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Teaching Our Kids to Live Gutsy for God: A Book Series and Free Resources

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Encourage your kids to live with gutsy faith! Read about Amy Sullivan's new book "Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betsie ten Boom".
Parents, grandparents, and ministry leaders, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for free resources and activities which accompany this book.

If I think hard enough, I can remember times in my life when I acted bravely.

In sixth grade, I confronted a neighborhood bully who stole my jeans from a local Laundromat.

In ninth grade, I took on a gaggle of teens who were making fun of a student with disabilities.

When I was twenty-three, I planted myself in the middle of an isolated Navajo Reservation and loved on kids who were not my own.

When I was thirty, I hiked up a mountain with twenty-seven teenage boys. At the end of the trail, the boys and I took turns flipping off a twenty-foot cliff into the water.

When I was thirty-two, I discovered the power in praying for people I don’t know and places I’ve never been.

But if I think of right now, and I think of forty-one-year-old me, I can’t say my life is full of brave acts, and I am not just talking about flip-off-a-cliff-bravery. I am talking about living in obedience to God bravery. When I feel the Holy Spirit asking me to do something, I don’t want to evaluate it. I want to trust and act.

I want to live with gutsy faith, and I want my daughters to live this faith, too.

 

Let’s Introduce Our Kids to Real Heroes, Godly Heroes

Confession time: my daughters have known who the Kardashians are for a long time, but they have only recently been introduced to Lillian Thrasher. They know about Miley Cyrus, but they know nothing of Elisabeth Elliot. They can recite facts about Taylor Swift’s childhood, but they aren’t sure why Mother Teresa is well-known.

I know. I can feel you shaking your head at my seemingly lax parenting, but what I’ve discovered is that despite internet filters, restrictions on TV shows, preset radio stations, and bans on all things trashy, the world is determined to tell my kids whom to admire.

I pump gas while a video screen pumps footage of a scandal involving an NBA player. I stand in line at the grocery store, and another screen reports the details of a fallen starlet’s latest escapades. I go to the library, and magazines and newspapers document the beachfront mansion bought by a girl who is famous for simply being famous. The world shouts, and my daughters take it in.

My kids aren’t bombarded with real heroes. Instead, they are bombarded with the world’s heroes, and I am determined to change that.

 

A New Picture Book Series to Encourage Young Believers

If you combine my sincere prayer for my daughters to know what it’s like to live gutsy for God with my fierce determination to provide my girls with real heroes, you get Gutsy Girls: Strong Christian Women Who Impacted the World.

This picture book series focuses on one woman per book, but the second book (which just released!) in the series highlights sisters, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom.

 

Encourage your kids to live with gutsy faith! Read about Amy Sullivan's new book "Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betsie ten Boom".
 

The ten Boom sisters weren’t flashy or popular. They were two women from the Netherlands. The sisters lived with their father during World War II and witnessed unspeakable horrors in a time in which great evil flourished.

 

Parents, grandparents, and ministry leaders, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for free resources and activities which accompany this book.
 

However, instead of cowering in fear, the sisters, Corrie and Betsie, acted bravely in God’s name.

They created a secret wall in their home and hid people who were in danger. Corrie and Betsie developed codes to keep individuals Nazi soldiers hunted safe. After the sisters were arrested, they boldly shared about Jesus in concentration camps. Even when Corrie and Betsie were stripped of all worldy possessions, they continued to teach about Jesus’ great love.

The ten Boom sisters lived gutsy for God. They lived in obedience. Corrie and Betsie didn’t allow fear to stop them from following the God’s plans.

What role models. What faith. What women I want my kids to know.

 

Free Resources and Activities

As parents, grandparents, and ministry leaders, we are constantly looking for resources to keep our kids in the Word and encourage them as believers.

Encourage your kids to live with gutsy faith! Read about Amy Sullivan's new book "Gutsy Girls: Corrie and Betsie ten Boom".
Book One of the Gutsy Girls series focuses on real-life missionary, Gladys Aylward.

To help with this enormous task, I’ve created lesson plans, printable graphics, an enrichment packet (which includes geography, math, reading, and writing activities!), and Gutsy Girls printable verses, which accompany the Gutsy Girls picture books, and I want to share these resources with you!

Click here to download resources now.

In addition, I also host an online book club specifically designed to discover and discuss books written to inspire girls to be smart, bold, and godly. Within this Facebook group, members are given special VIP access to authors who write for children.

Click here to join us and to get special VIP access to authors who write for girls.

Thanks for reading this month’s installment of Let the Children Come! I pray you create space today to live gutsy for God. It is my hope that these resources find their way into lots of little hands. 

 

Amy L. Sullivan is the author of the children’s picture book series, [amazon_link id=”B014S06JJI” target=”_blank” ]Gutsy Girls: Strong Christian Women Who Impacted the World[/amazon_link] and the nonfiction book [amazon_link id=”1941103243″ target=”_blank” ]When More is Not Enough[/amazon_link]. Amy shares regularly at AmyLSullivan.com, and she also writes for oodles of online and print publications. Find her at AmyLSullivan.com.

 

Are your girls gutsy for God like the ten Boom sisters? A new kids’ book from @AmyLSullivan1

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Christian girls need godly role models like the women in @AmyLSullivan1’s series Gutsy Girls

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Through the Fire

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We are pleased to welcome Susan Van Volkenburgh, author of Silent Resolve and the God Who Let Me Down, to our series “Where is God?”.

Imagine, if you will, that you are an Israelite in Jerusalem and the army of Assyria is encamped against your walls. All the nations around you have fallen. Jerusalem is the last city standing, your city, Zion, which God had promised to protect.

Isaiah 49:14 speaks of the people’s reaction:

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
And my Lord has forgotten me.”

Forsaken by God. Most of us have felt that way at one time or another. Even Jesus experienced this emotion when upon the cross He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

I have felt forsaken.

Tuesday morning, a day like any other. It was a beautiful fall day: the air fresh, the sun warm, and the skies clear. As always the children and I began with Bible study. The day’s subject was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. In discussing the three being placed into the fiery furnace for their unwavering faith in God, I made the cryptic statement that no matter what happens in our life, even when we go through the fiery furnace, still we must follow the Lord. I did not know that at that very moment my own life would be put through the furnace and my words tested.

The day was September 11, 2001. My life forever changed as my father was ripped from the world by terrorists. In that moment I felt forsaken. All that I had believed in, trusted in, was stripped out from under me. How could a benevolent God, a God who loves me, allow such a tragedy to happen knowing full well how this would wound me?

But hear what God spoke through Isaiah, the prophet:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49: 15-16)

He has inscribed you on the palms of His hands…..

This is not just taking a pen and writing your name on His skin. You have been inscribed, that is, engraved. He has taken a blade and carved His palm, wounding His flesh so that forever He will bear the scars of your name upon His hands.

Not only does He know our name, but He bears our scars upon His flesh—forever.

Rubbing from the 9/11 memorial.
I have journeyed down a dark and empty road: alone, abandoned, and forsaken. But I have found something along this desolate way: a beautiful truth. My foundation is sure…and I am not alone.

I think the key is in the word “through,” for we do go through, we do not stay in the furnace. There is an end to our trouble. For even as the three young men stood within the flames of the furnace, they were not alone, but a fourth stood beside them.

We all face trials. We have difficult times. God never promised us otherwise. In fact, He told us that in this world we will have tribulation (John 16:33). But He did not leave us to travel this world without aid.

Listen what the Lord proclaims:

“I, even I, am He who comforts you.” (Isaiah 51:12)

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Though God’s protection is not always for our bodies, it is a constant for our souls. And in the end, it is our final home that is most important. This mortal coil, which we cling to so ardently, is not what it is all about. Yet when one that is loved is taken, we cannot help but look back at what has been lost.

“But I am the LORD your God,
Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
The LORD of hosts is His name.
And I have put My words in your mouth;
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” (Isaiah 51:15-16)

We serve a powerful God. An all-knowing God. So what then can man do to me? For the keeper of my soul watches me. We do not have a God who looks on from the outside as we struggle along the way. But we have a God who enters with us into the midst of the fire. He walks the troubled path with us, taking us through to the other side. He is our God and we are His people, engraved upon his hand: a perpetual covenant between the Lord and His chosen.

So as you travel the journey of this earthly life, remember: you are not forsaken.

Silent Resolve and the God Who Let Me Down by Susan Van Volkenburgh

Oncology Nurse turned homeschool educator, Susan Van Volkenburgh is an award winning author of Christian fiction and non-fiction books. As a musical evangelist, Susan travels with the gospel group, the Van Martins. After the death of her father on September 11, 2001, Susan began speaking of her experience. Her book, SILENT RESOLVE AND THE GOD WHO LET ME DOWN (A 9/11 story), recounts Susan’s loss and subsequent spiritual journey.

Born too late to experience antiquity first hand, Susan spends much of her time studying and teaching ancient history. Therefore, it seemed only natural that she should draw from the experience of grief and trauma to write THE STONE OF EBENEZER, Book 1: Trilogy of Kings Saga, a story of faith and restoration through the medium of Biblical fiction.

Have you felt forsaken by God? @SusanVanVolkenb has walked through the fire. #WhereIsGod

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Losing her father on 9/11 shook the faith of @SusanVanVolkenb #WhereIsGod #hope

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Finding Joy | Every. Single. Day.

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Do you see the glass as half empty…or half full? I see the glass as partially full when it used to be totally full. For many years, I thought that was being a realist. But, I came to realize…through an amazing teacher who saw things in me that no one had ever pointed out before…that I can be a pessimist. I don’t know if I have ever admitted that publicly, but there it is.

Optimist, Pessimist, or Realist – life can throw us curveballs that seem impossible to overcome: financial troubles, persistent illness, a terrible accident, daily conflict with those we love the most, a messy house, failed relationship, an overly full schedule that still feels empty, self-doubt, disliking what we see in the mirror, or an adult life that just doesn’t look like what we imagined. All of this can threaten to steal the joy right out of our hearts. The JOY that is promised to us as a FRUIT of the presence of God in our lives.

Think back to the last time that you truly felt joyful. Was it yesterday? Last week? Last month? Longer?

Finding Joy | Every. Single. Day. Glass half empty of half full? Read more at DoNotDepart.com
To answer that question, we might need to come to an understanding of what joy is. My dictionary defines joy this way as to experience great pleasure or delight. My [elementary] study of the Greek word in the above passage points us to a deeper meaning that is a direct result of God’s grace which is unearned and unmerited favor. There is no amount of human weakness – including my own – that can supersede that.

Don’t worry. I don’t feel it either when I hate my job, the baby screams for 72 hours straight, or there is just not enough money to pay bills and eat. Slowly but surely, however, the Lord is teaching me three steps to walking in his joy…instead of the reality of our fallen world. Because that is what every, single problem points to: a fallen, sinful, messy world. And I choose JOY…

  1. Appreciate who God is. Start each day by thinking about God’s grace. Read about it, sing about it, and express gratitude to the Lord.
  2. Acknowledge all the little, daily blessings. We have all had some really bad days. But, even then, there are blessings. The A/C repair did not cost as much as anticipated. The car quit on the way home from work, rather than on the way there. The dinner that I prepared at the end of a long day turned out well. The baby’s fever finally broke. Someone recognizes all your hard work. A random person pays a compliment. You get the picture. There is some good in there somewhere and my job is to find it. Make a list using a little notebook by your bed. Go to bed by writing down 3 little blessings. Wake up and read them.
  3. Allow yourself to focus on today. Yesterday was beautiful. OR it was terrible. Either way, it is gone. Tomorrow is not here. Plan for it, but don’t let the anticipation of its blessings or sorrows overcome the joy of today. Think about each moment of the day as an opportunity to receive and give joy: in the grocery store or post office or restaurant.

It’s that easy? No, it’s that hard. But is it worth it? Absolutely. When I walk through life in the fullness of His unearned and unmerited favor, it is worth it to discipline my mind to walk in joy.

 

Ayoka headshot  Ayoka Billions is a Registered Nurse turned Casting Director (finding actors for commercials, TV, & movies). A true G.R.I.T (girl raised in the South) minus a few years in California to see the world and marry her soulmate, she loves running, reading, gardening, watching old movies, board games, and playing with her three sons. Her passion is to see women rise above daily struggles to walk in victory.

 

 

How can you find joy Every. Single. Day? Read today’s guest post to find out!

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Three steps to finding Biblical joy every single day. Experience this fruit of the spirit in your life!

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Parenting With Authentic Faith {Guest Post}

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We are pleased to welcome Kelli LaFramboise from Quietly Reminded for this month’s installment of Let the Children Come.

Parenting With Authentic Faith

Parenting with authentic faith. That sounds good, right? And chances are that if you are reading this article, you probably want to parent this way. But let’s a be honest, parenting is hard… And parenting with authentic faith, well, what is that? And why would you do it?

To understand what parenting with authentic faith is, let’s begin with what it is not. Parenting with authentic faith is not the same as raising a child in a “christian” culture. It’s not just taking your child to church every Sunday. It’s not just praying before bedtime and meals. It’s not just memorizing Bible verses and reading the Word together as a family. Although these things are good and may even be necessary for our faith, when they are done for the wrong reason, when they are done to put a check in the box, they are simply cultural practices, not acts of authentic faith.

Parenting with authentic faith is not the same as raising a child in a “christian” culture.
Authentic faith happens out of a response to the Holy Spirit, when He says to our hearts “I, the Triune God, love you more than you can fathom. I have created you to live in fellowship with Me, and I desire to serve, protect, and provide for you” (Romans 5:8, Matthew 20:28, Psalm 91:1-16, Philippians 4:19). Authentic faith is trusting Him to do what He says He will do and not attempting to take on His responsibility in any shape or form. Authentic faith is a lot simpler than we like to make it out to be. It starts, stops, and centers around the gospel — the simple truth that Jesus Christ, God Himself, stepped down out of heaven to serve, protect, and provide for each one of us.

Each one of us.

Each one of us… Including each of our children.

There is not a single thing that any of us can do to make our children accept the grace of God. We are not the savior of our children’s souls. Jesus is. Only Jesus is. And when we attempt, whether consciously or subconsciously, to take that responsibility away from Him, we fail to parent with authentic faith.

Here just a few of the many promises God has made to us through His Word. Read them, but instead of reading them just for yourself, remember that Jesus has extended these promises to your children as well.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)… ~Ephesians 2:4,5

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ~2 Thessalonians 3:3

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. ~Revelation 3:20

Now at this point there may be a reader or two out there wondering, well if that’s the case, do I need to worry about my child’s salvation at all? Do I have any responsibility here? The answers may surprise you: no and no. No, you do not need to worry because worry will not add one ounce of anything good to your life or your child’s (Matthew 6:25-34). And no, you have no responsibility for child’s salvation because Jesus has already paid his or her sin debt in full (John 19:30, 1 Peter 2:24).

Don’t get me wrong, you have a job to do. Your child has been placed in your life for discipleship. However, instead of worrying and taking on responsibility that is not yours, simply abide in Jesus. Abide through prayer, abide through time in the Word, abide by hiding God’s word in your heart and meditating on it daily. Abide so that when worry and doubt creep into your parenting moments you know where to turn to for comfort and direction. Abide so that when the Holy Spirit asks you to parent in a specific way, you can simply respond to that direction.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ~John 15: 4, 5

Abiding allows us to be an instrument used by the Father to show our children how much He does love them and how He wants to serve, protect, and provide for them. He is the responsible Savior, not anyone else. He is the responsible Teacher, not anyone else. He is the responsible Defender, Deliverer, Comforter, Provider, Sufficiency, and so, so much more. Parenting with authentic faith is trusting Jesus to be your child’s all-in-all and not trying to be it yourself.

Below I’ve listed some practical ways and resources to help you get started abiding in Jesus, but please don’t view these as must-do or checklist items. These are just a few suggestions to help you fall more in love with Jesus and begin to know Him more. But before you look through these suggestions, let’s start our abiding with prayer.

Jesus, thank You for loving my children more than I ever could. Thank You for shedding Your blood to wash away their sins and set them free from the bondage of sin. I also thank You that this is completely and fully Your responsibility and not mine. Please forgive me for the times that I have worried needlessly and attempted to take this responsibility from You. Help me to see and believe that You are good and You have my and my children’s best interest at heart. Help me to remember that every promise You have extended to me through Your word has also been extended to my children. I ask that You show me how to abide in You so that I may parent as an instrument of Your love for my children. I want to be responsive to your Holy Spirit because I trust in You. In Your name I pray, amen.

Abiding in Christ :: A Few Suggestions

  • Prayer is essential to abiding in Christ. If you don’t know how to pray, first and foremost, ask Him to teach you how. You may find these useful as well:
    – And When You Pray: Understanding the Lord’s Prayer
    – The Power of a Praying… Series by Stormie O’Martian (affiliate link)
  • Start a simple Bible reading plan like this one. Here are 3 super simple steps to studying God’s word all on your own.
  • Nothing is or ever will be more more relevant than the Word of God. However, there maybe times when we need a little guidance through our Bibles. I have found HelloMornings’ Bible studies and accountability groups to be very helpful during these times.
  • Memorizing God’s word is the only way to “hide it in your heart” and “meditate on it day and night” (Psalm 19:11, Joshua 1:8). Start by asking God to direct you to the verse(s) that He would like you to memorize. Here are a few resources I have found helpful when choosing to memorize God’s word.
    – Hiding His Word challenge.
    – Seeds Family Worship (affiliate link)
    – Scripture Typer
  • And don’t neglect fellowship, discipleship, and communion. Being with fellow believers is essential to our walk with Christ because it is through these people that God often loves, encourages, instructs, and corrects each one of us.

Friends, please remember that I am human and flawed and my thoughts on parenting and other areas of life may not always be right. Please hold what I write up against the Word of God and listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you directly.

Only by grace,

Kelli

You are not your child’s savior. Read more from @QuietlyReminded #LetTheChildrenCome

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Parenting with Authentic Faith. A guest post from @QuietlyReminded #LetTheChildrenCome

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Let the Children Come - monthly feature on helping children to abide in God's Word via DoNotDepart.com
 

Kelli LaFramboise of quietlyreminded.com

Kelli LaFramboise is the author of Caught by Jesus: 6-Week Devotional & Personal Study in the Gospel of Mark. She blogs at www.quietlyreminded.com with a purpose to quietly remind herself and others of God’s goodness, His grace, and His glory. You can also find her sharing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Using Carols to Teach Your Kids about Christmas (A Free Christmas Devotional)

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Using Carols to Teach Your Kids about Christmas (A Free Christmas Devotional)
We would like to extend a special welcome to our guests Luke and Trisha Gilkerson, who are sharing their new family Christmas devotional with us today. I am really looking forward to using it with my children during the 10 days leading up to Christmas! – Patti

Using Carols to Teach Your Kids about Christmas (A Free Christmas Devotional)

My children love Christmas music, and we play a lot of it in our home around the holidays.

In our pluralistic society, it’s interesting that you can hear songs about Jesus dominating even non-Christian radio stations in the month of December. Granted, you still hear a lot of secular Christmas songs that emphasize snow, presents, shopping, lost loves, family parties, and reindeer, but mixed into all of that are people singing about the birth of Christ as well.

Christmas songs are very familiar songs to a lot of people—kids especially. This is why, one year, we wanted to teach our kids about the story of Christ’s birth through the use of these familiar songs.

Our format was very simple:

  1. We gathered our kids together to sing! I compiled a playlist a few of my favorite Christmas songs and we just sang them together.
  2. Highlighting one song, I told the story of how that song was written long ago. This helped my kids to think about the song not just as a familiar tune, but as a song someone felt compelled to write because of their love for God.
  3. I then read the part of the Christmas story that pertained to the song—just a verse or two that related to the theme of the song.
  4. Then we briefly talked about the passage. Nothing elaborate. Just a time to get the kids talking about what they noticed about the story. I asked them questions like, “Can you tell me what just happened in this story? Tell me in your own words.” I pointed out important terms (Immanuel, Bethlehem, manger, shepherd, Savior, etc.). I talked about how the story relates to specific lines of the song we sang.
  5. Then we prayed together as a family.
  6. Then we sang the song again, letting the kids get up and dance around.

For younger kids, this format was short, sweet, and simple—and music-filled, which they loved.

For older kids, they began seeing familiar carols through new eyes.

The Stories Behind the Music: Christmas Carol Devotions for Your Family

In my new book, The Stories Behind the Music: Christmas Carol Devotions for Your Family, I use this simple format with 10 popular Christmas songs, arranged so you can walk your kids through the story of Jesus’ birth chronologically over a series of 10 nights leading up to Christmas.

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The book includes devotionals about the following songs:

  1. O Come O Come Emmanuel
  2. O Little Town of Bethlehem
  3. Away in a Manger
  4. Go Tell it on the Mountain
  5. Joy to the World
  6. Hark the Herald, Angels Sing
  7. Silent Night
  8. What Child is This?
  9. Angels We Have Heard on High
  10. We Three Kings

We’re giving away free digital copies of this book until December 15, 2015 as a Christmas gift to our subscribers, so go to Intoxicated On Life and grab a digital copy now!

About Trisha and Luke Gilkerson Luke and Trisha write at Intoxicated on Life where they enjoy sharing about raising strong families – body, mind, and soul. They especially love creating resources for families to use together that draw them closer to God. They are the authors of the best-selling Christian sex-ed curriculum The Talk and Changes.

 

 

 

Free 10 day family Christmas hymn devotional from @IntoxOnLife #LetTheChildrenCome

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Use Carols to Teach Your Kids About Christmas – guest post from @IntoxOnLife #LetTheChildrenCome

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Let The Children Come - DoNotDepart.com

Jesus Our Immanuel

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{I’m very excited to share today’s guest post with you! I had the pleasure of meeting Jenni Keller recently at a Hello Mornings Leadership Retreat (she’s the Bible Study Director and I serve as a Leadership Manager). I was really excited to get a copy of her latest Bible study and so I asked her if she would do a guest post for DND to tell you all more about it. I know you’ll love her heart for Jesus just as much as I do! – Ali} 
Loves Comes Near - An Advent study by Jenni Keller, for you and your family. Find out more at DoNotDepart.com

God has always been Immanuel. We see this name for God used in the Old Testament in Isaiah 8:8 (ESV), “…and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

As believers, sometimes our language becomes common. Words lose their rich flavor. Perhaps that’s why when the angel appears to Joseph in a dream, announcing, “they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matt 1:23 (ESV)) and Matthew retells it, he makes sure to add the extra detail: Immanuel means “God with us.”

Matthew wants to make sure we don’t miss what he is saying. God is here. He is with us. Breathing the same air, walking the same ground.

John 1:14 in The Message says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

Christmas is a time when we celebrate his nearness. We marvel at how by sending His son and involving humanity in His story, we not only experience nearness, but learn how to draw near ourselves, to God and each other.

This Advent season, I invite you to walk slowly through the Christmas story and marvel with fresh eyes at how love came near 2000 years ago, and every day since.

He is God with us. Our Immanuel.

Marvel with fresh eyes at how Love Comes Near. 2ooo years ago, and every day since. #LoveComesNear

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Love Comes Near by Jenni Keller. An Advent Study for you with a family calendar. #LoveComesNear

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{If you’re interested in any of Jenni’s studies beside [amazon_link id=”151876665X” target=”_blank” ]Love Comes Near: An Advent Bible Study[/amazon_link], check out [amazon_link id=”1514195445″ target=”_blank” ]Establish Your Heart: A Six-week Study of James[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”1508825408″ target=”_blank” ]Complete in Christ: Illuminating the Pure Truth of Jesus[/amazon_link], available through Amazon.}

Jenni Keller, author of Love Comes Near - Advent Bible Study... read more at DoNotDepart.com
Jenni Keller, Bible Study Author

[amazon_link id=”151876665X” target=”_blank” ]“Love Comes Near”[/amazon_link] is a 25-day personal Bible study, designed to walk slowly through the Christmas story through the Advent season and look closely at how Love comes near to us in each passage. The Bible study includes an optional Family Advent Calendar, so you can take your kids on the same journey with you. You’ll walk through the Christmas story, told in both Matthew and Luke, as well as look through Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. Available on Amazon or jennikeller.me.

 

Persecution: For God’s Kingdom to be Known on Earth

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All of the regular contributors at Do Not Depart are American citizens. We live in a country that has built into its very governmental system the right to free speech and the right to gather for worship. And while sometimes it seems that those rights are being infringed upon, none of us has experienced daily persecution for our faith in Jesus Christ.

Today’s anonymous guest writer has. We are so thankful that our guest was willing to share this story with us, the story of growing up in Indonesia and becoming a Christian.  Statistics show that less than 10% of the population of Indonesia is Christian. The odds are stacked heavily against Christians in Indonesia. Please pray for our brothers and sisters, and pray that God’s truth would be made known! – Patti

Persecution of Christians - So That His Kingdom May Be Known

“And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5 NLT)

I believe no one in this world wants to suffer for what they do right. We all want justice. But the truth is that we see injustice happening in every community.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:5, justice comes after persecution and suffering. This verse reminds us that God will use every persecution we suffer as His followers to show His justice that makes us worthy of His Kingdom.

Persecution is not only physical but also emotional, mental and spiritual. In the country where I came from, persecution is in all those forms.

People who turn to follow Jesus in the west part of Indonesia are physically abused and persecuted because of their faith. Those who live in the center of the country are persecuted mentally and spiritually because the unbelievers burned down their churches and left our brothers and sisters with no place to worship God. They would even be accused of building a church without permission in the community where the majority are Muslim. And those who live in the eastern part of the country are persecuted spiritually and live in poverty, because they have been abandoned by the government who want to take control of the natural resources in these areas by leaving the people to live uneducated.

For me, persecution is emotional and mental. When we come to know Jesus and follow His ways of living, we live differently than this world. I had heard about Jesus since I was little but I came to know Christ personally when I was at college.

Before I came to know and follow Jesus, most of my high school friends called me names because I was different than them. I looked different than them. I went to public school where all the “national local” people would go, but those who were like our family, Chinese descendants, would go to private school. But my parents could not afford to send three of us to private school, so they sent me to public high school and my 2 younger sisters to Catholic private school with discount tuitions.

For 3 years long they called me names because I was not 100% Indonesian. For 3 years long I was mocked because I was not a Muslim. The religion teacher even tried to convert me to follow their religion.

After I graduated High School, I went to study at a private college just because the public college would not give a fair chance to us, Chinese descendents. The private college was very expensive. I had to find several different kind of part-time jobs and tried hard to keep my score high enough to be able to apply for a scholarship. I did it all with my strength. I faced all the mocking with my own ways. Hatred grew in my heart toward those nationals and even the country. I hated to live there. I hated the people. I hated being in the family where I was born into.

That was when I was not with Jesus. That was when I was not in relationship with Him at all.

God never forgot us. My parents, my sisters and I came to know Christ and were baptized in 2002. We faced different persecution. My dad’s big family did not like us at all because we became “Christians” but were not Catholic anymore. Because Christians won’t pray before ancestors’ pictures and graves. My mom’s side of the family did not want to talk to us because we became Christians. Even my grandma kicked my mom out of the family.

But God never forgot us.

“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” (Romans 12:14 NLT)

We prayed for them. For our families and friends. We asked God to give us grace and love in our hearts so we still can show His love to them. We prayed for God’s healing in our hearts. We asked God to heal our wounds and restore our relationships with them. We asked God for years.

Now, we reconnect with both sides of family. God put love for the unbelievers in our hearts to go reaching out to them and share His Good News with them. God opened doors for me and my family to serve through supporting the work of Bible Translation with Wycliffe Associates in Indonesia. We work side by side with the nationals to translate His words for those who persecute us. Our desire is to see God bless them with His truth and love when they read His word in languages they understand well in their hearts.

Last summer, we took our daughters to Indonesia and they got to meet the families and friends who were not Christians. They went with us to villages where they saw why these people need to know Jesus and that these people do not have Bible.

God changes hearts. God changes lives. At the end, so that His love, mercy, justice and glory will be known among the people in Indonesia.

Through all the forms of persecutions the brothers and sisters in Indonesia now are facing, God’s Kingdom will be known and every knee will bow down and every tongue will worship Him at the end.

“The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” (Galatians 1:23b NLT)

This is my hope and prayer for the unbelieving people of Indonesia – that one day they will be the ones who are sent out to the nations to preach the Gospel, the message they once tried to destroy.

Please join me in prayer for the brothers and sisters in Indonesia to have courage to continue to preach the Gospel and God will prepare every heart of the unbelievers to receive the Word of God that will change their lives forever.

Persecution is not only physical but also emotional, mental and spiritual. #BlessedPersecuted

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Pray for our brothers and sisters in Indonesia. #BlessedPersecuted

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Pointing Our Children to the Work of the Cross

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This guest post for our monthly Let The Children Come feature is by Kelli LaFramboise.

Raising kids is hard. Raising them right — that seems to be even harder. And everyone, yes, everyone has an opinion on how to do it. There are many well meaning blogs and Pinterest boards full of ideas on how to get your children in the word of God — or better yet, how to get the Word of God into your children. And there is nothing wrong with most of these ideas. I’m sure they work wonderfully for their authors and their families. And I say if they work well for you, too, go for it.

But I have to be honest, I very seldom run across an idea online that will work consistently for my family. I haven’t found a Bible study technique that works perfectly for all of us. The ones that come close seem to only work for a short period of time and then I’m off looking for the latest shining trick to keep everyone engaged. And I think I may know why….

Everything I find online or in books or even at church is NOT my primary resource for filling my children with God’s word. God’s word is the primary resource, everything else is supplemental. Remembering to turn to God’s word first when it comes to teaching and instructing my children is instrumental in keeping our daily, moment-by-moment faith authentic.

The following is my favorite verse when it comes to teaching my children how to love their Lord and Saviour:

 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength . And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NKJV, emphasis mine).

Simple, right?

God’s word, His gospel message, is simple and He reveals it to whoever He desires no matter how young or old they may be. I don’t believe that He expects us as parents to fancy it up with stressful craft projects, strenuous Bible study routines, or overly-complicated anything. Now, if craft projects and the like work well for you, if you and your family find them fun and helpful, by all means have at it. Just don’t forget this: God wants us talking to our children continually about His love for us and the great lengths that He has gone to show us His grace.

Every moment of life — even those before and after the well-planned learning activity is complete — is an opportunity to point our children to the work of the Cross.

But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NKJV, emphasis mine).

We don’t have to plan or stress or agonize about getting our children to understand and remember God’s word. We simply need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead day by day and remember that we are not responsible for the salvation of our children — Jesus is.

Now, all that said, I do want to share with you two supplemental resource that may help you and your children fall deeper in love with Christ because of His grace.

  •  [amazon_image id=”0310708257″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The Jesus Storybook Bible[/amazon_image] The Jesus Storybook Bible is my favorite children’s Bible. In fact, I don’t think it even should be classified as a children’s Bible –family Bible is more like it. The authors have written it in such away that every story, whether in the New or Old Testament, point to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. While reading this to my children I have found myself in tears multiple times because I have simply been overwhelmed by God’s grace.
  • [amazon_image id=”1433520095″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Give Them Grace[/amazon_image] Give Them Grace is another book that I think is worth the time to read. I haven’t finished every chapter yet, but the theme that I have picked up is this: Every moment is a moment to point our children to their need — all our need — for God’s grace.

No matter what resources you choose to use or not use, remember this: you have the Holy Spirit. He is here to guide and teach you. You are not alone as you parent the precious souls that have been entrusted to you. Rely and trust in Him because He loves your children more than you ever could.

Only by grace,

Kelli

—–
Kelli LaFramboise  
Kelli LaFramboise is the author of Caught by Jesus: 6-Week Devotional & Personal Study in the Gospel of Mark . She also blogs at www.quietlyreminded.com with a purpose to quietly remind herself and others of God’s goodness, His grace, and His glory. You can also find her sharing on Facebook ,Instagram, and Twitter.

Pray Like a Crazy Woman! {Guest Post}

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Read below for this guest post from Lori Wildenberg.

In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
1 Samuel 1: 10-16 (emphasis added)

 Waiting? A Post on Praying like Hannah

Hannah wept as she prayed for her heart’s desire.

Her anguish generated her prayer. She was honest and bold. She poured out her soul to the Lord.

After Hannah gave it all to God, her face was no longer downcast and she even had something to eat. Prior to talking with the LORD all she could do was to cry. She was unable to eat (1 Samuel 1:8, 1 Samuel 1:18). The day following her prayer, Hannah got up and worshipped and later had a romantic night with her husband.

Hannah’s heart had been changed.

Her countenance changed before her circumstances. She began to live again: eating, worshipping, and enjoying her husband.

Hannah prayed passionately and tenaciously. She left the cry of her heart at the altar, trusting God with it. She got on with living while she waited and trusted God.

She did all this even before she got what she wanted. 

So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

1 Samuel 1:20

Hannah’s example reminds me that it’s good to pray like a crazy woman. I also learn from her that waiting doesn’t mean running in place. Even in the waiting I must keep moving forward.

How do you wait and how does prayer keep you focused on moving forward?

How does prayer keep you focused on moving forward? Join @LoriWildenberg with @DoNotDepart today:

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Hannah wept as she prayed for her heart’s desire. Her heart was changed even while she waited:

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Lori Wildenberg

Lori Wildenberg is co-founder of 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting and co-author of three parenting books. A perfect day in Lori’s world is a hike with her husband, four kids, and labradoodle. Information about Lori’s books can be found over at her website and Amazon. Connect with Lori and 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting on Facebook.

When Hearts Collide with Glory

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This guest post is from Eileen Knowles. She’s a thoughtful writer whose reflections help us reflect even deeper, as well, and see the hope and glory in everyday moments. Read on for her guest post.

When Hearts Collide with Glory {DoNotDepart.com}
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This morning I was looking at the passages in John 17 when Jesus prays for all believers before he is arrested and sent to the cross. The verse that caught my eye today was this one: “Father I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you have loved me before the creation of the world.” (John 17:24)

When I think of the idea of seeing God’s glory, I think of something that is too good and too beautiful to put into words. I think of something that touches you in such a way that the encounter changes you forever. You may attempt to explain it to others but your description and your retelling of the splendor you just witnessed seems to fall terribly short. Our words don’t seem adequate.

It’s like visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time. You may take a ton of pictures in hopes of capturing the moment but none of the pictures turn out looking as breathtaking as the view you personally witnessed when you stood there on that ledge. But, just because you may lack the ability to fully explain the moment to others, doesn’t make the moment any less real in your heart. You saw what you saw. You experienced what you experienced…and your perception is now different because of this beauty that briefly wrapped itself completely around your heart.

In an effort to try to blog about the unexplainable this morning, I did a little research on the idea of catching a glimpse of God’s glory. I came across this quote from John Bevere discussing the moment in Exodus when Moses asked this of God: “Please, show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)

“Then God says, “I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Before an earthly king enters the throne room, his name is always announced by proclamation. Then he enters in his splendor. The king’s greatness is revealed, and in his court there is no mistake as to who is king. If this monarch were on the street of one of the cities of his nation dressed in ordinary clothes, without any attendants, he might be passed by without those around him realizing his actual identity. So in essence, this is exactly what God did for Moses. He is saying, “I will proclaim My own name and pass by you in all My splendor.”~ John Bevere

I love this…”there is no mistake as to who is king.” That’s what a glimpse of God’s glory is capable of accomplishing. It solidifies the truth in our hearts. We are in the presence of greatness. There is no denying who He is. Our spiritual eyes awakened with the briefest of glimpses.

I don’t know what you might be struggling with today. I don’t know if you are up a mountaintop like Moses or sitting in one of those pits that David talks about so often in the Psalms. However, I do know this: One brief glance, one encounter with His goodness is powerful enough to change everything.  

Dear Father, help us to remember that the prayer Jesus prayed 2000 years ago still applies today. Just as you loved your Son before the creation of the world…you love us. No matter what our circumstances might be, the glory of who you are never changes. Come into our situations today, Father. Help us to see You in such a way that there is not a shred of doubt who is KING!

Can one encounter with His goodness change us for good? Guest post from @cupojoegirl:

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No matter our circumstances, the glory of God never changes. More encouragement from @cupojoegirl:

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Eileen KnowlesEileen Knowles is a recovering perfectionist who continues to learn the beauty of stepping out from behind the mask and admitting how much she is in need of God’s grace every single day. She blogs at The Scenic Route. You can follow her on Twitter. Her book, A Mistake Maker’s Manifesto, can be downloaded here.

Raising Little Kids with Big Love

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We welcome Lori Wildenberg of 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting to Do Not Depart today. Lori is sharing about her new book [amazon_link id=”0991284240″ target=”_blank” ]Raising Little Kids with Big Love[/amazon_link].

10 Typical Parenting Questions Answered in One Place

Raising Little Kids with Big Love

Faith-filled parents of little kids (toddler to eight years old) share similar concerns. Here are some typical questions:

  1. How can I increase my child’s self-worth?
  2. How do I build family unity?
  3. How can I encourage my kids to be friends?
  4. What do I do when my child lies or steals?
  5. How can I effectively deal with tantrums and whining?
  6. How can I control my own temper?
  7. What can I do to be a good advocate for my special needs or gifted child in the school setting?
  8. What limits should I establish on media?
  9. What makes my child act the way he does?
  10. How can respect be put back into my family?

Each of these questions would require at least a chapter’s worth of words to effectively answer. That is why Becky Danielson and I wrote [amazon_link id=”0991284240″ target=”_blank” ]Raising Little Kids with Big Love[/amazon_link]. It has just been published and is available on [amazon_link id=”0991284240″ target=”_blank” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] and Barnes and Noble (coming to brick and mortar stores soon).

The book is geared for parents and grandparents of kids, toddler to eight. It can also be read in a book club or small group setting. There is a companion study guide that accompanies the book. So if a family ministry leader, mentor, or children’s pastor wanted to lead a parenting class the material is provided.

Becky and I know this book will be a blessing to parents of young kids because it provides practical and easily applicable faith-based tools and tips to assist moms and dads to be the parents they want to be. Short term behavior and long term character building are both addressed in [amazon_link id=”0991284240″ target=”_blank” ]Raising Little Kids with Big Love[/amazon_link]. Parents feel satisfied because they can immediately utilize the short term behavior strategies and be intentional in shaping their child’s heart and character.

And… if you have a tween or teen, our book Raising Big Kids with Supernatural Love is coming soon.

Please help Becky and me spread the word to those with young families.

Tweetable:

Raising Little Kids With Big Love – new Christian parenting book by @LoriWildenberg. #LetTheChildrenCome http://wp.me/p1Su7F-33d tweet this

Lori Wildenberg  knows full well the struggles a parent with little kids experiences. At one point, she had four kids, ages five and under! Lori is passionate about coming alongside parents to encourage, empower, strengthen, and support them. She communicates effectively with transparency, warmth, and gentle humor. Her straight-forward, realistic approach engages her audience and assists moms and dads in their quest to parent well.

Lori has more than twenty-five years’ experience working with parents and kids in both secular and faith-based settings. She is a licensed parent and family educator who shares her personal and professional experience. Lori and her ministry partner, Becky Danielson, are founders of 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting. Together they have authored three faith-based parenting books. The Wildenbergs live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. A perfect day in Lori’s world is hiking with her husband, Tom, four kids, and labradoodle.  Lori is available for speaking, parent consulting, and teacher in-service training. Contact her at www.loriwildenberg.com or 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting.

Lori Wildenberg

 

Let the Children Come - monthly feature on helping children to abide in God's Word via DoNotDepart.com

The Missional Resource of Me

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Every original follower of Christ had a unique, one-of-a-kind combination of skills, experiences, and gifts to carry out the command to multiply the gospel throughout all of the peoples of the earth. When Jesus delivered the directive to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” (Matthew 28:19a) he was speaking to a group of 11 varied individuals. “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them,” (Matthew 28:16). While on the mountain, the Son of God filled the imagination and vision of the disciples as they heard the missional imperative to reach people with the gospel. Matthew may’ve been thinking about the funding, and Peter may’ve been thinking about traveling by boat.

What skills, experiences, and gifts has God woven into the fabric of your being as resources for reaching the world?

  • Do you know how to deliver a baby and treat illnesses?
  • Do you know how to teach a lesson effectively so people understand?
  • Do you know how to start a small business and manage money?
  • Do you know how to learn languages and relate in other cultures?
  • Have you known what it is to lose a child or suffer a great loss?
  • Have you experienced poverty or struggled with unemployment?
  • Have you faced oppression or experienced prejudice or persecution?
  • Have you made choices that have left you guilty?
  • Do you have citizenship that opens doors for you around the world?
  • Do you have financial resources that meet your needs and then some?
  • Do you have the ability to read and a Bible to explore?
  • Do you have an understanding of God’s truth?

God equips those He calls The Missional Resource of Me

God doesn’t call us without equipping us. Every disciple of Christ is a resource for reaching those who have yet to experience God’s forgiveness. No one who calls themselves by the name of Christ is exempt from a part in the grand plan of getting out the word of the truth.

God has a heart for all nations

The great giver of grace has a heart for all people, every tribe and tongue. He declares, “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!'” (1 Chronicles 16:31). God plans for all nations to be included in the scope of salvation born when “God so loved the world,” (John 3:16).

God includes all disciples in the plan

In sounding out His plan for all nations to know of the salvation brought by His Son, He strategically equipped individuals, churches, and nations to spread the gospel so all will hear. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching.” (Romans 10:14)

If you are a disciple of Christ, you are a resource to reach others. The disciples who stood around Jesus on the Galilean mountain had one thing in common with one another and with every follower of Christ since: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Luke 12:48)

How will God use the RESOURCE of YOU?

  • Will He use you to send others?
  • Will He use you to pray?
  • Will He use you to train others about His plan?
  • Will He use you to open doors for others?
  • Will He use you to support national believers in their own nations?
  • Will He use you to be the one to go?

How has God gifted you? How has He gifted your church? How has He gifted your nation for this time in history? YOU ARE A RESOURCE TO REACH THE WORLD.

May God entrust us with much as He sends out His truth and multiplies grace among the peoples of the world.

Tweetables to share:

  • God doesn’t call us without equipping us http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2NH #MissionalLiving @donotdepart  <  Tweet this!
  • YOU are a resource to reach the world. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2NH #MissionalLiving @donotdepart  <  Tweet this!

A New Interactive Book Site {plus, book deals!}

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This post is from one of our team writers, Kathy Howard. She’s an author of five great books and Bible studies, and she would love to share a new interactive book tool with you, along with some great Black Friday book deals! Read below to get the details.

I love Black Friday. And yes, I am one of those crazy people who will get up in the wee hours of the morning and stand in a long line waiting for the store to open. (I am not so crazy, however, to camp out overnight.)

In past years, my daughters and I have done this together several times. On Thanksgiving evening we scour the sale papers to make our plan. We make a list of what we want to get where. Then we decide which store we’ll hit first, then second, etc. There’s a coffee stop somewhere in the middle. We are home by late morning with half of our Christmas shopping done!

For us, the point of Black Friday is to find deals on things we would buy anyway. You could make an argument that we’re good stewards of the money God has given us. Plus, it’s fun.

However in recent years, I’ve spent less time and money in the brick and mortar stores and purchased more online.  In fact I’ve already made a big dent in my Christmas shopping without leaving home!

Another thing I love to do is share great finds and deals with my friends. That’s what this post is really about. On Black Friday, New Hope Publishers is offering three specials you won’t want to miss!

Black Friday Deals from New Hope Publishers 1. Every New Hope ebook will be available for $2.99 all day! – Christian Book Distributors will definitely carry the sale. It may also show up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble so check both! This deal will include my books Unshakeable Faith, Fed Up with Flat Faith, God’s Truth Revealed, and Before His Throne.

2. An interactive, digital version of “Unshakeable Faith” Bible study workbook will be FREE from 2-4pm CST!!! – New Hope Publishers recently launched a fabulous women’s Bible study site. Exciting new resources include four Bible study workbooks with interactive features that few publishers yet have.Check out a sample now.

3. The other interactive Bible study workbooks for $2.99 from 2-4pm CST.

These deals are good enough that you don’t have to feel guilty about getting them for yourself. Load up for holiday reading and enjoy!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Read more about Kathy Howard here and on her site. Read all of Kathy’s posts so far on Do Not Depart here.

Favorite Online Bible Study Tools and Thanksgiving Posts

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We here at Do Not Depart aim to provide tools and encouragement to abide in God’s Word. We want to “meditate on [His Word] day and night, so that [we] may be careful to do according to to all that is written in it” (Joshua 1:8), and we hope to help you do the same.

We need encouragement, study tips, new perspectives, and renewal, too. And we love how many wonderful believers have a presence on the internet to help encourage all of us to abide united as one body.

So, we thought we’d share some of our favorite tools with you today!

Favorite Online Bible Study Tools plus Thanksgiving Encouragement {via DoNotDepart.com}

Favorite Online Bible Study Tools

There are SO many incredible tools out there. This partial list below is a sampling of some of the tools our team returns to again and again:

  • Crossway.org has Bible study tips, ebooks, apps, articles, and a blog to help give you insight for studying.
  • Most of us love and use Bible Gateway often. Bible Gateway offers many transitions to view online free, plus reading plans, a blog full of learning-focused articles, and more.
  • BlueLetterBible.org is a useful site for word study, plus more blog posts with study tips and multiple versions to read and compare.
  • HelloMornings hosts a huge community for multi-annual online Bible study groups. They also offer practical tips and encouragement for study and intentional living year round.
  • We’ve written many posts with specific Bible study tools here on Do Not Depart over the years. Check out the archives for Bible study tools posts here.

Great (and Grateful) Thanksgiving Posts

With Thanksgiving quickly arriving in the US, we’ve seen some magnificent posts focused on gratitude to our great God. Let a few of these posts inspire you to be thankful always!

 

What are you favorite online Bible study tools? What Thanksgiving posts have touched your heart this year? Share in the comments below!

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving {guest post month}

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This guest post is from Sandra Peoples. See her full bio at the end of the post.

I love this time of year. I love hopping on Facebook and reading what all my friends are thankful for. I love holding hands with family members around the table and remembering the blessings God has given us. I love putting Colossians 3:17 into practice, “…do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

But sometimes giving thanks is hard.

My middle son has autism. He struggles to communicate. He had digestive and sleeping issues. Can I give thanks in that?

We’ve been in the process of adopting for more than three years. We were recently matched with a little boy in China. But we still have to wait. Wait up to two months for a document to process. Wait until the Chinese government clears us to travel. Can I give thanks in that?

We all have situations in our lives that are difficult right now. Money issues, marriage issues, job issues, family issues. Leakey faucets, broken dryers, a car that needs new tires before it snows. How can we give thanks?

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving {guest post month on DoNotDepart.com}

Psalm 50:14 says, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving.” It’s such a short phrase it’s easy to read over quickly. The psalmist Asaph is admitting that sometimes thanksgiving is a sacrifice. A sacrifice was offering something to God that costs you greatly–your first born lamb, your finest grain, or the best of your produce. And what ever you sacrificed had to be put to death, burned up, cease to exist.

In times when it’s hard to give thanks, we must also sacrifice. I can give thanks for my son’s diagnosis when I sacrifice (put to death) my ideas of “normal” expectations of how he should be. I can continue to give thanks through our adoption process when I sacrifice (put to death) my time line and expectations. I can give thanks when I sacrifice (put to death) the idea that all our money and time actually belong to us, instead of God.

I can offer God sacrifices of thanksgiving because of my situations (not in spite of my situations).

God gives us opportunities to practice what we learn in His Word. This month, as we all share what we’re thankful for, His Word reminds me sometimes there is sacrifice in thanksgiving. The sacrifice doesn’t take away the joy of thanksgiving; it often adds to it.

What situation are you in that you can give thanks in, even though you have to sacrifice something in order to give thanks?

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving {guest post month on DoNotDepart.com}

 

Sandra Peoples is a pastor’s wife and mom to three boys. She is the author of Held: Learning to Live in God’s Grip, a Bible study for special-needs parents. Connect with her on her site.

Committing to Daily Bible Reading {guest post month}

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This guest post is from Ali Shaw. See her full bio at the end of the post.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Being in God’s Word daily is life changing. God’s Holy Word works to change our hearts as He sanctifies us through a growing relationship with Him. Any time is a good time to make the commitment to daily Bible reading, but autumn is an especially great time to start planning for the upcoming year.

Committing to Daily Bible Reading {guest post month on DoNotDepart.com}

Making the Commitment

Of first importance is making the commitment to read daily. For successful follow through, the reward of your goal must be worth the effort involved. (Think Phil 3:14.) A lot of well-intended people desire to read the Bible daily, but without a definite goal in sight and a reward in mind, good intentions easily get pushed aside. What do you consider the rewards of your efforts? What will drive you forward when your schedule gets busy or life “gets in the way”? What measures can you put in place to enforce accountability?

As a busy woman, here are a few rewards that drive me:

  • A period of peace and rest each day with my Savior
  • An ever-deepening relationship with God
  • Learning (I’m a life-student!)
  • Enlightened understanding (of even familiar passages)
  • Growth of personal peace and contentment as my faith deepens
  • The trickle-down effects that my commitment and spiritual growth have on my family

Choosing a Plan

After the commitment has been made to pursue daily Bible reading and your rewards are set before you, a plan should be chosen. This is the fun part! A huge number of Bible reading plans are available, so choose a plan that you’ll enjoy and that realistically fits you. Set yourself up for success. Remember, this goal is for Bible reading, not necessarily Bible study. I believe it’s crucial for Christians to both read the Bible for broad knowledge and study it for deeper understanding. Both are important elements in your walk. Choose a plan that will encourage you to read daily, and mark things down that you’d like to revisit later for Bible study.

So, where do you look for Bible reading plans and what should you choose? Great plans are available online as well as in Bible apps for smartphones and tablets, or you can come up with your own. Pray for God’s wisdom as you make your choice. If you’ve never read through the entire Bible, that’s a highly rewarding goal! It can be done in one year in just a few minutes a day. Or you may prefer to read daily concerning a certain topic. If your plan is shorter than one year, line up several plans so that when one ends your momentum is not lost—just begin the next plan!

Some resources that may be of help when choosing a plan and tracking your progress:

Tracking and Accountability

After you’ve made the commitment and chosen the plan, the next step is to do it. It seems so simple! So why do people burn out? Oftentimes, they aren’t keeping their goals before them. The task appears too big and the end too far ahead. Keeping the rewards in mind each day are helpful. You might write them on your tracking form or Bible journal and pray about them before you read each day. Use a tracking form to see your progress, and set up a method of accountability. Share your journey with your spouse, a friend or mentor, or even on social media.

Taking the time to share your progress on Facebook, Twitter, or even a captured image of your Bible time on Instagram are all great ways to hold yourself accountable and even encourage others to follow suit. If you fall behind, be kind to yourself! Try adding a few minutes to your reading time each day until you’ve caught back up, or reassess your goals if your life has unexpected changes that prevent you from catching up.

So, as 2013 wraps up and 2014 looms before you all fresh and new, consider making or renewing a commitment to meet with God daily as you read the pages of His Word. May you be richly blessed with a deepening relationship with Christ as He sanctifies your heart and grows you into a mature child of God.

Ali Shaw guest post on Do Not Depart

 

Alison Shaw can’t believe how blessed her life is!  She’s the wife of 20 years to her awesome, supportive soul mate, and momma to three beautiful daughters aged 19, 14, and 5. She’s learning to serve her Precious Lord more and more, day by day. You can catch her blogging at www.heartfeltreflections.wordpress.com to see the latest of what God’s been teaching her!

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