Finding balance, order, and purpose in daily life.
***Originally posted 9/11/13***
My husband was off that day, and we were sleeping in, snuggling with our 3 year old and 6 month old. A family member who worked on a military base called and told us to turn on the news. Sleepily, we did, just in time to watch live as the 2nd plane hit. It was hard to comprehend and process what we were seeing. It didn’t seem real.
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I enjoy starting something new personally also, whether that be a Bible study, exercise routine, or something else. I’m actually doing both of those as we start this school year:
1 Samuel for You by Tim Chester is part of the God’s Word For You series published by The Good Book Company. These books,written by Tim Chester, Tim Keller, and several others, are expository guides that take you verse by verse through a book of the Bible in a very accessible, practical way. They can be used for personal study and devotion, or as preparation for teaching others (to “read, feed, and lead”, as the series description puts it).
In this clip, Tim Keller explains a little bit about the series: [Read more…]
I was taught little to no church history growing up, beyond a cursory mention of major events like the Reformation in my history textbooks. I want my kids to have more than just this passing knowledge. I think familiarity with the major figures and events in the history of the church is essential to seeing and understanding God’s “one story” for all of history. It’s also incredibly valuable to help them establish a stable faith that isn’t blown to and fro by every new whim that comes along. And, it’s essential to understanding how we got where we are now. So, since they were very young, I’ve spent time searching out and collecting resources to make sure they’re aware of the rich heritage of our beliefs.
God’s Story: A Student’s Guide to Church History by Brian Cosby is one such resource that recently came my way. This little book is part of the “A Student’s Guide” series published by Christian Focus Publications and covers the span of church history from its Old Testament roots to the present day. [Read more…]
But what exactly does that mean? Some emphasize the work of Christ on the cross. Others talk about God’s kingdom. Still others focus on grace as the essential message of the gospel. It’s so typical. We tend to narrow our focus to one aspect and lose the big picture.
Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper bring these three aspects of the gospel together and lay out how it informs and transforms every facet of our lives in Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey.
“Faithmapping is our attempt to identify that ancient path through the wilderness by mapping out our mission. We want to illustrate the connections between what God has done in the gospel, who we are as the church, and how we are to live in the world. It’s an exploration of a whole gospel for a whole church for the sake of the whole world.” p. 17
Several years ago when Peanut was a preschooler, I used the Bible Study Guide For All Ages curriculum with my kids. We had the whole setup, including the wall maps and timeline. We loved it, and did it for a couple of years, but then I got pregnant and tired. Somewhere along the line, we took a break from it and until now, hadn’t gone back.
When the opportunity to review it came up, I knew I wanted to try it out with my younger two now that they’re older, and share it with y’all! It really is a wonderful curriculum. The company generously sent me:
I already owned the Beginner Timeline, so we incorporated that into our lessons also. The Primary program, which is aimed at 1st and 2nd graders, is described as being appropriate for a range of reading abilities, from those who can barely read to those who are proficient readers. I decided to go with it since this is the level Peanut would need, and let Monkey Boy follow along as much as he could (the Beginner level would be ideal for him and I’ll be getting it very soon). [Read more…]
