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Month: July 2011

Bible Overview 3 (Week 9-12)

Kerugma Family Bible reading guide for use with young children. This guide is a no-fuss, easy to implement, overview of the Bible for the whole family.

This week we start our tour through the HISTORY books of the Bible:
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

Week 1-4 of the family Bible reading plan
Week 5-8 of the family Bible reading plan
This is part three week 9-12.

* Bible references are in the ESV. You may, of course, use the version of your choice.

Benefits:

  • for use with the family
  • 52 weeks of the year
  • 6 days a week
  • short time needed each day
  • weekly memory verse

Week Nine

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

~Joshua 24:14

  1. Joshua 1:1-11 – Be Strong & Courageous
  2. Joshua 2 Rahab and the Spies
  3. Joshua 5:13 — 6:27 Jericho
  4. Joshua 7 Achan’s Sin
  5. Joshua 9 The Israelite’s are Tricked
  6. Joshua 24:14-33 The Covenant Renewed

Week Ten

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. ~Ruth 1:16

  1. Judges 6:1-13 God Calls Gideon
  2. Judges 6:14-40 Gideon’s Sign
  3. Judges 7 Gideon’s Victory
  4. Judges 16:1-22 Samson and Delilah
  5. Judges 16:23-31 Samson’s Death
  6. Ruth 1 Naomi and Ruth

Week Eleven

For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.

~1Samuel 12:22

  1. 1Samuel 3 God Calls Samuel
  2. 1Samuel 16:1-13 Samuel Anoints David
  3. 1Samuel 16:14-23 David Serves Saul
  4. 1Samuel 17:1-37 David and Goliath
  5. 1Samuel 17:38-58 The Battle
  6. 1Samuel 20 David and Jonathon

Week Twelve

This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.

~ 2 Samuel 22:33-34

  1. 2 Samuel 5:1-10 Israel’s New King
  2. 2 Samuel 5:17-25 David Defeats the Philistines
  3. 2 Samuel 6:1-5 The Ark of God
  4. 2 Samuel 12:1-10 Nathan Confronts David
  5. 1 Kings 1:28-40 Solomon is King
  6. 1 Kings 3:1-15 Solomon asks for Wisdom

Week 1-4 of the family Bible reading plan
Week 5-8 of the family Bible reading plan
This is part three week 9-12.

To learn more about how we did Bible study you can read through our 4 step process page using the anagram IDEA: Introduce, Dig Deeper, Elaborate and Application.

Here are five sample lessons of the Kerugma Family Bible Study Guide.

 

Remembering John Stott

A few hours ago a precious man of God was taken home to be with the Lord. He was 90 years old. Family and close friends gathered with Stott today as they listened to Handel’s Messiah. Whilst I mourn the passing of such a dear man I am thankful for his years here on earth and all that he was able to accomplish.

The first book by Mr. Stott that I read was Basic Christianity but the book that had the most profound effect upon me was The Cross of Christ.

Visit the The John Stott Memorial

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross that symbolizes divine suffering. ”The cross of Christ . . . is God’s only self-justification in such a world” as ours. . . . “The other gods were strong; but thou wast weak; they rode, but thou didst stumble to a throne; But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak, And not a god has wounds, but thou alone.”
~John Stott
The Cross of Christ

Have you read any of John Stott’s books? Which one had the most impact upon your life? If you haven’t read any of his works, I’d like to strongly encourage you to do so.

Site news: new design, looking forward

It’s nowhere near finished. It currently looks like something that the cat dragged in. But it is up and running. My website, that is. If you’re reading this in a feed reader you won’t notice but I took the site down, deleted 50% of the posts and started again with a whole new design. No, it isn’t just that I’m bored. Ah, far from it. But it does fit in with my streamlining plans for the future.

You may notice that there are now 3 navigation bars: one at the very top linking to pages and the secondary menu linking to categories. The 3rd menu is at the very bottom of the page and contains all the boring but necessary stuff, like my new Disclaimer/Disclosure policy. The other page you may notice is the “Things I Like” page where I link to some products and services that I like.
I know that the rotating image viewer on the front page is all skewiff but with the wedding in 17 days I can’t afford to devote any more time to it just yet. I’m also aware that there are broken links but again, that will have to wait until after the wedding.

For now, it is quite pedestrian and wrinkly but over time I’ll get it straightened out. If you notice a particular design problem, and want to shoot me a quick email I’d be most appreciative.

Bible overview 2

Kerugma Family Bible reading guide for use with young children. This guide is a no-fuss, easy to implement, overview of the Bible for the whole family.

This is part two (2 of 12). Go here for part one. I will post a new 4 week plan every Friday.
* Bible references are in the ESV. You may, of course, use the version of your choice.

Benefits:

  • for use with the family
  • 52 weeks of the year
  • 6 days a week
  • short time needed each day
  • weekly memory verse

Week Five

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
~Exodus 6:7

  1. Exodus 1:22–2:10 The birth of Moses
  2. Exodus 2:11-23 Moses runs away from God
  3. Exodus 3:1-10 The burning bush
  4. Exodus 3: 11-22 Moses’ Job
  5. Exodus 6:1-13, 26-30 God promises help
  6. Exodus 10:1-20 The ten plagues

Week Six

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
~Exodus 14:14

  1. Exodus 10:21-29 The plague of darkness
  2. Exodus 12:1-20, 28-32 The passover
  3. Exodus 14:13-31 Crossing the Red Sea
  4. Exodus 19 Mount Sinai
  5. Exodus 20 The ten commandments
  6. Exodus 32:1-23 Israelites rebel

Week Seven

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
~Numbers 6:24-26

  1. Leviticus 18:1-5 Keeping God’s law
  2. Leviticus 26:1-13 Reward for obedience
  3. Leviticus 26:14-26 Punishment for disobedience
  4. Numbers 9:15-23 Following a cloud
  5. Numbers 11 Complaining to God

Week Eight

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
~Deuteronomy 6:5

  1. Numbers 14:1-30 Israelites rebel
  2. Deuteronomy 4:1-14 God is near
  3. Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 25-40 No other God
  4. Deuteronomy 8 Not forgetting the Lord
  5. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Blessings for obedience
  6. Deuteronomy 28:15-35 Curses for Israel’s disobedience

This marks the end our journey through the Books of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
I know it has been quick but this reading plan is to introduce your children to an overview of the Bible. Some scholars (and lay persons) spend years or even a lifetime on a particular book but that is not the aim of this quick overview. After this reading plan has been completed, you could go through the Bible again with another plan or using a Chronological Bible. However, this is a good plan for getting through the Bible (the main parts) in one year.

To learn more about how we did Bible study you can read through our 4 step process page using the anagram IDEA: Introduce, Dig Deeper, Elaborate and Application.

Here are  five sample lessons of the Kerugma Family Bible Study Guide.

 

Almost 800 pages

This site contains (at the time of writing) 732 published posts and 62 published pages? That’s 794 in total. That’s over 6 years worth of writing, quoting and linking. So it stands to reason that there are many links which are broken, outdated or no longer existing. I am s-l-o-w-l-y going through the whole site and trying to correct or delete them. It’s a painful process which necessitates the consumption of ample amounts of coffee and chocolate.

In the meantime you may come across a broken link to my site and for that I apologise. However, you could use the advanced search, the site map, the articles page, the archives or subscribe to the rss feeds.  Or maybe you were looking for the free downloads? You can also contact me via email, facebook or twitter – just click on the pretty little pictures at the top of the right hand sidebar.

Please be patient. I hope to have most of the links fixed soon.

Through the Bible overview (for families of littlies)

Kerugma Family Bible reading guide for use with young children. This guide is a no-fuss, easy to carry out, overview of the Bible for the whole family.
Here are four weeks in advance. I will post a new 4 week plan every Friday.
* Bible references are in the ESV. You may, of course, use the version of your choice.

Benefits:

  • for use with the family
  • 52 weeks of the year
  • 6 days a week
  • short time needed each day
  • weekly memory verse

Week One

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ~Gen 1:31

  1. Genesis 1:1-24 Story of Creation
  2. Gen 1:25-31 Ruling Creation
  3. Gen 2 Adam & Eve
  4. Gen 3 Sin enters God’s perfect world
  5. Gen 4:1-15 Cain & Abel
  6. Gen 4:16-26 Cain is sent away

Week Two

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;t walk before me, and be blameless ~Gen 17:1

  1. Gen 7:1-10  Story of Noah
  2. Gen 7:11-24 The Flood
  3. Gen 8:1-17 The rain stops
  4. Gen 8:18-22 The Promise
  5. Gen 15 God’s covenant with Abraham
  6. Gen 21:1-21 and Gen 22:17-18

Week Three

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. ~Gen 28:15

  1. Gen 22:1-14 Abraham tested
  2. Gen 22:15-24 Abraham blessed
  3. Gen 27:1-29 Isaac’s blessing
  4. Gen 27:30-46 Esau upset
  5. Gen 28:1-9 Jacob flees
  6. Gen 28:10-22 Jacob’s dream

Week Four

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ~Gen 50:20

  1. Gen 33 Jacob meets Esau
  2. Gen 37:1-11 Joseph’s Dreams
  3. Gen 37:12-36 Joseph sold into slavery
  4. Gen 41: 1-36 Pharaoh’s dream
  5. Gen 41:37-57 Joseph in charge of Egypt
  6. Gen 45 Joseph makes himself known

To learn more about how we did Bible study you can read through our 4 step process page using the anagram IDEA: Introduce, Dig Deeper, Elaborate and Application.

Here are  five sample lessons of the Kerugma Family Bible Study Guide.

 

Your turn: family bible study

Some years ago I ran a series of questions on my blog where I asked questions, inviting you, the reader, to share with me. You can see more of these posts here. I’d like to start that back up again. So please do share, either by leaving a comment below or linking to your own blog post.

We all desire for our children to know and love the Lord and be literate when it comes to the Bible. What have you done this week toward that? What lessons from the word have you learned with your family over the last week? What do you plan to study (read- memorise-apply) in the following week?

If you are at a loss for where or how to start, what can I do to help you?

Coffee explained

I’m not 100% sure that Abi would agree with this and I’m sure she will correct me if it is wrong but here is a cup of coffee explained.

Coffee-Explained

Image courtesy of http://fooducate.com

I used to have a cappuccino but find they are way too frothy for me nowadays. I stick to latte’s or a flat white.

How do you take your coffee?

How to write a best seller

And why I have not tried…

“The best way to write a best-selling book is to know who your audience is (and what they want) before you start writing. You should know everything there is to know about your readers in advance, and then write your book. Most people do it backwards.”   ~John Locke

A few years ago I wanted to write a book. No great surprise there, I suppose. Lots of homeschoolers want to write a book. I think it has something to do with our love of language and our willingness to communicate via literary language.  I used the Bible as our primary textbook for homeschooling. We studied English, Science, Geography, Art and History using God’s word. For a season we used many of the Heart of Wisdom unit studies (which I wholeheartedly recommend) before I modified the HOW methodology to suit our family. Our family bible study pages are a result of that.

Family Bible Study

I wanted to share how we studied the Bible in our family. I saw many parents desiring to impart a love of God’s word to their children but had no idea how to go about it. I observed countless parents who led the family in Bible study using consumable, pre digested bible studies yet they didn’t know how to study the scriptures for themselves. I wanted to write how we did things in our family.

Unlike some other committed womenaka Robin Sampson & Anne Elliott I seem to lack the consistency to write. Maybe the desire was there but it was not the right season for me at that time. Only God knows. But now, a few years later I am glad that I didn’t write Family Bible Study Companion. I’m glad I am not writing a how-to book for homeschoolers or parents. Because, simply, I would be doing it all backwards, as John Locke would say.

On the other hand, I’m not sure I do agree with his statement. Oh it might be correct when attempting to write a best seller but what if that is not one’s goal? What if my desire is to simply share a facet of our study habits? Does it change things?

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with the above quote?