Word Filled Wednesday 03.26.14

It's been so long since I've participated in the WFW at Internet Cafe Devotions. Right now I am reading in Exodus for the chronological Bible reading schedule {I'm way behind schedule- just keep on keepin' on}.

Exodus 3:1-6 {KJV}

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off they shoes from off they feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

How magnificent to have witnessed the burning bush! How many of us wouldn't have been curious and gone to check it out? But what really got my eye in this passage is that God told Moses to take off his shoes to walk on holy ground. He didn't just say don't come closer but take off your shoes, too. 

On Sunday, the morning's talk was on the holiness of God. But I think it was more about how we are not holy and we miss just how God is holy. We are the profane; He is holy. In 1 Peter 1:16 we are reminded that we are to be holy because we are God's; we are to be holy because He is holy. 

We fail of course. But we don't give up or give in. We need to be shocked at sin. So shocked we are repulsed and turn away. We must be different than those who are not believers; in our dress, behavior, thoughts, deeds, entertainments, etc. We need to strive for holiness.

I think that there are people, saved and unsaved, who feel that since God's holiness is so far above us and cannot be reached, what's the point. We will never get there so why try. It is so important to try, to keep trying. It might start with taking off our shoes...

Book Review: I AM THAT I AM {BookCrash}

I AM THAT I AM by Judy Azar LeBlanc
ISBN: 9781936746101
Paperback, 469 pages
Publisher: Crosslink Publishing
Retail: $29.95

About the book (from the back cover):

I AM THAT I AM, Tracing the Footprints of God is a book that you’ve always wanted to have in your library but could never find. I AM THAT I AM provides a biblically based, theologically sound narration of all eight covenants of God –presents main themes and summaries of over forty-five of Jesus’ timeless parables –describes over fifty supernatural miracles that God executed through the hands of Jesus –and traced over fifty divine names and title reflecting different facets of God’s nature, character, and personality. The captivating pages offer commentaries by over seventy-five renowned bible scholars, includes archeological images of recent excavation findings of biblical events, and historical illustrations and map images showing relevance to contemporary locations –all uniquely woven into one convenient reader-friendly volume.

About the author, Judy Azar LeBlance (from the back cover):

Judy Azar LeBlanc is an award winning internationally published author of several other works including the 2011 international award winning title Theology 101 in Bite-Size Pieces. A graduate of San Jose State University, she currently resides in East Texas where she devotes her time to writing.

My thoughts:

I have long wondered about all the names and titles for God in the Bible. Also the covenants of God and man have interested me. I feel that these are important to me personally and have wanted to delve further into these. I thought this book –especially from the back description –would be a great addition to my library.

It is a rather large book. I’ve had over 3 months with this book and I am not done with it. It is not, in my opinion, that “reader-friendly”. It is packed –I mean packed –full of information and many references to the Bible (verses, people, books, events, etc.) as well as commentaries –as it touts on the back cover –from many well-known scholars. It is a book that I’ve highlighted and marked up quite a bit. But it’s not a book that can be read and then set aside. At least not for me.

I anticipated the book going through the entire Bible, for the most part, and trace the “footprints” of God. Because God is in the entire Bible. This book however goes about following in a different format. Have a look at the Table of Contents as you can see on Amazon (**that’s an amazon affiliate link**). She first gives a short introduction that includes a list of the names and titles of God. Then she goes through the Covenants (Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, New- each with its own dispensation*), followed by the Ministry of Christ (Parables, Miracles) in the gospels, and she ends again with more on the “names and titles of the Great I AM THAT I AM.”

*Dispensationalists look at the different times of the Bible and group them according to how it appears God dealt with the people at that time. They feel that we are now in the Dispensation of Grace. The dispensations are:

• The Dispensation of Innocence
• The Dispensation of Conscience
• The Dispensation of Human Government
• The Dispensation of Promise
• The Dispensation of Law
• The Dispensation of Grace

In the beginning pages there is a section titled “The Recreation” where LeBlanc talks about the earth in terms of science. She apparently believes that the world is billions of years old. She also makes some statements about the rebellion of Satan and recreation. Here is what she says:

“..[A]t some dateless point in time, between the perfect creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and that period when “the earth became formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2; Isaiah 24:1; Jeremiah 4:23-26), the first angelic act of rebellion occurred in the heavenly sphere, Lucifer was judged, and one third of the heavenly hosts were cast down to earth (Revelation 12:4). (pg. xiii)”

She also quotes Dr. Merrill F. Unger:

“The heaven that God created (remade) was evidently not the sphere of the planet and stars, but he immediate atmospheric heaven surrounding the earth, as the re-creative activity of the first four days suggests (1:4-19). Light on the first day was solar. But light from the heavenly bodies, which God had made in eternity past (v. 16), could not penetrate the chaotic shroud that enveloped the earth. Verse 2 in Hebrew is apparently circumstantial to verse 3. It tells the earth’s condition when God began to re-create it, and specifically to separate light from chaotic darkness. It “was” a chaos of wasteness, emptiness, and darkness. God did not create it in this state (Job 38:4-7; Isa. 45:18). It was reduced to this condition because it was the theater where sin began in God’s originally sinless universe in connection with the revolt of Lucifer and his angels…(pg. xiv, xv)”

I put both of those portions here to help one see that if this isn’t something that you believe, you might question the rest of the book’s credibility. Of course many will find the book useful in some parts and discard the others.

Some of the commentators that LeBlanc quotes are:

• Louis A. Barbieri Jr.
• George R. Beasley-Murray
• Edwin A. Blum
• Jack S. Deere
• Craig A. Evans
• Norman L. Geisler
• Robert A. Guelich
• Donald A. Hagner
• John D. Hannah
• Matthew Henry
• Allen P. Ross
• C. I. Scofield
• and many others

She quotes from only one encyclopedia, although she does attribute photos to a few encyclopedias in the book itself:

• Eerdman’s International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The websites listed throughout the book are too numerous to list in this review but can all be found in the bibliography of the book.
LeBlanc relies on lexicons, ‘handbooks’, dictionaries and concordances such as:

• The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon
• Halley’s Bible Handbook
• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology
• Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
• The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary
• and a few more

Some of the scholars quoted are:

• Benjamin B. Warfield
• Raymond C. Stedman
• David Padfield
• Josh D. McDowell
• and others

There are also black and white –and some are rather pixelated (such as on page 201) –images that show a location or other relevant images (such as on pages 22-23). All scriptures quoted are from the New American Standard Bible.

In the end, I found the etymology in the book the most fascinating. The book itself is okay. There are some parts that really just roll along; they are informative and interesting. Yet there are other parts that just confused me. Not that being confused is bad because it made me think and try to understand. But with a book, especially of this nature, being confusing most likely wasn’t what a reader would be hoping for. In terms of stars, I’d rate this a 3 out of 5. I can’t even begin to try to say how it could be improved because the amount of time, research and energy it took to put this book together must have been quite impressive.

**Disclaimer: I received the above book for free from Book Crash for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own. This post does include affiliate link(s). See Disclosure/Policies.**

Book Review: Wondrous Works of God, A Family Bible Story Book {Crossway}

The book was sitting on the kitchen table. I’d just opened the package that came in the mail. Before I even get it out of its plastic wrap my 13 year old son asked if he could open it the rest of the way. Sure, I say. I suppose I’m easily distracted because I went off to do something else; the book was forgotten by me.

But not him. He sits at the table and reads the book. He reads it while he eats his lunch and then later when he eats dinner. The book gets left on the kitchen table and then my 16 year old daughter is reading it as she eats a snack.

They both like the book! So much for 4-10 year olds!

Wondrous Works of God, A Family Bible Story Book, written by Starr Meade and illustrated by Tim O’Connor
ISBN: 978-1-4335-3158-3
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Retail: $24.99
Age range: 4-10

The book has 90 stories from both the Old Testament and New Testament with color coding. In each story are statements in red or green, depending on which part of the Bible it is from, that point out Biblical truths. For example, in story #25 “Saul and Jonathan”, there is one statement: “God doesn’t need great numbers of people –or anything else –to accomplish his purposes.” In the New Testament it is in green colored font which I found difficult to pick out from the rest of the text. I think it could be a slightly lighter green for this.

At the start of each story there is also a box with a Scripture –not always from the same book that the story is from. The very first story is of Genesis 2:7-25 and it has a Scripture of James 1:17 in a box (“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”) All the verses are from the ESV Bible. I prefer KJV, just saying.

The end of the story has a box titled “As for me and my house…” that has possible conversation starters and questions. For example, story 79, “Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples”, has this: “Read together Philippians 2:3-11. How does that passage relate to the story you just read? Praise Jesus for what these verses tell us about him.”

I think it is a nice Bible study book. It is below my kiddos level but that didn’t stop them for enjoying it.

About the author and illustrator (from Crossway’s website):

Starr Meade served as director of children’s ministries for ten years at her local church and taught Latin and Bible for eight years in a Christian school. She is a graduate of Arizona College of the Bible and has authored a number of books, including Training Hearts, Teaching Minds. Starr and her husband live in Arizona where she currently teaches home school students and is mother to three grown children and three grandsons.


Tim O’Connor began his career in 1975 as a freelance animator and character designer. In addition to painting watercolors of American scenes, O’Connor has illustrated various Christian children’s books, including My Bedtime Anytime Storybook and My Pajama Bible.


***Disclaimer: I received this book free from Crossway.org in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Our Bible Study

I will start this post by telling you what it is we do for Bible “study”. First, we read the Bible. Then we read the Bible some more and then…you guessed it, we read it even more. At the end of last school year we were given the Judah Bible Curriculum (JBC) for a review and it honestly changed how I look at “studying” the Bible. 

I’m pretty sure before I was looking at the Old Testament, specifically, as a bit of a history lesson and not much more. The New Testament to me was more to be applied than the Old Testament, which I don’t think is completely as it should be. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Here is how we do our Bible study, in a little more detail than the first paragraph I gave.

We start with prayer. If we want to understand God’s word, who better to ask than God himself? Next we read a chosen passage or set of verses set forth in JBC. It goes through the themes of the Bible, but not every verse of the Bible. I like that it has the themes plotted out for us. Depending on what day it is and the passage we are reading from, we will work on either a Key Individual, Institution, Event, or Document Sheet. These key sheets have 2-4 columns, each with headings to help with what to look for in the passages to get a better understanding. For example, the Key Institutions sheet has 3 columns: Doctrinal Base, Character of the People, Government.

Usually I will need to do some background research for our together study. I was researching today for our Bible study of Egypt as an institution. I looked at the sample Key Sheet provided by JBC but honestly, I couldn’t figure out how some of the points that were made. So I went snooping around online to find some resources.

• Bible Timeline
• Commentaries on Exodus 1:8
• Bible Study, Maps
• Blue Letter Bible, Timeline and Dictionary to the KJV

With these resources, I will read up and see what is applicable to our study through the week. I’ll share the sites with both the kids. They can choose what to include on their key sheets and we will discuss what we find. This can take from 30-45 minutes usually. Here is an example of one of my Key Individual sheets (Joseph):

That is the end of our ‘together’ Bible study. They each have reading they do as well as a Bible passage to memorize. For instance, Fox is going to be reading Judges 12 on Monday, Acts 11 on Tuesday, and alternate the rest of the week the Old Testament and New Testament. After they do the reading, they do a narration of what was read. Sometimes this is long, sometimes short. For the verse(s) to memorize, they read the verse in the Bible then write it out. I do expect this to be in their best handwriting (but honestly, I’d just like them to at least write legibly). After that they recite it. They cannot always recite it without looking, especially if it’s the first day or two. I do expect it to be fairly well memorized by Friday though.

Lee also has a personal ‘study’ that she does. She is going through the book of Galatians right now and reading Matthew Henry and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentaries (from Bible Explorer). She reads from the Bible, reads the commentary and then writes her own commentary, or narration.

Personally, I do Bible reading, following a chronological schedule, as well as the JBC at the start of our school day. I am working on verse memorization. I have a nice list of verses to memorize; I just need to get to it!

We have Bible every day, and 3 times a day I suppose. It’s my goal to do just what God commanded- to write His word on our hearts.

What do you use and/or do for Bible study?

Added to Links by Subject Page–Finally

So it seems like it’s been forever since I’ve added anything to my links page but I have found a few sites. And I noticed that I am in serious need of going through the links for broken links. A job for another day…

Not many, very short post but here they are.

Sites of Interest
+Safe Internet Information Resources-  find various links grouped by subject on this page. I've not looked at all the links so cannot vouch that all work but the ones I checked were good links (thanks to Nancy Cashian and 'kids' for this link).
=SchoolhouseTeachers.com this site has way more than I could list in a short post! The cost is $5.95 a month, with your first month just $1.
+Highland Heritage Home School site with a lot "many items that hopefully will prove helpful to your own classroom - be it either in a school or at home." Forms and unit studies by subject.

Science
+Science Class free chemistry and physics lessons (thanks to Emilie).
+Marcia's Science Teaching Ideas great site with lots of ideas on how to teach different aspects of science, also has a few links to other places.
+The Science Queen I've not checked the entire site but like it so far, is good for middle school science tips and ideas.
+The Science Spot lots of links to go through on this...I haven't done it yet.

Language Arts
+Daily Grammar- 440 total lessons starting very basic; has quizzes also. Printed books can be purchased.

Bible
+E-Sword   Bible study software downloads
+Bible Master   Bible study site
+Bible History   Biblical history site
+Online Parallel Bible   compare Bibles 'side by side', also has concordance, dictionary, commentary, etc,
+Links for apologetics/defending faith This is from a website called Recon; not all links have been checked and I don't agree with all that are linked but many are useful; includes some that I have here also.

Passages by Brian Hardin, LitFuse Blog Tour

Daily Bible Reading & Devotion!

From the back cover:

How a few minutes a day will change your whole life

Many of us would love to read the Bible more often, but we rarely make time for more than a few verses on the run.

But the Bible was never meant to be read in short segments here and there when you can fit it in. The Bible is meant to be experienced in sizeable chunks –in passages –and read daily. It is not a book of mystical incantations, but the story of God’s passionate love –for you. It is not a distant relic, but a best friend offering counsel and companionship –for today.

Through his own remarkable story, Brian Hardin shows you how reading through the Bible in a year changed his life and how it will change yours too. Passages goes beyond exploring how the Bible was meant to be read, providing three distinct Bible reading plans to help you get started doing it right now.

Hardin, whose daily podcast has more than a million listeners a month, guarantees you a life revolution, if you will on commit to a few minutes a day to read through the Bible in a year.

As you rediscover the joy of reading the Bible, visit www.dailyaudiobible.com and join a community of fellow readers to share your thoughts on your new adventure.

About Brian Hardin

He is a speaker, photographer, record producer, and an ordained minister. In 2006, he created the Daily Audio Bible, an online podcast that now delivers 1.5 million downloads a month. He is married to Christian musician Jill Parr.

*******************************************************
Throughout this book, throughout the story –his story –that he is relaying, Hardin includes comments made by others who have taken the challenge to read, and/or follow his podcast of reading  the Bible in a year. I appreciated these comments from others.

I also enjoyed the chapter on how the Bible is meant to be read (chapter 4). He gives scriptures that show how solitude is good for reflecting on God’s word: Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16. Hardin also relates lectio divina, or divine reading. This is broken down into read, meditate, speak and contemplate. As for his podcasts, he says, “Listening to the Bible being read aloud in a community offers us the opportunity to work through its application together (pg 124).” It’s like a Bible study.

Hardin gives some ‘guidelines’ to get started that I think really are worth writing down:

• Embrace the whole truth.
• Expect to be challenged.
• Persevere.
• Make the Bible plan A (not plan B).

At the end of the book he has included three different plans for reading through the Bible in a year:

1. The Daily Audio Bible Reading Plan {this correlates to his podcasts and there is an ebook called Passages that is essentially the Bible ordered to match}
2. The Chronological Bible in a Year {as events happened, read them in order –this is how I am choosing to read}
3. The Historical Bible in a Year {different than ‘chronological’, this way takes you through the books as they were inspired- at first it looks just like the order most Bibles are in but it isn’t exactly}

While the book itself didn’t really kindle any great revelation in me, I did enjoy reading through his experiences as well as those of others. It did make me get more serious about reading my Bible every day. I appreciate the guidelines he sets forth {mentioned in the bulleted list above} and persevere I think is the most important {as long as you’ve got the others already}.

On the website for The Daily Audio Bible, there are a lot of resources.

This book was published by Zondervan under the ISBN: 9780310329190 and sells for a retail of $14.99; it is a paperback edition with a few more than 417 pages.

You can read along with others on the blog tour by clicking this link.

***Disclaimer: I received this book free in exchange for participation in this blog tour and an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***

TOS REVIEW: Judah Bible Curriculum

Education for liberty

This is a K-12 Bible curriculum. The curriculum allows for lots of adaptability in your design of the daily study.

We received, as a download:
    1) Judah Bible Curriculum K-12 Manual;
    2) Elementary Notebook Ideas booklet;
    3) Eight-lecture Teacher Training Seminar.

Available as a download for $44, no shipping charges, or as a physical product for $74 (includes shipping), with lectures on CD. Also access to the website where you can find blank Key Sheets and samples. The website also has a very helpful Teacher Walkthrough page. Click here to go to the order page.

The Principle Approach (from the website):

• The BIBLE is the textbook. The student studies and learns the Bible.
• The student learns God's purpose in history, studying the hand of God in the lives of men and nations through the Bible.
• The student develops his reasoning ability, helping him to apply Biblical principles personally.
• The curriculum helps you shift from rote learning to Biblical reasoning.
• The student learns the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the personal responsibility of the individual.
• The student learns the relationship between individual character and national liberty.

See the Judah Bible Curriculum Scope and Sequence

When first starting this curriculum, I think it is important to read through the entire Manual but not to listen to every audio. There are 515 minutes of audio!

The themes covered in this are (from the website):

1. THEME 1. CREATION God creates man to bless.
   Creation, fall, flood
   Genesis 1-11
2. THEME 2. THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION BEGINS God prepares a people for Godly self-government and liberty.
   Abraham, Moses, Joshua
   Genesis 12-Ruth
3. THEME 3. THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL The people want an earthly king and slavery.
   Saul, David, Solomon
   I Samuel – Malachi
4. THEME 4. THE KINGDOM OF GOD God’s New Covenant, an internal kingdom.
   Jesus, 12 Disciples
   Matthew – John
5. THEME 5. THE EARLY CHURCH The increase of His government and peace will have no end. (Is. 9:6)
   Pentecost, Apostles, Paul
   Acts – Revelation

We received this and it took me 2 1/2 weeks to feel that I could actually do it. {I will be honest with you, I did not do the very first step: Pray. I really think that if I had of done it *first* my head would not have been so confused.} The Teacher Walkthrough page on the site has ‘examples’ of every lesson (for the most part) and I used that as a loose guide.

Here is how we did our study of the Bible using the Judah Bible Curriculum, for the first week:

• Each day begin with a prayer for guidance (we take turns).
• Day #1: Read Genesis 1:1-25 (recite Genesis 1:1 {a verse that’s been long memorized}). Discussed the different creations of God. On the Key Events, we fill in the columns, addressing each point in the column. {we used the whiteboard, not a notebook page}
• Day #2: Read Genesis 1:26-2:25 (recite Genesis 1:27). Discuss the key verse (made in God’s image). We use Key Individuals for this and discuss the points in each column, filling in our answers.
• Day #3: Read Genesis 2:16-17. Discuss self-government as put forth by God; free will. I read some of the article posted on the JBC site dealing with this particular theme and we discussed more. We used  Key Documents for this and filled in our columns. (You can see sample Key Sheets at this page)
• Day #4: Read Genesis 3:1-24. Using the Key Event and Individuals sheet, we discuss the passage.
• Day #5: Review the weeks readings and Key topics. Discuss application of what we covered during the week.

Each day it took about 30 minutes (give or take a few minutes). Subsequent weeks will be done the same way, with Friday being a day of review and application. I’ve not had the kids do any writing assignments except for the Key Sheets. That could change later.

For resources we have Matthew Henry Commentary, various translations of the Bible but we use the KJV predominately bordering on exclusively, and the concordances and Bible dictionary from biblestudytools.com or blueletterbible.org

I was surprised how this facilitated such animated and heartfelt conversation and discussion. Also, attitudes, which were not always great at the start, always improved greatly by the end.

*********************************************************************

Bill Burtness, the creator of the Judah Bible Curriculum, also has written two books that are available at the website: The Third Alternative and Self-Evident Truths

Contact information for Judah Bible Curriculum:

Mail:
Judah Bible Curriculum
PO Box 122
Urbana, IL 61803
Website:
http://www.judahbible.com
Email:
Contact via email here.

************************************************************

Pros:

The Bible is the textbook. I really enjoyed that the focus is on God’s Word. The Bible is the primary focus “expanding the study with commentaries, concordance, Bible handbooks, and other reference material”.

It really got us discussing the Bible. Before it seemed to be just reading and memorizing, really no worthwhile discussions. We also talked more of God, his personality, his design and purpose.

It can be used with all ages and as a family. It can be used in a class or with only one student. I do like that it is not ‘flashy’. The only color added is what you or your students add to it (literally!).

There isn’t a ‘set’ way of doing this curriculum. It lays out a basic outline (each year cover 5 themes, rotate the themes every 6 years, all ‘new’ users start with Creation, etc.) but it doesn’t have a “Day #1: Read Genesis. Teacher script: On the first day…” It does have a Teacher Walkthrough on the website that is very helpful, but it is only a suggestion. It is open for adaptation. They make the statement to pray before beginning and do not worry about how “he” (the creator of the curriculum) intends you to use it but how God intends you to carry it out.

This is a k-12 curriculum that can be used again and again; it would pay for itself in short order especially if it is used with a large family or a group year after year.

Cons:

This is/can be very confusing and overwhelming. It might seem more like a teacher preparation program rather than a curriculum (the regular or a particular course of study in a school,college, etc.). Because it has no books to add to the study some may feel that there has to be ‘more’ {I did}.

The audios aren’t going to be a great resource to those who are visual. I’m a bit of both so as long as I was reading/looking at something pertaining to the audio, I was okay. When the audio had not companion visual material, I had to replay it a few times. Also, there are questions asked in the audios of who I would guess are the speaker’s audience but we cannot hear their replies. These would be great as videos, I believe. Or perhaps a text file of the audios would be a plus {I’d like to see that}.

Some may feel that they have to go through this entirely before starting but that is not the case. Definitely read the manual and perhaps a couple of the audios. Look at the sample Key Sheets, pray and begin. Of course, if you get this during the summer months and wish to use it the following school year, by all means, read and listen to everything! It can’t hurt.

Other points:

It uses the Principle Approach, which shows a direct relation of God’s Word and the actions of man, of ourselves. God is the focus.

There are use of words that make me cringe when they are said in the audios (stupid, idiot) and I see them throughout. It’s a little thing that really doesn’t really detract from the program but grated on my nerves every time I heard the words. A better and more impressive choice of words could have been chosen, imho. We try not to use those words.

Bottom line:

How we had been doing our Bible study is by reading a chapter a day and narrating from it, along with memorizing verses and dd has been reading a commentary on select books. But really we lacked guidance and direction, I suppose. I think this curriculum does help with that. And God should be in every part of our lives- including, and especially, our ‘government’.

Would I personally have purchased this? Most likely not. Unless I had someone to tell me that this was a great program that they had used/were using. The reasons are there is simply not enough information the website to give a perspective buyer a good idea of what is included {I don’t mean physically- that is clear} in this product, there are not enough samples to give a possible buyer an idea of how to use the curriculum and many are likely to think it is nothing more than reading the Bible and discussing (which many do already).

Now that I’ve reviewed it, would I recommend it? I would definitely tell others about it but I wouldn’t want the frustration of trying to understand what to do with this to get in the way of actually focusing on what is the main idea: to study the Bible, to understand God’s Word. I would recommend it to families that are serious about digging deeper to see how and where God will take them, according to His Will. Also if someone already follows or is looking into the Principle Approach, this would probably benefit them. If someone is looking for a ‘fun’ and ‘exciting’, colorful, game-driven curriculum that includes all the mentioned then no, I would not recommend this to them.

Be sure to read other reviews by my fellow Crewbies at the TOS Crew blog.

***Disclaimer: I received the above downloads from Judah Bible Curriculum via the TOS Homeschool Review Crew for free in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given. All opinions stated are my own or those of my family. I only recommend products that I truly feel will be beneficial to others based on my experiences. See Disclosure/Policies.***

What’s My Purpose?

I get up each morning about 6:30 am {sometimes it’s closer to 7 am} and promptly feed the cat. After I start my coffee, the computer is turned on. I really love the early morning although I am *not* a morning person. I cannot seem to actually function until about 10 am.

I open my email first, then the TOS homeschool review crew forum, and facebook. In that order. The TOS homeschool review forum generally takes the most time but my email seems to get full quickly. Facebook is really just a time leech, but almost every day there are at least two verses that I can read that someone else has posted {yes, that does make me feel better}.

Breakfast, if it isn’t just coffee, is generally made around 8 am. By this time my kids are starting to stir. I can hear their beds creak as they stretch and turn over. I know they are contemplating whether they should get up or wait until I tell them to get up.

It would be great to say that I have the kids’ schedules all planned out –for the week –before the day starts {well, before the week starts would be even better to say} but it isn’t true always. This morning I had to quickly put together ds’s day. The rest of the week is still blank but for Bible reading and his verse.

All that to say, I have a routine {of sorts} and it is comfortable.

Yesterday –or was it the day before? –I started reading my Bible again. You may recall I said I would read the Bible in 90 days. Well, I did not. I got stuck in Proverbs {after I’d read Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon- a bit backward, eh}. So I’d decided to use my Christmas gift KJV Study Bible to get back into reading my Bible every day. I’m beyond reading it in a set time frame- I just want to read it.

I’m in Isaiah now, chapter 8. But what really struck me this morning as I read is I do not say, “Here I am, Lord; send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

At church on Sunday, in adult Sunday School, we read 1 Peter 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” We did go through all of the verse but what I keep thinking about is ‘strangers and pilgrims’.

If we are strangers and pilgrims it means we do not belong here. This is not our home. But I’ve become so comfortable here. There is nothing wrong with having things –but could I live without them? I wonder if my comfort with the things of this world have made me less likely to say, “Lord, here I am, send me.” I will be honest though, I’ve never said that in the first place. {I could say that homeschooling is a time when I said it, or when I’ve submitted to my husband even though it went against what *I* wanted…but I mean something big –like in Isaiah’s case}

I don’t mind living with less- I never had much growing up and it’s only been the last few years that I’ve felt like I have the ‘luxuries’ {that is a relative term, I’m sure}. Anyway, my point is- what is my purpose? I am to bring glory to God through my very existence. But just ‘being’ feels like so little to be ‘doing’ for God. The trees and rocks themselves proclaim God’s glory- and they cannot talk or move!

*Gulp* In Sunday morning service, the pastor talked about Paul’s willingness to participate in Jesus’ suffering as well as the great benefits. That is what I feel I need to be ‘doing’. But the thought of suffering isn’t appealing to me at all. I do not want discomfort. That is why I do not say “Here I am, Lord; send me.” Which brings me back to my original question – what is my purpose? It’s been on my mind every day for days now. I’m very glad that it’s been lain on my heart but I will admit that I’m nervous to hear what the answer is –what it is that I’m meant to do.

I feel something is on the horizon. I trust God in all things {that quickening of my heart at the thought of change doesn’t mean I don’t trust} and will continue to trust him in this as well.

Bible Review: ESV Grow! Bible

ESV Grow! Bible
ISBN: 978-1433528743
Hardcover, 1600 pages
Publisher: Crossway
Retails: $27.99

About the ESV Grow! Bible (from the publisher):

[It] is designed for children ages 8-12 for the time between when they use a children’s Bible and a more advanced edition. Coupling the full ESV text with many helpful features, this is a Bible that young students can call their own.

[It] comes with all-new features to help children learn and understand God’s Word. Children will find the ESV Grow! Bible full of interesting features and parents will appreciate that their kids can explore the full Bible text themselves. A great resource to connect young readers with the beauty and majesty of God’s Word.

I’ll be honest- I thought I wouldn’t like this Bible and was going to have to give it away to someone else who has those children that are in between Bibles. You know, because my kids have been using a regular Bible since…well, that’s all they’ve used. My kids wouldn’t have a use for this Bible.

Yes, yes that is a little snobbery you detect there. But I did say I would be honest! I’ve always felt that kids aren’t *ahem* dumb and don’t need a *ahem* dumbed-down Bible. {yes, my face is feeling a wee bit flushed- pride comes before a fall}

But I decided to put aside my snobbery {thank goodness!} and actually use this Bible for a bit to see what it had to offer. I will say, with no shame, that I prefer the King James Version Bible {or even better for me- the Geneva Bible}. This new Bible is English Standard Version which really takes the language from the old Bibles and makes it modern- or as the Translation Oversight Committee says it, “as literal as possible while maintaining clear expression and literary excellence”.

First, because I am like that, I will tell you that this book smells wonderful- like a book, not chemically ink. Okay. Glad we got that out of the way. I always sniff test books {and especially Bibles- hey, no laughing!} before I read them. And no, you cannot tell a good book by its smell…or its cover.

I will tell you what I did not care for in this Bible {‘version’ aside} first and then let you know what I did like {yes, there were some things}.

It’s hardback. A Bible is going to be used. A lot. {hopefully} It needs to be flexible and portable. Most kids aren’t going to sit prim and proper at a desk or table and use this Bible that way {well, I may be wrong but I’d like to see them pull it off the shelf and get comfy in an oversized chair or in their bed}. This Bible feels like it needs to be used that way. It’s too stiff. My kids agree.

And…wait, is that all? Why yes, that is all I didn’t care for {‘version’ aside}.

And here is what I did like about it:

The illustrations are appealing but not too bright and flashy. They depict Biblical people and events, not modern day. I’m not entirely sure why that is comforting but it is. The Bible is applicable to us now but it is important to understand those who wrote and the time they lived. Having images and photos of modern day wouldn’t be beneficial {imho}.

The ‘study-Bible’ aspect of it. Throughout the Bible there are boxes with information about what is being read. There is a specific one called 4U that helps understand the applicability of the passage to the reader personally. Also each section and each book of the Bible has an introduction to help understand the writer and the audience. There is also a glossary at the end of the Bible.

Finally, the timelines and maps. That really goes with the two points I made before but I love timelines and maps when reading anything historical {and the Bible is definitely historical}. These are done very well.

Bottom-line: I actually like this Bible. I am surprised but am glad that Crossway sent it to me to review. I think hope know it will be useful to my children as we go through God’s Word.

I received this Bible free from Crossway in exchange of an honest review. No compensation was given.

Highlighting Links by Subject for Schooling- Bible

Each week there will be a post {or two or three} highlighting some links that have been collected and compiled on the Links by Subject for Schooling page on my blog. At this point, I plan to go alphabetically through the subjects because that’s how I am  but the websites most likely won’t be alphabetized…sorry for any confusion!

Bible

Bible Study Program- Site offers 117 free bible study packets, in pdf form, that you can print out and use to study the Bible as you read through. The study will involve reading/studying 6 OT chapters and 2 NT chapters per week. There are also answers to the questions available, also in pdf form.
Pathlights Jr- This has moved to the TEMKIT website. You’ll click on either the kitten or the white horse button on the site. The “kitten” takes you to 23 links for free activities and stories that can be used in homeschool and/or Sunday schools for teaching Bible to a younger audience, I believe. Clicking the “white horse” takes you to a site that discusses magic, wizardry, etc. and how it is viewed in the Bible.
Bible in Living Sound- Although this is not a free site, it does offer audio resources for studying the Bible. Dramatizations of Bible stories from the Old and New Testament. On the main page you can listen to a demo of the work, “David and Goliath”.
Keys 4 Kids- Free site that offers daily devotionals and Bible reading for kids. Presented in real-life scenarios, scriptures can be more applicable for children. You can choose how you receive Keys 4 Kids- mail, email, purchase a subscription, on facebook, twitter, through RSS feed, and/or listen to a podcast.
Answers in Genesis- Free resources throughout this site that present creationist viewpoint, literal six day creation. One page particularly offers free access to books online that can also be purchased. Some titles include In Six Days, Evolution Exposed: Biology (or Earth Science), One Race One Blood, The Pilgrim’s Progress, etc.
Those are some of the links for Bible that have been collected. Stay tuned for more link ‘highlights’ every so often.

Book Review: Unveiling the Kings of Israel

Unveiling the Kings of Israel by David Down
ISBN: 978-0-89051-609-6
Publisher: Master Books
Retail: $29.99
David Down has been a field archaeologist for over four decades, excavating regularly in Israel, and involved in numerous digs over the years. He is editor of the magazine “Archaeological Diggings.” from the back cover
Having taken only one archaeological course in college, I’m not very knowledgeable about the digging up part of the field but I have taken quite a few anthropology courses that utilize the information ‘dug’ up by archaeologists. I did find it to be quite refreshing that Down doesn’t automatically subject readers to evolutionist theories. His book presents Biblical records in accord with historical records to show that the Bible is accurate. Taking the above mentioned courses at secular colleges, I don’t recall hearing Down’s viewpoints or work prior to receiving this book.
This hardback book features 20 chapters and 4 Appendices. Each chapter starts with a simple timeline and a summary of the time frame to be discussed.

On every single page of this book are color images- photographs, maps, paintings, etc. The pages themselves are thick and glossy.

 

Throughout the entire book are comparison of Biblical records and historical records.

 

This book would be a wonderful addition to a home library. It shows how secular assessments of history actually back up the Bible’s accounts.

***Disclaimer: I received this book from New Leaf Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. A positive review was not required. See Disclosure/Policies.***

God Won’t Do It All…

Before you jump to conclusions about my title, read the entire post. There are times when He will not do it all.

Last night, as I lie in bed, I thought about this post. I wanted to jump up right then to write it but it wasn’t quite formed yet. So I slept on it. Today in my email there is a daily devotion from DaySpring on Matthew 19:26- “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Their focus was on “With God all things are possible”) Then it says, “Go for it! He’s got you covered… and then some.” But does he really? I know he has us ‘covered’ but I don’t think that means “Go for it!” –at least not all the time.

We know that in Matthew 7:7-8 it states “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” And also in Luke 11:9-10 we read it again.

James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” There are times when he will not give us what we ask for, for the reasons that are mentioned in the verse above. We want something and we are sure it is in God’s will, in his plan. But it may not be.

There was something I wanted so bad. I prayed for it and it seemed that it was in his plan. All seemed to go the way it ‘should’. But when I look back on it, I made it be part of his plan. I don’t think it was now that I have given it up. It caused me undue stress; it took me away from him and his plan; my home and family suffered because of it. Yet, I had been adamant that he had given me what I wanted because I had asked for it.

God didn’t give me a yes but (and this is what *I* believe) I was so stubborn that it was what I wanted, what I asked for, repeatedly that God let it go as it would. When I would get in a rut because of my stubbornness, I would call out to him and plead for him to release me from the troubles. Fix my problem. And he did a few times. But I came to expect it. I started to get into more troubles because I was not in line with his plans. I know that is what it was now that I look back on it.

He stopped fixing my problems.

It didn’t mean he left me or abandoned me. No. He was still beside me. But he showed me, time and again, that I was traveling my own path. Not his.

When I finally realized this, the pressure was off and he ‘held’ me. It was much like when one of my own children make a mistake and when they realize it, they need comfort. I don’t say “I told you so”. I hold them if they need it; I am there to comfort.

It was another time in my life when I realized that I must be more than just about myself. I am a selfish person so often and half of the time, I don’t realize it! I must be more careful with what I do. Must be more careful with what I ask for, what I seek, what door I knock on. Because many times God will give us what it is that we want but we must be careful to not simply ask so that we may consume it upon our lusts. That was my problem.

I’m glad that God won’t do it all…all the time.

Photos:
Fork in the Road, http://matthewtavares1.com/posts/02/personal-realignments/fork-in-the-road1/
OpenBible, http://www.parkersmillroadbaptist.org/history.html

Romans 12

1 I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye give up your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable serving of God. 2 And fashion not yourselves like unto this world, but be ye changed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God is. 3 For I say through the grace that is given unto me, to everyone that is among you, that no man presume to understand above that which is meet to understand, but that he understand according to sobriety, as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not one office, 5 so we being one body in Christ, and every one, one anothers members. 6 Seeing then that we have gifts that are divers, according to the grace that is given unto us, whether we have prophecy, let us prophesy according to the portion of faith. 7 Or an office, let us wait on the office: or he that teacheth, on teaching: 8 or he that exorteth, on exhortation: he that distributeth, let him do it with simplicity: he that ruleth, with diligence: he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, and cleave unto that which is good. 10 Be affectioned to love one another with brotherly love. In giving honor, go one before another. 11 Not slothful to do service, fervent in spirit serving the Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing in prayer. 13 Distributing unto the necessities of the Saints: giving yourselves to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, I say, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be like affectioned one towards another: be not high-minded: but make yourselves equal to them of the lower sort: be not wise in yourselves. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil: procure things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as in you, have peace with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him: if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with goodness.

Titus 2

1But speak thou the things which become wholesome doctrine, 2that the elder men be watchful, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in love, and in patience: 3the elder women likewise, that they be in such behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not subject to much wine, but teachers of honest things. 4That they may instruct the young women to be sober minded, that they love their husbands, that they love their children, 5that they be temperate, chaste, keeping at home, good and subject unto their husbands, that the word of God be not evil spoken of. 6Exhort young men likewise, that they be sober minded. 7In all things show yourself an example of good works with uncorrupt doctrine, with gravity, integrity, 8and with the wholesome word, which cannot be condemned, that he which withstandeth, may be ashamed, having nothing concerning you to speak evil of. 9Let servants be subjects to their masters, and please them in all things, not answering again, 10neither pickers, but that they show all good faithfulness, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. 11For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation unto all men, hath appeared, 12and teacheth us, that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and that we should live soberly and righteously, and godly in this present world. 13Looking for that blessed hope, and appearing of that glory of that mighty God, and of our Savior Jesus Christ. 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purge us to be a peculiar people unto himself, zealous of good works. 15These things speak, and exhort, and convince with all authority. See that no man despise thee.

Free Bible/Geography Resources

Thanks to Diane @ Cabin In the Woods, I've a link to share that really is a treat. It is for free downloads for Bible and Geography resources from Kids of Courage. It does require you to register before downloading.

There are downloadable units on North Korea, Sudan, Turkey, Iraq, India, China, and so many more. Here are a few screenshots of the available downloads:

In each of these you find geographical, population, and cultural information. But as Diane pointed out, it isn't just about that, it is also how God is working in the area and the people's lives. 

Here is a snippet of the Pakistan download (it's 53 pages)

All images are screenshots made by myself from Kids of Courage website and a PDF download available at their site.

Searching His Word Saturday- God's Love Lifts Us

Inspired some from

His Love for Me is Intensely Personal, Ruth Myers, Day 5 of 31 Days of Drawing Near to God

There is something I have a very very difficult time with when it comes to Christianity- and perhaps it is specifically Baptist Christians?- and that is the mindset that we are lower than dirt because we are sinners. How can we live with the constant contradictory commentary of pastors and preachers that tell us that we worthless in God's eyes, that we are a sinner and therefore so low we've no right to even raise our eyes? (When I say those words, I am not quoting any one person in particular- it is my own rendition of what I hear) Yet in the next moment or sentence they are telling us that God loves us so much that Jesus died a horridly painful death to save us from our sin. 

To say that we are 'washed in the blood of the Lamb' means that we are clean now. God does not see our sin; He only sees the cleansed us because of Jesus' death and sacrifice. If this is truly the case, how can we still see ourselves as so low to compare ourselves with -for lack of a better comparison- dirt? Personally, I think it is a way to keep us humble. I am not proposing lifting ourselves up to be great because there is none greater than God- none. We are His creation, we can only be 'lifted' so far anyway.

Myers, in Day 5 of her book, gives a few scriptures to ponder:

• Psalm 17:6-7
• Isaiah 57:15
• Lamentations 3:22-23
• John 3:16
• Galatians 2:20

Two of those five verses that catch me the most this morning are Lamentations 3:22-23 and John 3:16. I read more than just those she suggested because I felt that there was more to them than just the one or two. I've also boldfaced the words that had particular force on me this morning.

Lamentations 3:21-26

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."

John 3:16-17

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

This for me shows that I am worth more than dirt to God. I am not so low that I must be ashamed to lift my eyes to God. 

I am a sinner. I am not worthy of salvation. I do know this but because of what He has done for me I am saved.

Of course, these are simply my thoughts on the matter. I realized the need for a Savior and I accepted Jesus as my Savior...God gave that to me. What good does it do for me to continue to act like I am not saved by lowering myself to where I was before in God's eyes? Should I not rejoice that I am now clean and elevated from the dirt? Rejoice that God has done this for me and to me- not myself and through none of my own actions. God gets all the glory.

But I am not not dirt. God loves me and that lifts me up.

I would like to direct my readers to a blog that has some good posts, some reflecting on God's Word. Mom of Many Trades has posts under the label "God Time" that I've been enjoying (along with the rest of her blogging- it's transparent and refreshing at the same time!). Relevant to today's Searching His Word Saturday, I think, is the post entitled "He Forgets".

Christians and Sustainability- What Do We Do? And Does It Matter?

Recently, I've become more interested in living 'greener'. 'Living green' is an almost too used phrase to describe living in a way that is healthier for first ourselves but secondly for the environment. Perhaps 'sustainable living' is more appropriate. But as Christians should the second part of living green, or sustainable, concern us? 

Windmills in WY

I believe this is a controversial topic. There are those who feel that because God will create a new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17) that we do not need to worry about this earth, now. Granted that does not mean that we should litter (that is against the law of man and therefore is wrong to start with), nor does it mean that we should purposely pollute or trash our world. But do we need to change our lives to be able to care for the environment- even though God will cleanse it according to His Will?

Because of the first part of living sustainably, I believe that yes, we do need to change our lives. God commands for us to treat our bodies as a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19)- to care for it and keep it well (as best as we can). Living 'green' helps in this. As a secondary benefit, it also cares for the environment- and others who inhabit this planet as well. I believe it is a Christian's duty to live a life that is 'green' because it helps to keep God's commandments of taking care of our bodies, for Him, as well as caring for others. We wouldn't go out of our way to pour chemicals on a neighbors yard, or in their water supply. Why would we use such things in our houses or everyday living that will in effect do just that? 

When we use chemicals (to kill weeds, bugs, whiten our clothes, etc) they seep into the water supply. The water ends up on our neighbors lawn and/or in their water supply that they ingest. And not just our neighbors. The water on this planet is recycled constantly. The process allows water from New York City, New York, to fall in Nigeria, Africa. The water from Australia can make it to Anchorage, Alaska. And the chemicals that are used in those locations go with the rain. The water is filtered in a sense- but not thoroughly- and the residual chemicals are dropped onto our 'neighbors'.

Or how about plastic? Plastic never goes away! Never. It is a man-made product revered for its long life. However, it is causing serious problems with the earth and the inhabitants. I don't just mean animals (although the first problem can be seen readily when looking at the animals). Plastic is in our water and our food- in our bodies. There are food-grade plastics that are 'safe' for us. But really, plastic is not safe.

So that leads to the question: What do we do and does it really matter?  

What do you think?

Just Not My Day...But It Gets Better

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

Isaiah 41:10 KJV

I woke up this morning not feeling great but not too bad. I got ready for church, made hubby breakfast and coffee. Then it hit me. A horrid and painful bout of stomach something or other.

That was the beginning of my day. 

Missing church 3 times in a row starts to weigh on a persons mind. At least it does mine. I felt guilty for not going this morning. About an hour after church would have started, I was feeling much better. It's a bit like missing school when you're sick and then before the day's done, you're fine.

I turned to my Bible for comfort. I think I've mentioned a book that I am reading, 31 Days of Drawing Near to God, and that is where I found some good verses to help me today. The one that is at the top of this post was probably the best for me today. 

The church is not the way to salvation. It is important. The fellowship and the instruction that we receive at church cannot be replaced. But it isn't where God is, where He resides. God is within us. 

I know it's silly but I have one less follower today and it made me sad at first. But it is okay. We all have moments in our life when certain things are important...and then they are not, or not as much. I don't really worry that I've said or done something that has caused this person to no longer follow my blog. Although I do blog for others, I blog mostly for myself.

So, although my day may not have started on the best note, it's okay.

And tomorrow's Monday... lol