Faith – Page 4 – Leah E. Good

January 14, 2016January 14, 2016

Book Giveaway: A Closer Look at the Evidence

3946652 — Me and Gram Rose on New Years Eve (Dec 2007)

I’m posting a day early this week because tomorrow my family will be at services for my Great-Grandmother who passed away Monday evening. She was born two months after the Titanic sank and had a full 103 years of life. She also knew the Lord, so we can celebrate her home going. 🙂 Please pray for my family’s testimony tomorrow! And also pray that I can sing as planned–I’m fighting a sore throat today.

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So, who wants to know who won the Daily Light from the Bible giveaway? I know I was eager to find out! Our winner is…

Becky Aino

The winner was chosen by Random.org, and Becky definitely earned her win! She tweeted about the giveaway every day. I’ll be emailing you to get your address, Becky.

Closer Look at the Evidence, A This week’s devotional giveaway is a really neat one for those who enjoy creation science. I discovered A Closer Look at the Evidence on Mike Snavely’s book table when he came to speak for our state homeschool organization several months ago.

This book has a “devotional nugget” for every day of the year. According to the back cover, “A Closer Look draws from over 70 expert sources to show how 26 different areas of knowledge confirm that God’s Word can be trusted as a basis for truth, guidance, and hope.”

Anyone who enjoys ministries like Institute of Creation Research, The Creation Museum, and Mission Imperative will find this devotional intriguing!

January 14: Evidence From History

Jesus Christ is not a mythological character. Evidences of His existence can be verified by many sources.

First, there is the testimony of the New Testament documents. All 27 New Testament books were completed within 60 years of Christ’s resurrection. Ten of these books were written by Christ’s personal friends. At least thirteen were written by Paul, an eyewitness of Christ’s life.

Second, The Jewish Babylonian Talmud and the writings of the famous Jewish historian Josephus bear witness to the historical presence of Christ. Their testimony to Christ’s existence is all the more valuable, because the Jews not only rejected Christ, but were extremely hostile toward Him. Many of these writings contain lies and distortions, but the very fact He merits attention supports His historical existence.

Third, ancient nonreligious historical writings also bear record of Christ. For example, Pliny, the governor of Bithynia (around 112 A.D.); the Roman historian Tacitus (115 A.D.); and the popular Roman writer Seutonius (about 120 A.D.) all acknowledge the existence of Christ.

A Study Course In Christian Evidences, p. 140-141

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem… Matthew 2:1

Now it’s your turn! Use the image link below to enter for your chance to win* this devotional!

What’s your favorite Christian Evidences ministry? Do have a favorite Christian Evidences fact you can share?

P.S. If you liked the look of Daily Light in the Bible but didn’t win, you can buy a used copy for $0.01 + shipping on Amazon. I’d highly recommend giving it a try.

*The prize book for this giveaway can only be shipped within the continental United States.

January 8, 2016January 8, 2016

Book Giveaway: Daily Light from the Bible

Daily Light from the Bible This little devotional has floated around our home for years, but I just recently decided to explore it for myself. It’s simple, easy to read, and has become a refreshing way to start my days at work with the right mindset.

My favorite part of Daily Light from the Bible is that the entire devotional is scripture. Story and commentary devotionals certainly have their place (I’ll be giving away one or two of those this month), but God’s word is more than enough on it’s own. It is powerful, challenging, and peace-giving.

In this book, there are two devotional readings–morning and evening–for each day of the year. The scriptures that comprise each reading are arranged around a topic. For example, the reading this morning was:

They that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.–I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.–For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints, they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.–The LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.–Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.

Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Who would like to incorporate this book into their time with God during 2016? I’m giving away a (used) copy of Daily Light from the Bible this week! Giveaway ends January 14th.

Do you use a scripture reading plan or have a specific way you go about spending time with God? Have any tips for other readers on how they can dig deeper in their walk with the Lord? What is your favorite devotional?

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016

Author Interview: Steve Rzasa

Back in November, I reviewed two sci-fi novels, The Word Reclaimed and The Word Unleashed. Author Steve Rzasa was kind enough to answer a few questions for an author interview. Enjoy!

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Welcome to Leah’s Bookshelf, Steve! Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself?

Steve Rzasa here. I’m a librarian and recovering journalist, educated at Boston University and a native of New Jersey—more specifically, the region we natives call “South Jersey.” It matters. I’ve lived there, Massachusetts, Maine, and my current locale of Wyoming. My wife is a teacher and we have two boys in middle school grades. Those boys are my biggest fans and when I come out with a new book, they’re ready to read. Does a dad’s heart good.

What do you write, why do you write it, and what inspires you?

I primarily write science-fiction, though I’ve also written steampunk, fantasy, and a superhero novel (the latter of which has yet to be finished). These genres all appeal to me because of their fantastical qualities. They make people dream, and exercise the imagination to the max. Most of my inspiration comes from history. There’s so many stories you can adapt from historical accounts and figures that it boggles the mind. I also draw inspiration from the real science advances these days.

Of course, with all my books, I try to touch on Biblical themes and the sovereignty of God. That is a vital theme that you can expect to find in all my work, whether blatant or subtle. Reader be warned.

What kind of research did you do while creating the world and tech of the Face of the Deep series? What are some neat facts you learned and how did you find out about them?

Ironically, most of my research was old-school. I read current and back issues of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics to glean near-future technologies and expand on ideas there into far-future concepts. For the Realm of Five, I played around with some historical governments and did my best to adapt that to a spacefaring confederacy/kingdom. One neat fact I learned was the existence of experimental plastics that, when electrical currents are applied, expand into a hardened shape. That formed the aerowings used by the Starkweather Lancers.

If Baden had to chose an alias, what would it be?

Given his sense of humor and newfound appreciation for the written Word, I’d say “Bill Tyndale,” in honor of the original Bible smuggler.

I know you have at least one cool new book in the works. Tell us about what you’re working on now and what we should be looking to add to our bookshelves in the future. 🙂

The real question is, what haven’t I been working on? Let’s see: I finished my rough draft of The Word Endangered, the follow-up in The Face of the Deep that continues the adventure 10 years later in the same story universe. Enclave Publishing will release it in July. I’m also self-publishing a novel tentatively titled For Us Humans, which is an alternate modern day of Earth occupied by aliens. There’s another sci-fi project I’m beginning this winter which is top secret, for now, but should be out in early spring. Add to that some short story plans and another book idea I started on a couple weeks ago, and it adds up to a very busy—but happy!—writer.

P.S. Steve gave me some inside info that he’s signed the contract for The Word Endangered to be published by Enclave Publishing in July 2016 and turned it over to an editor.

Thanks for the interview, Steve!

Do you have any questions for Mr. Rzasa?

December 12, 2015November 28, 2017

Book Review: The Mystery of the Indian Carvings

Mystery of the Indian Carvings Young Julie is troubled by her mother’s death and her dislike for her new stepmother, who doesn’t want Julie around for the summer. Instead, Julie is being sent to live on an island with relatives she doesn’t know. To make matters worse, her first weeks don’t go well. Her uncle rarely shows his face, her aunt is plagued by anxiety, and her cousin seems to hate her. Julie begins to think her time on the island will be short lived.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking a step back from the intense, emotionally wringing tales of young adult, new adult, and adult fiction to enjoy the simple clarity of this middle grade story. The Mystery of the Indian Carvings is fast paced and perfect for it’s target audience. Tween readers will get a thrill of adventure and solid lessons about trusting God, just like I did when I read Repp’s Mik-Shrok series as a tween.

If you have younger siblings or are the parent of readers age 8-13, this is a great book to share with them.

December 4, 2015June 5, 2020

Book Review: Ruth

Ruth

“Belief is something that can happen in a minute,” Ruth said slowly, groping for the words. “In the way that the sun can come through the clouds suddenly after a storm. But faith — that’s something different. More like the almond blossoms I guess … They grow so slowly from bud to blossom that you’re hardly aware of it.”

Though married to and in love with Hebrew Mahlon, Ruth has never embraced the Jewish religion as her own. She also wastes little devotion on worship of Chemosh, the god of her own people. When death steals Mahlon and smothers the last hope of an heir for the house of Elimelech, the three widows of the household are left to struggle for survival. Naomi longs to return to her homeland. In her own quiet way, Ruth promises that if Naomi’s God provides a miracle and opens a way for them to travel to Bethlehem, she will go with Naomi and know that the God of Israel is the true God.

Though very simple and old-fashioned, I believe you (like me) will find this book hard to put down after the first 50 pages. I have read the story of Ruth more times than I can count. Despite knowing the entire plot and how the tale would end, watching Ruth’s faith grow and experiencing love blossom between her and Boaz kept me reading as if I’d never heard the story before.

Published in the 1980s, author Lois T. Henderson depicts a much less romanticized version of Bible times than more recent books. I have found the unique angle of her stories refreshing! That said, where the Bible shows the budding and development of love and marriage, Henderson does not shy from weaving those threads into prominent view in her tales.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of Bible fiction, classics, and non-mainstream books.

November 13, 2015

Book Review: Priscilla & Aquila

Sometimes it’s fun to branch out and read something very different from your normal reading habits. Priscilla & Aquila certainly fit that description for me.

I stumbled across author Lois T. Henderson while skimming through various Biblical fiction novels on Amazon. She wrote a series of books based on the lives of various women in the Bible. Since the books were inexpensive (I think I paid $0.47 + shipping), I decided to give her a try. I picked Priscilla & Aquila because they’re my favorite couple in the Bible.

This book begins when 15 year old Priscilla learns that her family has decided it’s time for her to marry (she’s been of age for three years, after all). They even have a man in mind. Aquila has talked his father into approaching Marcus Justinius to request his granddaughter’s hand in marriage. Smitten by Priscilla’s unique appearance, Aquila doesn’t know of his chosen bride’s equally unique education. As they enter life together, both must wrestle with their position and responsibilities as man and wife. Things become even more complicated when Aquila becomes a follower of Jesus Christ and wishes Priscilla to be baptized with him. Life as followers of The Way is not easy. Driven from their familiar lives by conflict among the Jehovites, they must learn to follow the Lord, fulfill their Biblical roles, and be sensitive to the leading the the Holy Spirit now dwelling within them.

One of things that sets this book apart is Lois T. Henderson’s strict adherence to the culture of the times. Most novels set in Bible times only superficially acknowledge the gender roles and expectations of the time. This is not true of Priscilla & Aquila. The author does not shy away from extreme submission demanded of wives during this time period. Poor Priscilla, who loves to read and study Greek and the Torah, struggles to avoid all such things while pregnant out of a belief that “thinking too much” will hurt the child growing within her!

Priscilla and Aquila are both lovely, real characters. The author did not allow either of them to be cardboard, “perfect” people. They fear and grow angry, envy and weep. They also love fiercely and dedicate unflinching determination to doing what is right. The ease of relating to Priscilla’s hopes, fears, and deep inward desires is what drew me into the first 100 pages of this book.

Priscilla & Aquila is especially suited for readers who enjoy Bible fiction and classics. While not old enough to be a classic, Lois T. Henderson writes using a story telling style that will be best appreciated by those who enjoy old books.

P.S. Priscilla & Aquila are a married couple in a culture that emphasized a wife’s “comfort” to her husband. The author does not shy away from alluding to this aspect of marriage. It’s done very tastefully, but for this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this book for young readers.

October 30, 2015October 31, 2015

How To Be More Productive And Make Time To Read!

Every bookworm has a problem that will never go away. The wonderful worlds tucked into the pages of your to-read list beckons, but the real world holds an even stronger claim to your time. Like it or not, schoolwork takes priority over pleasure reading. A large percent of the readers responding to the Bookish Needs Survey say, “I just don’t have enough time to read!”

Guess what? I totally understand!

After spending some time thinking the problem over, I came to a few conclusions.

My Three Conclusions

The desire to read isn’t going away.
I can’t get rid of or diminish the demands of real life. Besides, who would really want to do that? Real life is where the living happens. We wouldn’t want to get rid of it!
If two things have to co-exist, you might as well make them get along!

How can we make our desire to read happily coexist with the need to be responsible and productive?

The Pomodoro Technique

Several years ago, I sat at a homeschool conference listening to a lecture by Woody Robertson, one of the founders of Lumerit Education (also known as CollegePlus). He was talking about best practices for learning and retaining information. One of the study techniques he talked about was the Pomodoro Technique. I’ll let you in on a secret — I had to use Google to find out the official name of the technique. I mentally labeled the tool as a study rhythm.

In essence, the Pomodoro Technique is designed to increase productivity and reduce mental fatigue by placing short breaks between work periods. You work for 100 minutes and take a break for 20, then start over again.

Schoolwork and Reading Become Friends

Working on a timer can be a great tool in many situations. Writers compete in “word wars” to see who can write the most words in a set amount of time. Parents set timers to tell their children how long they have to practice the piano. Blocking out time to really focus can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your studying. Try it. Set the timer for an hour and commit to completing a specific task before it goes off. You can do a lot in an hour! Read a chapter of your history book. Complete your math problems. Draft an essay. Even attend a college class!

When that timer goes off, set it again (for a shorter period of time) and enjoy taking that time to read (or do something else for fun) without feeling guilty. Taking breaks can improve your productivity. The trick is to stay disciplined and dive back into your next study session when the break period is over. Try spend 80% of your time working and 20% breaking … not the other way around!

If you can train yourself to use this schedule, you’ll have time to read without feeling guilty and will get through your work faster too!

Even More Benefits

Using time management techniques is an awesome way to make more time for the books we love, but in case that’s not enough, there are even more benefits!

Time management is a Biblical principle. That’s right! Learning how to make good use of your time is being obedient to God — and that’s way more important that reading the next novel on your list. Ephesians 5:16 tells us to redeem the time because the days are evil. Don’t forget to make time to read your Bible!
Time management is a marketable skill. Earlier this week I had a job interview. As we talked about my unusual path through college, the interview said, “I imagine that you had to learn time management skills to do college that way.” I agreed and elaborated on the subject when she asked me to. Learning to make good use of your time will serve you well throughout your life.

How can you apply time management techniques to more effectively plow through work and make time for reading? What time managements have you found helpful in the past?

October 23, 2015October 21, 2015

Book Review: The Word Reclaimed

Counted Worthy meets Ender’s Game in this epic intergalactic tale tale built on a solidly Christian foundation.

My brother read this book before I did and promptly insisted that it should rise to the top of my to-read list. “It’s just like Counted Worthy,” he said, “but with more sci-fi elements.” He was right. Steve Rzasa’s space odyssey depicts a society where Christians desperately cling to the last fragmented antiques of God’s word. Many of those struggling to remain faithful have only faint memories of the gospel they wish to live by. The military division dedicated to suppressing religion is growing in strength, forcing those who mistrust it to formulate drastic plans. Just in case.

Unlike Counted Worthy, the main characters of The Word Reclaimed are not Christians. They live in a world where Christ followers are rare, God’s word is rarer, and religion–though officially tolerated–is a dangerous stigma. Nevertheless, a chance discovery and treachery that threatens everything they know will bring surprises and revelations to everyone.

If you enjoy meticulously crafted fictional worlds, tactical details, and a strong Christian message, this book will be an immediate favorite.