God’s Goodness for the Chosen

 

God’s Goodness for the Chosen is an eight-lesson Bible study for individuals or groups that follows each episode of Season 4 of The Chosen.

We see it repeatedly in the Bible: God brings good things out of bad things for the sake of His people and for His glory. But truth be told, when we personally experience suffering, we have a difficult time actually believing it. Yet, life is challenging even for the followers of Jesus, and hardship in the twenty-first century is no exception.

God’s Goodness for the Chosen takes readers through eight lessons which reveal how God uses suffering to bring about good things in the lives of those
He loves.

 

In this guide:
• Death is eclipsed by life
• Grief is eclipsed by praise
• Questions are eclipsed by resolve
• Confusion is eclipsed by grace
• Temporary things are eclipsed by eternal things
• Heartbreak is eclipsed by love
• Sin is eclipsed by obedience
• Pain is eclipsed by the fullness of God’s plan

The interactive Study Guides for each Season of The Chosen have been one of their more popular items. They are great for small groups, family devotions, or for individual study. Order your Study Guide here.

My Review: I loved it! I have only seen Episodes 1-3, but do have a general grasp of what happens in 4-8. Spoilers don't bother me, but if you don't like them, buy now but wait until Season 4 can stream on the app. (Message from Dallas) Using Scripture, Biblical explanations, "For Bible Nerds" deeper study, and scenes from the series, it adds a richer meaning. I also loved the Prayer Focus and the questions for the reader to answer. I definitely recommend "God's Goodness for the Chosen."

Giveaway: 1 copy of God’s Goodness for The Chosen Bible study (Note: This is limited to US winners only.) Please submit your full name and full mailing address by 3/29.

Disclosure: Many thanks to David C Cook for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

 

Core 52 - Mark E. Moore

With Mark E. Moore's Core 52, you can learn the 52 most important verses in the Bible in a year. If you devote fifteen minutes a day, you can master one verse per week.

"While there are lots of one-year Bible reading plans, few help you understand the words that you're reading. What if we could introduce you to a Bible reading plan that would dramatically increase your mastery of the Bible in one year? Mark Moore coaches you through 52 of the Bible's most important verses. These are the "core" of the Bible. Each verse clears the path to master and manage dozens of other verses that run along the same principle path. At the end of this journey, you will move from curiosity about the Bible to competence in the Bible. It is the quickest onramp to understanding the whole of God's Word for your life."

My Review: This book is an excellent resource to use for memorizing new Scripture weekly, and for putting it into practical use. Ranging from topics like Creation, Jesus and Moses, Covenants, Communion, Baptism, Leadership, Racism, Resurrection, and more... there are answers to many of the questions people ask about Christian faith. We know that various denominations interpret some things differently than others, but this book does not appear to sway the reader to a particular denominational belief but explains what God's Word says while including diverse viewpoints to give a deeper understanding.

Each of the 52 chapters provides a verse to go with the topic along with several pages of in-depth study as well as sharing the key points. For those who want to pursue the subject further, there are 5-day plans with additional info. Do you want more? Check out the Overachiever Challenge! Finally, if the reader still wants to dig deeper, Moore gives you a Bonus Read suggestion of another book source on the particular topic.

Basically, you can put in as little or as much as you wish each week, but at the end of a year you will be more knowledgable about Scripture for your own personal growth or to share with others who ask about your faith. I definitely recommend it for your personal library as a study resource.

As part of the Waterbrook Launch Team, I received a copy of this book at no cost to myself for review purposes. I am not required to write a positive review but asked if I will give my honest opinion.

#Waterbrook #PenguinRandomHouse

Bible Journaling Kit

Bible Journaling---making art in your Bible to create a more personal connection to Scripture and with God---has become more popular than ever. Have you tried it? Whether experienced at journaling or still considering it, this kit from Ellie Claire, a division of Worthy Publishing, is a fabulous collection of needed tools.

This Bible Journaling Kit comes complete with: 

• 4 sheets of word stickers
• 4 sheets alphabet stickers
• 24 tab stickers
• 8 colored pencil twists
• 1 journaling pen
• 1 pouch with adjustable strap
• 1 ruled page protector mat with tracing lines

If you are unused to writing in your Bible, or feeling intimidated by the prospect of creating Art, this kit is a perfect way to get started. Remember, this is for your spiritual journey and to help you to connect with God in a more personal way. This kit has all you need to get started! I know I have always liked to make notes or highlight passages that really speak to me. Going back through your Bible, you are then reminded of times that were especially meaningful.

Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC/FlyBy Promotions for sending me this kit.

**There is also a link for free coloring pages---AND another chance to win a Bible Journaling Kit! EllieClaire/Worthy Publishing is also sponsoring a giveaway with FIVE winners!! Winners will be announced on Dec. 15, 2016.
Enter at Bible Journaling Kit Giveaway

Here are places you can get kits for yourself or as gifts:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Book-A-Million
• Christian Book

Also check out the Ellie Claire Gift & Paper Expressions on Facebook for more amazing products. 

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Searching the Scriptures by Charles R. Swindoll

In Searching the Scriptures, Chuck Swindoll uses the imagery of preparing a meal to learn methods of preparing a spiritual feast to nourish our souls. A respected Bible teacher, Swindoll uses the tried and true methods he has learned at school and further honed in years of practicing to help everyone understand God’s Word, apply it, and communicate it clearly to others. With this guide and shared wisdom, you will be better prepared to nourish yourself and others with the meat, rather than spiritual milk only, as you dig into your Bible and study it diligently. Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to take the time and effort to study for themselves rather than simply learning what others have to say. Scripture can be wildly misinterpreted by some, so it is always good to study for yourself. I was reminded of 2 Timothy 2:15, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth." How better to do that than by studying for yourself? Using similar methods to preparing a meal, Swindoll divides his book into 3 parts:

• Stage 1 - Finding the Food
• Stage 2 - Preparing the Meal
• Stage 3 - Serving the Feast

Swindoll gives you a list of tools needed to help you begin the diligent study of God's Word, including some personal favorites he uses. Since the vast array that is available can be overwhelming, I loved getting his recommendations. Just as a novice cook can be bewildered at where to begin and what to have stocked, so can a new student of the Bible.

Throughout the book, he gives personal examples and instructions, along with homework at the end of each chapter to help you practice. On a personal note, I am not a good cook, but I am told that it is because I don't put time and effort into it. I can see the same principle working here. Instead of a diet of snack food...like memes or or random Facebook posts of Scripture, his goal is to help the reader learn to have the proper tools and ingredients, to study the effect of what does work or not work together (buttermilk, lard, and flour may not be good to eat alone, but mix them together and you can bake amazing biscuits) to create something filling and nourishing for your soul.

Finally, once you have learned how to study Scripture for yourself, you are then better equipped to share it with others...and to teach others how to do this for themselves. Does this look easy? No, I am actually a little intimidated by some of it (even more so than I am a cookbook!), but the reward of knowing I can study Scripture and gain greater understanding is well worth the effort. There are some amazing preachers and teachers to hear, but nothing beats doing it yourself. After all, we are instructed, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." - 1 Peter 3:15. It is always easier to explain something you have learned for yourself.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was only required to give an honest review.

Lazarus Awakening DVD Study Pack

Mary worshiped. Martha served. But what did Lazarus do to experience Jesus’s lavish love?

Filmed in the Holy Land, this DVD companion to Joanna Weaver’s book Lazarus Awakening explores the incredible truth that Jesus loves us apart from our works or our worthiness. He wants to call us out of our tombs and into friendship with Him.

Designed for use with the book and companion study guide, this three-disc DVD Bible study is formatted for both individual and group use, with content suitable for both men and women.
·         In-depth Bible study: Features eight 15- to 17-minute video sessions.
·         Bonus “Israel Moment” videos explore the life of Christ and the Holy Land.
·         Designed for use with the study guide and book.
·         Leader’s guide, promotional material, and retreat format included.

My Review: The author, Joanna Weaver is well known for her books on Mary and Martha and in this study, she brings Lazarus "to life" as a person whose life we can learn from if currently struggling through a time of spiritual darkness. The study guides the viewer to a place of fellowship with God and the knowledge that He wants to have a relationship with us. (A fact we all know, but not always fully accept.) This study gives you the chance to go really indepth and is suitable for self-study but it would be advantageous to do it as part of a group study, with the sense of community involved helping to bring awareness to the need of fellowship with God and others.

A negative for me was that some of the camera angles bothered me, so I did much better just listening, although I confess the scenes from the Holy Land were gorgeous. I also did this without reading the book. I have loved other books by this author, so I feel it would have been more advantageous and given me a greater understanding if I had experienced the book before attempting the study.

Disclaimer: I received this DVD/Study Guide Pack from Blogging for Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Joanna Weaver is the best-selling author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Having a Mary Spirit, Lazarus Awakening, and the award-winning gift book With This Ring. Her articles have appeared in such publications as Focus on the Family, Guideposts, and HomeLife. Joanna and her pastor-husband, John, have three children and live in Montana. Visit her website at www.JoannaWeaverBooks.com.

A Heart Like His by Beth Moore

We all go through times when we feel insignificant or times when we feel certain that we have experienced a degree of failure from which there is no return. This is not a reality we experience alone, but is one that a man after God’s heart experienced as well.

In “A Heart Like His,” Beth Moore looks at this bond of mutual love and admiration between a man who was not unlike any of us and the one true God who is all good and all powerful. The book is an exploration of David’s incredible life, drawing spiritual insights from a man who boldly fulfilled his divine destiny not merely by what he did, but who he loved and served.

Bringing lessons from David’s life to bear on your own, this picture of a man who loved and followed God will help you to serve with a heart focused on Him no matter the circumstance. (from the publisher)

I've never read a Beth Moore book I did not love, and this one is no exception. A Heart Like His follows the life of David from a teenaged shepherd to his final breath as the king of Israel. Using 9 different Psalms David wrote, Beth provides the history of what David was going through during that time. It is so easy to place his story into a few Sunday School stories that often gloss over certain details of his life, and forget that he was a man who had great victories, but also made many mistakes. I have never fought a giant, but I wept with David for his loss (and in remembrance of my own) when his infant son died. Reading of his many failures, mistakes, and sins is such a clear message that God can and will forgive when we seek His forgiveness. I laughed, I cried, I sympathized, I was appalled, but I learned new truths or was at least reminded of lessons I had forgotten.

This was written in a format that allows a straight read through but, it is encouraged that you read the Scripture in your own Bible for a deeper understanding. My complaint with the book is that it left me wanting to go even more indepth on the life of David. However, at the back of the book is an excerpt from Beth's 11 session dvd study on the life of David. Hopefully, I will have a chance to go through it soon. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially anyone who feels that they have failed God, family, and friends too many times. 

Vitals:

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 9781433677168
Page count: 336 Pages

USD: $14.99
Publication date: May 2012
Genre: NON-FICTION/Christian

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Deeper Kind Of Calm

This 4 week Bible Study is a follow-up to Calm My Anxious Heart, and is a wonderful guide to help a person deal with the trials and disappointments faced throughout a life time. The 4 Psalms used show how to REMEMBER what God has done in the past, to HIDE in His presence, to CLING to Him, and to PRAISE Him for what we cannot see. Most people can immediately come up with a time in their life that can be described as a "Valley Of Weeping", and this book provides instructions as you travel through that valley yourself, or as you encourage a friend who is struggling.

As a person who has gone through several valleys of this type, I can endorse this book as one very beneficial to anyone struggling with heartbreak or depression. The chapters are not very long, and the studies themselves allow each individual to reflect on the what the Psalmist is saying and how it could pertain to her individual situation. It is also set up to be used in either a small group setting or as a study you can do on your own. This makes it perfect for both the woman who needs to share her feelings with a group or for the one who needs to deal with the raw emotions alone first. This is certainly a book that will remain on my bookshelves for future needs.

Disclosure Of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."