready to ask for help and fully surrender their issues and needs to the Lord. Statistics show that most people who come to a recovery program require at least 6 weeks attendance before they decide to work on changing their life. We have actually seen this period take longer, so in writing this program we decided to double the 6 week warm up period and made this program 12 weeks long.

At the completion of each group, we simply repeat the curriculum for the next group of new members. This group is therefore designed to wet appetites for starting the journey towards wholeness and healing by entering a Level 2 small group. Second, it enables us to regularly schedule when our Level 2 groups will start (roughly quarterly).

2.   Level 2: These small groups follow the Names of H.O.P.E. curriculum, which lasts for about 1 year. We suggest limiting the group size to no more than 6-8 people who have completed the Level 1 Doorway to H.O.P.E. group. These groups are closed so that the same members will go through the entire curriculum together with no new members entering their group. We have seen that following this format helps create stronger bonds and a greater level of acceptance within the group members. We believe this group size and format also allows for more individual and personal attention during the Checking In time.

Each group leader presents the material in the small group, as opposed to having one person present the material for the lesson in a large group setting and then having members break away into their small groups. In addition to a group leader, we also suggest having a co-leader. This is a very practical way for others to learn the ins and outs of leading a small group. It helps prevent group cancellation, too, if at least one leader can always be present.

To date, we have not used gender-specific or topic-specific groups in Level 2. The material works very well for the issues our members have been dealing with even if there are people in a group who are there for entirely different reasons. However, one could easily envision some topics that would be better suited to be discussed in a gender-specific group. Or if there are a number of members there for the same issue, it might be convenient to have a group specific to that topic. So when forming groups, use discretion as necessary.

3. Level 3: These groups generally still follow a small group format, but are more flexible. The purpose of these groups is to capitalize on the small group momentum already generated in Level 2 and enable long-term involvement in the journey toward wholeness and healing. They are more topic-specific and provide further support and teaching for areas of need that arise in the Level 2 groups. Example topics in Level 3 groups include:

a.   Evangelism

b.   Telling your story

c.   Spiritual formation and growth

d.   Spiritual gifts and service

e.   Visioneering

f.   Studies focused on particular areas of need

Regardless of the topic, all the groups in Level 3 are designed to provide continuing opportunities for spiritual growth and long-term involvement in the journey to wholeness and healing. Depending on the group, we use materials that we purchase or that we have written.

Finally, the transforming power of our groups can be clearly seen when one considers the various levels that any small group can reach. There are five levels of small groups that have been described. The five levels are:

1.   Cliché—superficial, patented, non-personal, rehearsed responses

2.   Ideas and Facts—sharing of personal statistics and information

3.   Ideas and Opinions—sharing becomes more honest and more personal to include ideas and opinions

4.   Feelings—honest sharing of feelings

5.   Peak—honest sharing of insights and asking for feedback; members are teachable, they receive well, and everything is done in love and truth; they invite input, there’s full trust of those speaking to you, things are done and said with the right attitude and motives within a loving and honest community

In a normal small group setting, it takes 9-18 months to get to the level of Feelings and 18-24 months to get to the level of Peak. But we have consistently experienced that our H.O.P.E. small groups can start at the Feelings level and get to the Peak level in only a few weeks. Therefore, we strongly suggest that our format for small groups be followed in order for your members to also experience the wonderful transforming power of H.O.P.E.

Overview of Names of H.O.P.E.

To begin, we would just like to say thank you for having the courage to take the next step of your journey. We believe that you will not regret your decision and if you commit yourself to following God you will indeed experience a transformation of your entire life.

God has revealed many of His names to us in the Bible and each name is a revelation of his character. In this program, we will show how each name we have chosen to expound upon connects and meets a different need we have while going through painful experiences in our life. As you comprehend the truths about God and His character found in His names, it will give you the hope you need to walk with Him through your pain.

We firmly believe that resurrecting hope is the key that can literally mean the difference between life and death. You can go forty days without food, fifteen days without water and eight minutes without air, but you can’t go a second without hope. Hope is one of the essentials of life. In support of that, Dr. Harold Wolff of Cornell University conducted a study of 25,000 former POWs. In his study he found that there was one group of POWs that all the physical and emotional torture had little to no effect on. In this group of individuals were found the only ones who had a high level of hope.

Where do you go to find that hope? You go to the God of hope. Romans 15:13 says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him So for our material, we have selected thirteen names of God that we believe will achieve our goal of resurrecting hope. Each name represents a hope-providing truth about the Lord and serves as the focal point of each lesson contained in that section. Each lesson has five sections, What’s in a Name?, Truth, Hope and Love, Checking In, Acting on the Truth and Transforming Benefits.

What’s in a Name? contains the background material for the topic being presented. Truth, Hope and Love boils the information presented in the lesson about God’s name and character down to the life changing take home messages in each of these three areas.

Checking In is a time for each member to share what’s been happening to them the previous week, how they feel about these events and provide feedback on the previous lesson’s Acting on the Truth section. This builds accountability into each member working through the action items in each lesson. The Checking In time is to be done according to the Names of H.O.P.E. Guidelines found in Lesson 1. At the completion of each member’s time, they are to say, I’m in signifying that their time is completed. If a member doesn’t want to share that evening, we still require them to at least say, I’m in.

Acting on the Truth includes a practical plan of action items to be taken during the week following the lesson. Efforts and progress on these steps are meant to be discussed during the next group meeting during Checking In. Transforming Benefits explains the emotional rewards and hope generated as a result of completing the action steps.

As the action steps are accomplished and the emotional rewards are gained, we highly recommend that these achievements be celebrated throughout this entire process. We believe times of celebration and funare crucial parts of the journey toward wholeness and healing. In H.O.P.E., we have three ways we like to celebrate: planned social events, our TV game show night and our Annual H.O.P.E. Celebration Banquet.

•   Planned social events are usually things like a BBQ for all members.

•   The TV game show night is something we started with the founding of H.O.P.E. as a way for our members to take a break from the hard part of their journey and just have some fun. On Game Night, all our members participate in a TV game show we prepared (Levels 1,2 and 3 groups combined). This is written into the Doorway to H.O.P.E. program so your location can regularly plan for this evening. We like to bring in snacks and drinks on this evening and provide prizes for the winners (usually candy, and we actually make sure there’s enough for everyone.) We have seen this to be very well received and really enjoyed by our members. If you prefer not to do a TV game show, we still very highly recommend planning something fun on this evening.

•   The Annual H.O.P.E. Celebration Banquet is an evening of food, fun and fellowship. We have a keynote speaker, entertainment, tokens of appreciation, certificates of accomplishment and one or two faith stories from group members where they share their progress and experience in H.O.P.E.

Throughout this curriculum you will also notice references to building a house. This is used as an analogy to the process of construction in our emotional state. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all Scripture references are taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Other versions cited include the New American Standard Version (NASV), the New Living Translation (NLT) and The Message. In addition, all pronouns that refer to God have been capitalized out of reverence, regardless of the translation used.

Now let us continue our journey toward wholeness and healing in the Name of the Lord.

Overview and Guidelines for Names of H.O.P.E.

Lesson 1

Introduction

Welcome

To begin, we would just like to say thank you for having the courage to take the next step of your journey. We believe that you will not regret your decision to join us.

By way of introduction, we will spend this first lesson going through the group guidelines and give you a general overview of Names of H.O.P.E. Let’s begin with our agenda for this lesson.

Agenda

1.   Our Mission

2.   Schedule

3.   Group Overview

4.   Goals

5.   Lessons

6.   Other Useful Information

Our Mission

To provide a safe place to work through the emotional issues that hinder us from fully embracing God, others, and life with enthusiasm.

This means we take the issue of creating a safe environment VERY seriously. This is a place where you are safe to express your feelings, talk openly and trust that you will not be judged. It’s in the opening up and sharing that the underlying problems are truly exposed and then we can work through them.

•   We are here to help, to do the best we can for you simply because we care.

•   We’re not all professionals; we’re just passionate about helping.

•   We can sympathize and we can empathize.

•   We’re all here to assist; you may contact us and talk to any of us if you desire.

•   We are here to honor God in all we do as we travel this road.

Our vision is to help people of all ages (adults, teens and children) overcome painful experiences and transform their lives with our care, support, encouragement and the hope in Jesus Christ.

We will achieve these by applying God’s truth to painful experiences. As it says in John 8:32, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (NASV). We will show truth into difficult situations and show how changing our thought pattern to one like God’s can free us and transform our attitudes, behaviors and understanding of God during painful times in life. As it says in Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (NASV).

We are here to pass along the same support that we have received to you. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ (NASV).

A second part of our mission is to nurture and empower our members to become active in service both in the church and the community. In our ministry, the best future leaders needed for our growth come from you, the people who have been through the program.

A third part of our mission is to better equip you to handle difficult times in your life. This is obviously applicable to your own life, but it can also be applicable to the lives of others, (as we train people how to effectively function as a Spiritual and Emotional Coach.

Schedule

We recommend meeting once a week for the next 30 Lessons (approximately one year). Your leaders will explain the specifics of your schedule to you. Exceptions to your regular meetings might includethings like holidays or scheduled breaks. A schedule we have followed that works well for an evening group is: 30 minutes: Dinner for all group members (this has been very well received and is highlyrecommended if your location is able to do so.) 30 minutes: Worship for all group members 90 minutes: Meet with your Names of H.O.P.E. small group 30 minutes: Additional social time (if your location sees the need)

Group Overview

God has revealed many of His names to us in the Bible and each name is a revelation of His character. In this program, we will show how each name we have chosen to expound upon connects and meets a different need we have while going through painful experiences in our life.

As you comprehend the truths about God and His character found in His names, it will give you the hope you need to walk with Him through your pain. As with the Doorway to H.O.P.E. program, we will also focus on replacing the lies we have learned about dealing with pain with the truth of God and His Word.

We will also focus on how H.O.P.E. is a safe place where you can find the hope, help and support needed to pursue a transformed life.

Goals

1.   To provide a safe place for you to work through the emotional issues that hinder you from fully embracing God, others, and life with enthusiasm.

2.   To resurrect hope and show you that help can be found at H.O.P.E. and in Jesus Christ.

3.   To help you overcome painful experiences and transform your life with our care, support, encouragement and the hope in Jesus Christ.

4.   To help you build a support network for this program and for your future.

5.   To help you draw closer to Jesus Christ by developing a greater understanding of who He is, His character, how He sees you and His perspective on painful experiences in your life.

6.   To develop a deeper (or new) relationship with Jesus Christ.

7.   To help you find God’s purpose for you in life and encourage you to go out and live it.

8.   To enable you to experience the fullness of life that can only be found in and through Jesus Christ.

9.   To nurture and empower you to become active in service both in the church and your community.

10.   To prepare you to be better equipped to handle difficult times in your life and the lives of others.

The Lessons

Each lesson is based on one of the thirteen names of God we have selected that we believe will achieve our goal of resurrecting hope. The lessons are divided into five sections:

1.   What’s in a Name?

2.   Truth, Hope and Love

3.   Checking In

4.   Acting on the Truth

5.   Transforming Benefits.

What’s in a Name? contains the background material for the Name of God and topic being presented. Truth, Hope and Love boils the information presented in the lesson down to the life changing take home message of the truth, hope and love that can be found in that particular Name of God.

Checking In is a time for each member to share what’s been happening to them the previous week, how they feel about these events and provide feedback on the previous lesson’s Acting on the Truth section. The Checking In time is to be done according to the Doorway to H.O.P.E. Guidelines. At the completion of the each member’s time, they are to say, I’m in signifying that their time is completed. If a member doesn’t want to share that evening, we still require them to at least say, I’m in.

Acting on the Truth includes a practical plan of action items to be worked on during the week following the lesson. Efforts and progress on these steps are meant to be discussed during the next group meeting during Checking In. This section needs to be taken very seriously if you want to experience transformation, so don’t overlook your homework.

Transforming Benefits explains the emotional rewards and hope generated as a result of completing the action steps.

Names of H.O.P.E. Guidelines

1.   Safety. Our mission is to make our groups a place where we can feel safe to be vulnerable. Members will need to determine their own safety zones and what goes beyond those zones. The goal is to have everyone feel safe enough as time goes on to expand those comfort zones. If a discussion goes beyond a safety zone, the participant may excuse themselves from the group (just please let us know if you are only leaving for the evening or for the remainder of the course).

2.   Confidentiality. This is a necessity (except in a rare case where a person’s safety and health is threatened and the responsible thing is to do otherwise. For example: threat of physical harm to self or others, child abuse or neglect, adult abuse, etc., plus issues that require consultation by the group leader with the other group leaders). We want everyone to feel free and safe to share his or her issues without the threat of ridicule, judgment or exposure.

i.   In the event of a breach of confidentiality, the responsible individual will be required to address the entire group and we will handle it in the group setting. Further deviation from this may result in enacting the H.O.P.E. Procedure for Problem Resolution. This procedure is based on Matthew 18:15-20, and is in place to resolve problems/conflicts within H.O.P.E. and ensure everyone’s safety.

3.   Acceptance. The basic principle that we operate under is that we are here to welcome anyone who comes to us for help. H.O.P.E. is not a social club, a private club or a clique. We will accept everyone (unless there is an obvious reason why we are not the right ministry for someone). We are here to welcome all who come to us, along with their problems and pain. Not only does God accept you, but we do, too.

i.   This means that we are very serious about not allowing any other agendas to develop within the ministry that conflict with our principles, goals, mission, vision and guidelines. If you see or experience a problem in this area at any time that you are a member of one of our H.O.P.E. groups, please bring it to the attention of your group leader or to the President. The H.O.P.E. Procedure for Problem Resolution will be enacted as necessary. In addition to being in place to ensure everyone’s safety, this procedure is also in place to ensure everyone’s acceptance.

4.   This is not therapy. The leaders are not here for advice. As a support, recovery and transformation group, we are here to support, encourage and assist you on your journey towards emotional and spiritual wholeness and healing. By sharing our stories and exposing our weaknesses, we will gain strength as a group. But what is shared should not be interpreted as direct advice from the leaders of the group. If more intensive therapy is desired, we can refer you to individuals who can help you pursue that independently of this group.

5.   Accountability. The participation and actions of all H.O.P.E. members are accountable (answerable) to the other group members, leaders and the guidelines of H.O.P.E. H.O.P.E. is not a spectator sport and we will not enable those who come to us to develop into spectators. Neither will we allow H.O.P.E. members to act in a manner that deviates from our mission, objectives or guidelines. Actions that do so may result in enactment of the H.O.P.E. Procedure for Problem Resolution.

i.   For leadership accountability, we will not meet with group members of the opposite sex alone outside of the group. However, if needed, the leaders will make themselves available to group members by telephone, email or group meetings. Plus, we highly encourage group members to meet in safe situations outside of the group and develop their support networks.

6.   First person focus. When issues directly involve other parties, we will limit our remarks to those in the first person. We will not allow the bashing of others. We are not here to criticize, condemn or attack others; we are here to support you. It is important that the focus remains on you and therefore discussions that deviate from that will not be tolerated. During the time of Checking In, we also ask that you limit your remarks to 3-5 minutes in order to give everyone equal opportunity to share.

7.   The person speaking during Checking In has the floor. When people are Checking In, other group members are not to interrupt them. Checking In is to be free from disruptions, interruptions, criticism or judgmental comments. As long as the information you share is focused on how you feel about it or how it’s affecting you (good, bad or ugly), we want to hear about it. What you share can be directly related to a topic from the lessons, totally unrelated to the lesson topics and about something going on in your life right now, or somewhere in between.

i.   If a member’s Checking In gets off track or becomes inappropriate, it’s the group leader’s responsibility to get them back on course. At the completion of a member’s Checking In, if other group members want to share supportive and encouraging remarks, that’s OK. In fact, we encourage it. Just remember Guideline 4 and that this is not therapy and those comments are not to be interpreted as professional advice.

8.   Prayer. We would appreciate members praying for the other group members. This will be beneficial in providing the support network necessary for courage and renewed strength to take action on the road to recovery and transformation.

Other Information

•   Group leaders are facilitators, we’re here as group members as well as leaders

•   Group leaders are here because they have been through pain, too

•   On some evenings we may take a break from the lessons and have a guest speaker present their story of recovery or have a social event like game night

•   Childcare is highly encouraged at H.O.P.E. locations, so please ask your leaders about childcare if you have the need

Contract for Membership

Read the Contract for Membership in the Names of H.O.P.E. Group, found at the end of this lesson on page 10. After reading it, make a decision on whether or not you want to commit to the contract by signing it.

Checking In

Please adhere to the Names of H.O.P.E. Guidelines while Checking In.

Please use this time today to share anything you are comfortable with talking about. At the completion of your time, we’d like you to say, I’m in signifying that your time is completed. If you don’t want to share this evening, that’s fine. But we still require you to at least say, I’m in. To help you get started, you may want to answer the following questions:

1.   Briefly introduce yourself.

2.   Why are you here and what expectations do you have from this group?

3.   Have you been in a group like this before and what was it like?

4.   How do you feel about being here?

5.   What would you like the rest of us to know about you? Tell us something interesting about you. Maybe it’s a hobby or where you’ve lived or what you do for a living, or what you like to do for fun, etc., but share something that will help us get to know you better.

Contract for Membership in the Names of H.O.P.E. Group

I,    , do hereby agree to become a member of the Names of

H.O.P.E. Group. I will give God the time to complete the next 30 Lessons of this program (over approximately one year) and be open to hearing what He has to say to me about my pain and my situation in life. During this time I will commit to:

1.   Attending all the group meetings.

2.   Being an active participant in this program.

3.   Honestly and diligently doing the homework in Acting on the Truth.

4.   Being honest to myself and to God about my life and my pain.

5.   Being open to making any changes God may want me to make.

This contract is intended to be used as an agreement between you and God. If you pledge to do this, please sign and date below and keep this contract in a place where you will see it regularly over the course of this program.

Thank you for choosing to begin your journey toward wholeness and healing. You will not regret it.

Signature:   

Date:   

Name 1: I AM the God who is always there

(Jehovah-Shammah)

I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born, I AM!

(John 8:58)

Lesson 2

Creator

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(Genesis 1:1)

What’s in a Name?

The Bible supports the fact that God (The Father, The Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Trinity) has always been in existence. God refers to this in Exodus 3:14 where He says, ’I AM WHO I AM.’ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ Jesus also expressed this in John 8:58 when He said, I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, Before Abraham was born, I AM! By speaking of His name in the present tense, He signifies that He has always existed in the here and now.

If you could always live in the present, you would have no reference to any type of a timeline and time would go on forever as it currently is. You would always be just as you are since you were not restrained by time. As the I AM, God always exists as He is. In Hebrews 7:3 we read that God is, Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life.

So God has been in existence forever, just the way He is, and He always will be. But then at some point in history, He decided to create everything in the universe where there was once nothing. The Hebrew term bara (meaning direct creation from nothing by God) is used in the first chapter of Genesis to describe God creating matter and life. Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Isaiah 40:28 also states, "The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Again in 2 Chronicles 2:12 we read, Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!" Later in

Job 38:4, God indicates He is the Creator when He asks Job, Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Again the Bible reveals God as Creator and owner of all things when it says in Psalm 24:1, The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

So God (as three Persons) has always been there and always will be there, before, during and ever since the time of creation.

Not only did He create all things from nothing, but He also designed an unparalleled level of order into His creation. In Job 25:2 it is written that, Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of heaven. Everywhere you look in our universe you see signs of planning and order in His glorious designs. As Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands (NASV). Sir James Jeans, one of the greatest astronomers in the world, said that his studies of our universe and their enormous complexity have led him to believe that everything came into existence out of one gigantic thought from a great mathematician.

The earth is of the right composition, at the right size and angle, and at the exact place in our solar system to sustain life. If it were even 10% larger or smaller, or closer or farther away from the sun, life could not exist here. If it were not tilted at 23 degrees, the temperature extremes would be too great to sustain life.

If our moon weren’t at the exact location it is, life would cease. The moon creates the tides that serve to purify and oxygenate the oceans. Without this, plankton could not survive and neither could we because they serve as the foundation for our entire food chain.

Surrounding our earth you find further evidence by examining our atmosphere. The composition of our atmosphere (78% nitrogen, 21 % oxygen, 1% various trace elements) is unlike anywhere else and the tides also serve to mix the elements in the air, which allows us to keep breathing. Plus, the atmosphere being as thick as it is protects us from the billions of pieces of cosmic debris that are constantly trying to penetrate it. The ozone layer filters out deadly rays from the sun so that we do not literally get fried, but yet allows enough through to keep the growth of the green algae in check and prevent them from growing to fill all the fresh water and oceans in the world.

Examining the structure of the earth and its contents you find that beneath the relatively small crust of the earth lies molten lava that would burn everything on the surface of the earth if it were not contained.

If water did not have the qualities it does, life could not survive here. If it were not actually lighter when frozen (and it’s the only liquid that is, with one exception), waterways would freeze solid from the bottom and everything in them would die. Algae would die, our oxygen supply would dry up and we would die.

We could go on and on with countless examples that establish how our world was planned and designed by God with the specific