Bible – Page 2

Adventures in Odyssey Club: Camp Adventure!

June 24, 2019 Grace-Filled Writer

Last year I was Grace’s counselor at camp and one of the things my co-counselor and I did as a fun treat a couple of nights was listen to Adventures in Odyssey! Since we have the Adventures in Odyssey Club it’s easy to take anywhere with you, even camp! Wifi and cell service there is pretty spotty, so I was really glad we have the opportunity to download episodes! This year I led worship for the elementary campers which meant I wasn’t in the same cabin as Grace. Instead we opted to make little goodie bags with some awesome stuff the folks at Adventures in Odyssey sent our way!

Each of the goodie bags included a signed poster, a frisbee, and this really awesome post-camp devotion! We also made sure to include information on how to sign up for the free trial of the Adventures in Odyssey Club. Several of the girls were familiar with this wonderful radio drama, but not all were.

Before we left for camp Grace created the goodie bags. It was a neat way for her to go ahead and start thinking about her new friends and how much fun they would have worshiping and having fun.

These 10 precious girls and their 2 counselors had a wonderful time. Grace gave them their gifts on the last night of camp. She was especially excited to share her love of Adventures in Odyssey with her new friends.

Make sure to share the adventure with your friends and family as well!

Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Healing Every Day: A Review of Mary DeMuth’s New Book

May 15, 2019 Grace-Filled Writer

It was April. I was 24-year-old newlywed (married just under 2 years) when we joyfully celebrated expecting our first little baby. Just two short months later we mourned the loss of this little one. Not only that, it was determined I had carried this baby for over a month after the miscarriage occurred without realizing it because my body did not react as expected. This was the first really devastating blow in my life. Other pain had happened, but nothing as deep as this. Since then I’ve experienced other pain and heartache and I’ve grown closer to the Lord in the process. I’ve read some books on pain and seeking the Lord, but many were difficult to digest and hard to get through for me. If you are looking for a bite-sized guide to healing through emotional pain, Mary DeMuth’s new title, Healing Every Day, is worth a read. I highly recommend everything about it.

It is worth noting that Mary speaks from experience. While many may have wise words on healing, she speak as one who has walked a broken path and yearns to share what the Lord has and still is teaching her through the process. You can read more about her story here. The pain I walked with was from a very different source, but the Source of my healing is the same as hers, Jesus Christ. Every page of this 90-day-devotional points the reader back to Jesus and reminds us of His healing and redemptive power. That is the first thing I look for when I read a book by a Christian author and Mary does not disappoint.

I appreciate her expository teaching from both the Old and New Testaments. Not once have I read verses taken out of context or meaning changed to fit the narrative. Rather, Mary seeks Scripture and teaches her readers truth directly from its pages. The devotionals are sequenced in order through the Scripture so you see the Lord as Healer throughout.

Fear is an unavoidable side effect of the painful experiences of our lives. Sometimes fear overwhelmed me, especially the next 3 times I was expecting. Each of those pregnancies went to full term, and I have 3 beautiful daughters ages 13, 11, and 9. I falsely assumed that with each pregnancy the fear of miscarriage would lessen. Instead it became worse. I think is because while I accepted God’s sovereignty, I didn’t realize I still had deep emotional wounds I had not worked through yet. A daily journey with the Lord such as this one would have been an incredible help for me and even now as I read through it I am experiencing emotional healing from more recent difficulties.

Whether you have experienced loss, abuse, a chronic diagnosis, abandonment, or so much more the words in these pages will help you find healing. You will not learn how to push through the pain. You will not learn to be strong. You will not find a to-do checklist that promises a magical way forward. No, you will rather find something so much better: Healing through intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of Healing Every Day as a part of the launch team for this title. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Bringing Comfort, Answering Questions with Adventures in Odyssey Club

April 1, 2019 Grace-Filled Writer

Life can be hard sometimes. This week we are both sad and full of joy. My husband’s grandmother has gone to be with Jesus. While it is sad to not have her here, she was suffering with dementia for many years and the last several months have been very difficult. And so we rejoice in knowing she has seen her Savior face to face and is having a wonderful reunion with her husband and others who have gone before her. Our last visit with Gram was beautiful and full of sweet memories for all of us, especially the girls.

June 2016

Still, the concept of heaven and dealing with loss is not always easy for children. One of the blessings of a program like Adventures in Odyssey is they have dealt with a wide range of hard topics including death. While the follow episodes are not ones I would list among my go-to favorites, they are incredibly valuable in facing loss. I’ve also included 2 which deal with mental illness in this list. They have been excellent springboards for conversation with my children about some very hard things.

All of these episodes (and more!) are available in the Adventures in Odyssey Club.

The Mortal Coil Parts 1 & 2

Whit creates and Imagination Station adventure about death. The results are unexpected, and everyone has to deal with the unforeseen aftermath.

Karen

Karen, a friend of Donna Barclay’s, battles cancer and both Donna and Connie learn how faith makes a difference.

Plan B: Parts 1-4

While Whit and the gang are still trying to keep Novacom at bay, Connie deals with the loss of someone very dear to her.

Where is Thy Sting?

Connie’s grandmother, a Christian, dies and her family finds out what it means to deal with death as a Christian. Her father must find a way to cope as a non-Christian.

Greater Love

The story of how Tom Riley’s son, Timmy, died is recounted by the person whose life he saved in the process.

A Lesson from Mike

Julie finds herself unexpectedly affected by the sudden and tragic death of a classmate she did not know very well.

Forever Amen

Danny struggles with the idea of death and eternity after his mother has a miscarriage.

Life Expectancy: Parts 1-3

Connie receives devastating news and, with her friend’s support, learns how to trust God in the midst of deep grief.

Another hard topic Adventures in Odyssey covers is mental illness. This isn’t something we like to talk with our kids about, but it is a reality we must sometimes face. I appreciate the delicate way in which has led to some excellent conversations with our kids about depression and other mental illnesses.

The Other Woman

We learn that Tom Riley’s wife, Agnes, has been struggling with mental illness for several years.

(I particularly appreciate this episode and the conversation Whit and Eugene have at the end about this very difficult topic.)

The Pact: Part 1 & 2

Tom Riley and Mandy try to decipher what is upsetting Agnes, Tom’s wife.

Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Dancing in His Arms: Review

March 10, 2019 Grace-Filled Writer

We are a very musical family. My girls are all learning piano, Rose plays the ukulele and Grace is exploring rhythm and beat with bongos. She’ll start drum lessons online very soon. Beth sings beautifully! Whenever there is opportunity I encourage the girls to participate in leading worship. They sing, play instruments, and find unique ways to serve the Lord.

When I met Becky Lou Eller at a homeschool conference I was immediately drawn to her joy for life and love of music! She has such a passion to share Jesus with children and to pass along the wisdom of God’s Word. Her CD, Dancing in His Arms, is a beautiful compilation of Scripture put to music.

These songs are absolutely charming! They are word-for-word verses set to delightful music of a variety of styles. Pslam 71:3, Lord, You’re a Rock to Me! is set to a bluegrass style and that is my particular favorite. I find myself singing this one to myself quite often! Each tune is quite catchy and very singable. There is also one for the books of the Bible which is always a handy way to teach kids how to locate Scripture. I still find myself singing through the version I learned as a child, especially for the Old Testament.

My girls really enjoyed listening to this CD at night for bedtime as well. They are all sung by the sweet voices of children. While the songs vary in style from lively and upbeat to calming, it was a good fit because nothing is too over the top. It’s also wonderful to be lulled to sleep by the Word of God!

In addition to the songs, there is a wonderful , 5-part Bible lesson with activities and wonderful discussion questions. I’ve been teaching Bible with kids since I was in middle school helping with VBS at the church I attended then. These lessons are simple and easy to follow no matter your experience. I appreciate this so much in Bible teaching plans because sometimes the assumption is the person has taught before and will just know what to do. Other times the activities are complex or structured in a way that doesn’t always make sense. This can leave a new teacher confused and ready to quit! Not so with these lessons. They are simple, but still deep enough for excellent discussion.

We used them for a Bible time together in the mornings. We usually have our family devotion and prayer in the evening, so it was nice to add something together in the morning as well. The girls enjoyed it and we had good discussions! Many times the concepts were ones that we have talked about before, but there were new verses to look up and it is necessary to be reminded of all truth about God over and over, lest we forget.

Our next step will be to purchase the music! I really want the girls to sing a few of these songs in our church service.

I highly recommend this CD and the corresponding Bible lessons for your homeschool or any other group you will incorporate Bible into. It’s a lovely way to memorize Scripture and will be a great encouragement to you!

Disclaimer: I received this product from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The Seven Deadly Friendships by Mary DeMuth: A Book Launch Review

October 31, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a friendship where something seemed off? Maybe you felt like you were always walking on egg-shells. Maybe you braced yourself for the sales-pitch that you knew was coming. Maybe you always feel inadequate or unhappy after spending time with the individual. Our world is full of relationships and sometimes those relationships are unhealthy.

Seven Deadly Friendships by Mary DeMuth is the first book I’ve ever read that deals head-on with a variety of unhealthy personalities as they relate to friendships. By the end of this book you will be able to identify toxic friendships in your life and know what to do about them. We can be so afraid of repercussions that we remain in close friendships we shouldn’t have any part of. Other times there are relationships we cannot avoid for whatever reason, but if you can identify exactly what is going on you can be prepared and know how best to preserve yourself and others around you.

The best part of this book is that it is steeped in God’s Word. I love that the author’s goal is to help readers heal from hurt without allowing any bitterness to remain. Satan’s goal is to steal your joy and destroy your healthy relationships. This book will help you see where things are wrong, but will also give you the tools to move forward in a healthy, God-filled way!

Here is a sneak-peak at the people you will meet in the book. The tricky part is identifying which individuals are in your life because you need to deal with the different characters in different ways. I also think it is healthy to assess your own heart and make sure you are not slipping towards any one of these identities. We don’t like to see ourselves as the problem causers, but if we as Christians took more time to invest in allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us, He could use us more fully and we may find the relationships around us becoming healthier!

As I read this book I realized the Lord has been teaching me much of this over the previous year about relationships and I personally used this book in a different manner. I quickly was able to identify some of these individuals in my own life. As I read I looked for ways to pray for them. Sometimes we need to remove ourselves from relationships with toxic individuals, but what if that is not fully possible? We should recognize the role of prayer in these relationships. As I read I made a private list of ways to pray for specific people. Although there are times when friendships need to end, none of the relationships I was evaluating were at that point.

I encourage you to go take this fantastic quiz and see if you may be in one of The Seven Deadly Friendships! Then grab the book and learn the right way to move forward!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review. I was note required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own

Adventures in Odyssey: Meaningful for Adults Too

October 30, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

While Adventures in Odyssey is great entertainment for the entire family and is geared towards children, it isn’t for children only. There are some audio dramas that my kids love and I do enjoy, but they do not hold as much meaning for me as an adult. Adventures in Odyssey helped me discover a most meaningful verse of Scripture that has seen me through many difficult times when it feels like the Lord isn’t listening.

This album is one of my favorites because of the themes of the stories, but specifically the episode A Glass Darkly has special meaning. In this show Trent DeWhite prays for God to help him with an opportunity he has to try out for a special children’s orchestra playing his cello. Everything seems to fall into place, until it doesn’t. Despite Trent’s good choices and prayer, he continues to be blocked from a good thing because of misunderstandings and false accusations. Even at the end of the episode Trent has no idea why the bad things happened to him that prevented him from being a part of the orchestra. In his discouragement he approaches Mr. Whitaker who reminds Trent that we can’t always see the full picture here on earth and we must trust the Lord is at work even when it feels like He isn’t listening. He reminds him of 1 Corinthians 13:12…

For now we <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-28678V" data-link="(V)” style=”box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>see in a mirror dimly, but then <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-28678W" data-link="(W)” style=”box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NASB-28678X" data-link="(X)” style=”box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;”>have been fully known. (NASB)

The most wonderful part of this episode is the closing scene. The listeners get a glimpse of events happening which Trent never learns. We see the hand of God even though he doesn’t. It is tempting to feel difficult circumstances are unfair, but who are we to question God’s ways? There are somethings things happening behind the scenes we will never know, and if He does show us, it is only by His goodness that it is revealed.

Christmas Day 2012 – I had surgery 3 days before Christmas to remove a benign tumor discovered in my intestine. This is one of the moments the Lord reminded me of this verse to encourage me.

This particular episode has encouraged me through surgeries, loss, and just all around bad days that seem to be no fault of my own. While I had read this verse over and over, the deeper truth was revealed to me through this episode. I’ve had the opportunity to remind my kids of this truth when they are having rough days and trials. Most importantly, this verse has become a part of my testimony I share whenever I have the opportunity.

If you would like to hear this and more, join the Adventure Club! It is worth every cent!

Disclaimer: In exchange for promoting The Adventures in Odyssey Club I receive a membership to The Adventures in Odyssey Club. I am not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Book-By-Book Bible Printables from Teach Sunday School: A TOS Crew Review

October 3, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

My husband and I both went to Bible colleges and we are always interested in new resources for learning about the Bible, especially those which aid in understanding the historical and cultural contexts of the Word. We can only fully understand the meaning of the inspired Word of God if we understand who wrote it, when it was written, and the overall structure of the book itself as well as within the context of all of the Bible. The Printable Books of the Bible “Summary Sheets” from Teach Sunday School are and excellent way to have this information at your fingertips.

This is a really fun way to get an overview of all of Scripture! You could use these in a variety of ways anytime you are teaching or studying the Bible. Whether you are leading a Bible study or Sunday school at church or studying with your family in the privacy of your own home this set of resources will provide a wonderful foundation upon which to learn. I love the idea of using these to introduce a Sunday School Lesson or other Bible study. I teach on on a rotational basis and when my next turn comes around I look forward to introducing my students to Exodus with these.

Rose especially enjoyed studying these on her own. She enjoyed checking to see if I knew the information, almost quizzing me! She was pleasantly surprised at the times when I didn’t remember something specific. It was a wonderful way to reinforce the reasons why we need resources like this to help us in our studies. She knows I’ve studied the Bible a long time and enjoy doing so. She is used to me explaining a lot about the historical background and this was the perfect time to talk about some of the resources that help me know these things, and that I haven’t memorized everything. I love when I have the opportunity to explain the only way to continue to grow in the Word of God is to continually study!
My husband has been preaching through the book of Mark. We spent one evening chatting about what we have learned so far and reading through the page on the Book of Mark. We discussed how old Mark might have been and how many years after Christ’s resurrection the book was written. We also talked about the important things to remember from Mark and the key verses. It was a great way to review the sermon series as a part of our evening devotion time.
We do not typically have a group Bible time as a part of our School day. Each of the girls studies their own personal studies. Sometimes I help them choose, sometimes they choose on their own what to study. What I love about this resource is that no matter what they are studying, they are going to have a wonderful resource at their fingertips to dig more deeply and have a fuller understanding of God’s Word.

I really love the structure of the diagrams themselves. They are beautifully crafted and yet simply organized in a way to help retain learning. The visual layout is similar for each page and so makes it easy to locate information. The colors are easy on the eyes and compliment one another beautifully. You will enjoy using these no matter your age!
Take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!

Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook and Case Makers Academy: A TOS Crew Review

October 1, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

Our kids are under attack. The enemy desperately wants to sway them to his side despite our efforts to diligently train them in Scripture. While it is important to remember that each child will make their own personal choice to follow the Lord or not, we must not neglect the ever important work imparted to us as parents and leaders of children in ministry. The next generation is as different from ours as ours was from our parents. The truth of Scripture never changes, but our methods and modes should reach the culture where they are. We were excited to review Forensic Faith for Kids from David C Cook and Case Makers Academy, a fantastic tool which will help kids learn how to investigate their faith just like a detective investigates a case.

The structure of this book would make it a great tool for a small group Bible study for kids or for your own family’s Bible study time. While it is geared towards kids in the title, I think this is a valuable tool for any age wanting to deepen the apologetics of their faith. It is simply and clearly written so no matter your age you will gain extensive amounts of understanding. We enjoyed reading this aloud together and then having a good discussion.

The word apologetics can really make some people nervous. I can assure you that you don’t need to be! The way this is presented as a case will give your kids the tools they need to effectively share their faith. We have several friends in our life who do not know, or even want to know, the Lord as their Savior. Some aren’t certain if God even exists and it can be hard to know how to talk to them about our faith. The practical options presented in these pages clearly guides children and adults to know how to share and defend their faith! The story-like presentation makes the book approachable and I think one of the best ways I’ve ever seen of teaching kids how to share their faith.
The presented story is engaging! Sometimes when I’ve read what were meant to be instructional Bible material for kids which was written as a story it honestly came off as just sort of cheesy and forced. The writing of this book is anything but that. We all thought it was fun and engaging and were excited to hear what was going to happen next. Combining excellent storytelling with biblical truth which instructs my daughters faith makes this book at the top of my recommendation list!

In addition to this awesome book there are excellent online resources you can utilize! Each chapter has a video segment to be viewed, a training activity sheet and academy notebook sheet to be used by students to remember and practice what they read, and an adult leader guide to help you in teaching your kids or students at church. I discovered there are also adult versions of this book and others by the author which I’m very interested in checking out!
I was so pleased with this title I’m planning to get the other two in the series. Giving kids the knowledge of Scripture is wonderful, but it must only be the beginning. Using Forensic Faith for Kids we will be giving them the tools they need to practically live out and share their faith.

Check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Ireland ~ A Part of the By the Way Book Series from By the Way: A TOS Crew Review

September 19, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

The inclusion of geography into our studies always encourages conversation and fun! We especially love studying about the locations of our ancestry. We have done this before, but only rarely do we have the opportunity to do so with a resource that has a wonderful message from a biblical worldview. Learning about our family heritage was new once again when we read about Ireland, a part of the By the Way Book Series from By the Way Book My daughters had a great time reading this book together! I did too! The photographs are stunning and I could imagine walking the green hills and rocky coast. We learned about animals which I did not realize were a part of the geography. I also absolutely love the addition of Scripture scattered throughout the pages and pictures. While we have studied quite a bit of geography that has been very informative this is a wonderfully unique resource in how it brings in spiritual truths so seamlessly to the story and information.
I absolutely loved that this was a story alongside informational. The use of Irish dialect brought the characters and their adventures to life. We love using living books as a part of our mostly-Charlotte-Mason way of homeschooling. This is the first time I’ve encountered a living book for Geography! The girls liked this aspect as well. They seemed surprised when I told them they were going to get to read and learn about Ireland, but found the book to be very story-like. While we already knew the basics of the history of St. Patrick, it was wonderful to be reminded of this again and with new information added!
Another aspect the girls enjoyed was looking at all the glorious pictures of the castles. The history that resides there is amazing, but I think they were all imagining living inside as well. This sparked an interesting discussion about what it would really be like to be royalty. We talked about the good, but also what the downsides would be. They came up with some really interesting thoughts, like not being able to go shopping whenever they wanted or having to always have guards around. In the end while they still were in awe of the castles, I think they decided this may not be the life for them!

I saw my girls pick this book up several times before and after we officially read it together. They enjoyed reading and rereading it. Each page is so fully packed with information I’m sure they learned new things each time! I really loved that in addition to the narrative style of text there were fun informational boxes and ideas for your family to implement. One that we want to give a try is geocaching! We tried this several years ago when the girls were really small, but they did not find it to be much fun. I think they will enjoy giving it a go again soon, especially with how fun the book made the activity sound!
The best way to show just how inspiring this book was to my girls is this quote:
Mommy, can we go and visit Ireland? Their interest has been peeked and their eyes opened to the world beyond what they have always known. While a trip is not in the near future, our daughters often talk of world travel and I won’t be surprised if one or all of them ended up living overseas at some point and one has expressed she feels called to overseas missions work. Who knows where the Lord will take them, but books like this one are just the thing to let them experience a small taste of other lands while they are still young. In addition to this fantastic title here are a few others available:
I highly recommend any one of these whether you are looking for an additional resource for your geography studies or you are just looking for some fun new reading material!
Don’t forget to check out what my Crewmates have to say!

Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith from The Captain Sun Adventures: A TOS Crew Review

September 17, 2018 Grace-Filled Writer

The idea of good verses evil is fascinating our current culture. Superheroes permeate everything from movies to television to books and along with them toys, games, and clothing. It is a truth as old as creation itself, from the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. We know this battle well and I believe it is what has fascinated the rest of our culture. We were very excited to read a super hero story with a biblical core. Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith from The Captain Sun Adventures was enjoyed by all three of my daughters, ages 13, 11, and almost 9.

The idea behind this fantastic little book is a great story of good vs evil, woven together with truth from God’s Word creating a wonderful devotional with will teach and inspire children of all ages. Each short chapter is created as a comic book. At the end there is a devotional which is fashioned as a newspaper. I love this creativity!

Rose is an artist and snatched this out of my hands almost as soon as it arrived in the mail! She told me she thought it was so much fun that it was a comic, but also a devotional. She read through it very quickly that afternoon and told me she thought she would like to write her own devotion in the style of a comic book. The graphics are beautifully crafted and compliment the story in a lovely way.

These two gals enjoyed reading the devotion together. They too read it all at once. Because it is short and simple, I really liked that they wanted to read it on their own. One of the things I’ve attempted to instill in my daughters is the desire to study God’s Word for themselves. As they grow and mature in their faith I look for ways to show them just how exciting the Scriptures can be. This is a wonderful tool to develop a perspective of excitement as they read.
I LOVE the idea of this for personal devotions. While it would work well for group family devotions as well, I think it served us the best as personal quiet times, even though 2 daughters read together. I really like that in addition to explaining the biblical truth behind a Scripture, a question is also posed in each devotion directly to the reader to ponder. The best part about this book is that while secular super heroes point the glory to themselves or their teams, everything about this book points the glory back to God. This very biblical, but very uncommon perspective makes this a valuable resource for kids. I and my daughters all highly recommend this whether you are looking for a way to spice up your family devotions or to encourage your children to have quiet times with the Lord on their own. You may even use it for yourself and explore a different way of studying the Scriptures! Don’t forget to take a look at what my Crewmates have to say!