Sword Study Series, 2 Timothy

If you have tried to study the Bible together as a family, you are painfully aware that it has been impossible to find a study that suits every age level in your family . . . until now. The Sword Study series from the Shelby Kennedy Foundation is now available to help you and your family become students of the Word together. The Sword Study series includes materials for everyone from ages 4 to 104.

Organized into different levels according to age, each study provides in-depth material from the same book of the Bible. Each study book is synchronized to cover the same truths at the same time but with graphics and learning tools appropriate for the age group.

• Level 1, for ages 4-7, is an activity book with coloring, drawing, matching and other fun learning tools.
• Level 2, for ages 7-10, contains light reading, fill-in-the-blank, and application sections.
• Level 3, for ages 11-14, involves more investigation and questions for the student to answer.
• Level 4, for teens and adults, steps up the reading and the depth of study including the definition of several Greek or Hebrew terms.
• Level 5 is for the parent or study leader with guidance and background to lead a group of all ages.
  

The Sword Study series, originally created for competitors in The Shelby Kennedy Foundation's National Bible Bee, is now available to everyone for the first time. Families no longer have to compete in the Bible Bee to establish family discipleship in the home with this one-of-a-kind study.  The Sword Study available now is II Timothy. I John is also available to the public and I Peter is scheduled for release in the fall of 2013. A new study is scheduled to be released each year. For more information visit www.swordstudy.org.    

 

About the Shelby Kennedy Foundation
The Shelby Kennedy Foundation exists to help families strengthen their personal relationship with the Lord.  They do this by coming along side parents as they disciple their children through in-depth study of the Word of God, Scripture memory and prayer. For more information visit www.swordstudy.org.   



Margie's Comments: I received all five books (levels of study) in the 2 Timothy study from Glass Road Public Relations in exchange for a review. (This posting was supposed to have happened September 9, but my Internet went down on the 6th and it has just been restored.) I'm very glad I signed up to be part of the blog tour/publicity for this great family oriented Bible study. I wish something like this would have been available when my children were growing up. I love how each age group is involved in active study of the Word of God, complete with age-appropriate worksheets, readings, and memorization. The 5th level I found most helpful for my own study of the Word and for preparing to lead a study with several age groups involved. I will definitely be keeping this in mind for possible use at our small church and for recommending to families who want a Bible study that will engage all age levels.

Five Miles South of Peculiar by Angela Hunt

About the book:

Darlene Caldwell has spent a lifetime tending Sycamores, an estate located five miles south of a small town called Peculiar. She raised a family in the spacious home that was her grandfather's legacy and she enjoys being a pillar of the community . . . until her limelight-stealing twin sister unexpectedly returns.

Carlene Caldwell, veteran of the Broadway stage, is devastated when she realizes that a botched throat surgery has spelled the end of her musical career. Searching for a new purpose in life, she retreats to Sycamores, her childhood home.

Haunted by a tragic romance, Magnolia Caldwell is the youngest of the Caldwell girls. Nolie spends her days caring for her dogs and the magnificent gardens she's created, but when she meets a man haunted by tragedy, she must find the courage to either deny her heart or cut the apron strings that tie her to a dear and familiar place. 

About the Author:

With nearly 4 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than one hundred books, including The Tale of Three Trees, Don't Bet Against Me, The Note, and The Nativity Story. Her nonfiction book Don't Bet Against Me, written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She and her husband make their home in Florida with their dogs. Learn more about Angela at AngelaElwellHunt.com.

Margie’s Comments: I always look forward to a new Angela Hunt book, and this newest release, Five Miles South of Peculiar, doesn’t disappoint. The story of three sisters at a crossroads of change but needing to deal with the issues and hurts of the past before they can move forward is one that the majority of us understand and many have lived. As I read, I was once again reminded of my brother and sister and the wonderfully blessed relationships we now share. This is a book about relationships and our perception, sometimes skews, of events and people who affect those relationships. It’s a story about God’s love, grace, and forgiveness that heals the hurts, the misconceptions, and enables us to move forward in extending love and grace and forgiveness to those who are closest to us. I highly recommend this book.

(I received this free book in exchange for a review from Glass Road Public Relations.)

Treasures of Healthy Living by Annette Reeder and Dr. Richard Couey

Treasures of Healthy Living

by Annette Reeder and Dr. Richard Couey

Get ready to get healthy God's way. There are dramatic health benefits when we eat the food God provides for us instead of the processed packaged food man provides. Since changing their diet in 2003, Annette and her husband have come off of all their prescriptions, lowered triglycerides from over 900 to 140, lowered cholesterol from 300 to 160, and lowered their blood pressure to normal.

Annette Reeder, a Biblical Nutrition Consultant, is leading people all around the country on an adventure with the power of food to change lives one meal and prayer at a time. Annette is a graduate of Liberty University and Huntington College Health Sciences and the founder of Designed Healthy Living a nutrition consulting ministry.

Margie's Comments: My stress-eating weight gain at the end of last year and the first of this year brought on by Roger's year-long unemployment, moving for him to have a job, and having to short sale our house in Denver resulted in needing to lose 20–25 pounds. We already eat fairly healthy because of Roger's diabetes, but the in-between meal snacking and constantly "needing" something in my mouth while I work did me in. This book tour for Glass Road Public Relations came at a time when I was motivated to do more. The author approaches the subject of healthy eating and living with a Bible study, guiding the reader through basic principles in God's Word. She intersperses the biblical teaching with facts about eating right, getting enough exercise, and working on a living and vibrant relationship with the Lord. Reading and working through this book has reaffirmed much of what I already knew and has encouraged me to be more consistent in incorporating those principles into my life. 

(This book was provided free by Glass Road Public Relations and the publisher for the purpose of review.)

The Qur'an Dilemma

The Qur’an Dilemma

Former Muslims Analyze Islam’s Holiest Book

Volume ONE

Glass Road Public Relations sent me a free copy of this book to review. Here is what Glass Road says about this project:

We know that the Muslim population is growing in the U.S. And we know that Jesus can save a Muslim as easily as He can save anyone who comes to Him. And we know that we have as much responsibility as Christians to reach Muslims with the saving Truth of the Gospel as we do anyone else walking this earth.

But what do Muslims believe? How can we know—really know—that what we are told about Islam is true? How can we even begin a conversation with someone whose way of life and religion we know nothing of . . . and may even be fearful of?

For the first time in history, we can know exactly what The Quran says. A group of former Muslims who became Christians several years ago decided to take on an enormous task: go through the Quran, sura by sura (sura is akin to chapter) and share it in Arabic and English. The result is Volume I of The Quran Dilemma.

Unlike Christianity, Islam doesn't encourage its believers to own a copy of the Quran and read it for themselves. They are dependent on the imam (something like the local preacher, in Christianity) to read from the Quran and interpret it.

But now it is accessible. You can read it for yourself, along with articles about what Islam says regarding certain topics, whether that verse's directive was later changed when Mohammed claimed to get a new revelation, and more.

And you can know that you are reading something created by people who love Jesus for who He says He was and is.

I’ve long been interested in the teachings of the Muslims, but never have found a book that I felt was comprehensive or well written enough to keep my attention. Plus I didn’t want something that a strong bias for or against Islam. This seemed to be the book I was looking for. So I requested to be a part of the blog tour.

However, with our recent move, the book didn’t catch up to me until last week. I’m glad it did. It’s a beautifully bound hardcover with full color pages of text and page design. But not only does the beauty of the book catch my attention, the content is fascinating and insightful. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to peruse it in detail because of the book’s late arrival. I look forward to doing that in the near future.

The following is from the information Glass Road sent with the book and is a comprehensive survey of what this project is about and what the first volume contains:

Fast Facts

v The Qur’an is the very foundation of Islam. It is the source of all Islamic laws and practices, religious or otherwise, in Islamic countries and societies.

v The current Qur’an is divided into 114 chapters, or suras, of different lengths. This first volume of The Qur’an Dilemma investigates the first nine of these suras.

v Each sura contains the text of the Qur’an (Palmer translation) complemented with these well-annotated elements:

Ø  Sura Introduction

o   Highlights backgrounds and outlines major subjects and issues for discussion at each sura

Ø  Critical analysis of key verses

o   Focuses on their historical accounts, scientific information, logic, linguistic and literary structure

Ø  Variant readings of certain verses

o   Highlights how the original Arabic Text has been read by others in ways that differ from the current common readings

o   Emphasis is given to the variation in the text itself, especially by those who do not agree with the current codification made by ‘Uthman’s committee

Ø  Abrogated verses with analytical comments

o   Explains how the authority and understanding of such verses are impacted by other verses. (Abrogation is a phenomenon or doctrine peculiar to the Qur’an, in which hundreds of verses have been annulled or replaced by other verses.)

v The Qur’an Dilemma also contains valuable articles on several topics that will interest and enlighten the reader, such as the “Compilation of The Qur’an” status of “Women in Islam,” and treatment of “People of Other Faiths,” to name a few.

v The book contains a glossary to help support the reader and a Who’s Who section that provides a brief bibliographical synopsis of some of the mentioned Islamic scholars, exegetes, and historical figures.

v Although written by former Muslims, The Qur’an Dilemma uses Islamic classical references in their original languages to satisfy the scholar. Yet this commentary is written in a fluid language that allows average readers to enjoy these materials and increase their knowledge of Islam.

Background

Today, America is faced with a stealthy ideological threat: Sharia law. The word Sharia, translated, means “the path or the way.” Sharia is a comprehensive legal and socio-political framework. Even though Sharia law may have a spiritual and religious tone, it seeks to regulate all manner of behavior in the secular sphere, including economic, social, military, legal, spiritual, and political.

Sharia law is considered the dividing fault-line between Islamic reformers (i.e. Moderates) and supremacists (Radicals). Reformers consider Sharia law to be a reference point for a Muslim’s personal conduct that should not be imposed on other pluralistic societies. Supremacists, on the other hand, seek to impose a totalitarian system under which all Muslims are required to obey and install Sharia law, and the world is mandated to adopt it. Failure to fulfill such domination is considered to be a failure against Islam as a universal religion and Allah’s mandates.

Under the radical’s view, the West is perceived as an obstacle to be overcome and over-rules, and not a civilization that can be embraced or adhered to.

Since 9/11, many in the US and the West have realized the risk raised by violent Islamic jihadist and radicals, who have launched an all-out war against all Western societies and their allies in the Middle East. However, despite such appreciation of this threat, many (including peaceful and moderate Muslims) have fallen short of recognizing the peril posed by Islamic jihadists and radicals who operate by deceit and stealth from within the gates of liberal and democratic societies. Such Islamic Supremacists believe that Islam is superior to every other culture as taught by the Qur’an, “You are the best of Peoples, evolved for mankind” (Q3:110), that non-Muslims are “the most vile of created beings” (Q98:6), and that mercy toward other civilians is only commanded toward Muslims as they are commanded in this verse to be “merciful to one another, but ruthless to the unbelievers” (Q48:29).

Where do Islamic jihadists and radicals draw support for their radical views? They rely first and foremost on the Qur’an, and normally recite its verses in support of their views and actions.

           

v “fight the idolaters utterly” (Q9:36)

v “fight those who believe not in God . . . even if they be People of the Book” (Q9:51)

v “take not the Jews and the Christians as friends and protectors . . . and he amongst you (Muslims) who turn to them for friendship is of them” (Q5:51).

The Qur’an also teaches the Doctrine of Abrogation, by which earlier commands by Allah, even commands to be peaceful toward others, were cancelled by latter verses (Q2:106). It also sanctions the killing of those who leave Islam (Q16:106), it calls all other laws un-Islamic and considers its followers—even if they were Muslims—to be unbelievers (Q5:47), and when it comes to equality between genders, the Qur’an very clearly relegates women to a status inferior to men (Q2:282; 4:3; 4:34).

The Qur’an Dilemma reveals these truths and more concerning the contents and teachings of the Qur’an, and unveils the foundations behind Islamic radicalization and Sharia law.

Purpose of the Book

The Qur’an Dilemma gives English-speaking readers, both Muslims and non-Muslims, many of the critical arguments concerning Islam and the Qur’an. It addresses whether the Qur’an is a book of terror or peace, an inspired divine book or a mere political text.

The book weaves through Islamic history and its many classical commentaries and resources to provide an objective, investigative body of research concerning the truth about Islam.

The book is a result of the team effort of many former Muslim researchers, scholars, writers, and specialists. The team approach was taken to eliminate any undue bias, misunderstandings, or propaganda against Islam and its teachings.

The critical methodology used in this book was inspired by the courageous tradition of those who have dared to analyze the Qur’an throughout history. Contemporary intellectual productions available in Arabic and foreign sources were also incorporated. The result is a book directed equally to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

For more information about this book and the rest of the volumes in this project and how to obtain your own copy, go to www.theQuran.com.

The Constantine Codex by Paul Maier

From Glass Road Public Relations:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Paul L. Maier is The Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. His novels include two historical documentaries: Pontius Pilate and The Flames of Rome, as well as a theological thriller that became #1 national bestseller in religious fiction: A Skeleton in God's Closet.  A sequel,More Than a Skeleton, appeared in 2003. His non-fiction works include In the Fullness of Time, Josephus - The Essential Works, andEusebius -- The Church.  More than five million Maier books are now in print in twenty languages, as well as over 250 scholarly articles and reviews in professional journals. He has also penned seven children's books, and produced three four-hour video series dealing with Jesus, St. Paul, and the early church.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
A shocking discovery throws Harvard professor Jonathan Weber into the international spotlight---and could change the way the world sees the Bible. While touring Greek and Turkish monasteries, he finds an ancient manuscript that includes a lost ending of Mark and a 67th book. When the codex is stolen, Jon races to recover it---before it's lost forever!

Renowned church historian and novelist Dr. Paul Maier revives the beloved character Dr. Jonathan Weber (Skeleton in God's Closet, and More Than a Skeleton) to envision the lost ending to Mark...and a Second Acts. His seamless inclusion of canonical history into the suspenseful tale ensures readers come away with a greater understanding of the origins of Scripture and the lengths to which early Christians went to ensure the continuation of the gospel story throughout time.

Aside from fascinating details and engrossing storytelling, The Constantine Codex includes an open, rigorous debate between Dr. Weber and a moderate leader of Islam that should serve as a worthy example for real-world engagements.


MARGIE'S COMMENTS: I'm behind on my review reading, but I have read the first couple of chapters of The Constantine Codex. Very interesting. I'll be finishing the book soon and will post a review then. So check back sometime next week.

The Black Madonna by Davis Bunn

I received Davis Bunn's latest book, The Black Madonna, from Glass Road Public Relations for review. It is the second Storm Syrrell adventure, and continues to chronicle the antique dealer's escapades that started in Gold of Kings. I've not read the first one, but after reading The Black Madonna, I'm hooked, and I'll be looking for Gold of Kings.

I don't normally care to start a series with a second or third book, but the characters and plot line were written so well in The Black Madonna that it could very well stand alone. Yes, there were a few allusions to events in the first book, but they lasted long enough to give them context in this story and then moved on.

In The Black Madonna we're immediately plunged into intrigue when Harry Bennett, a treasure seeker, is caught in a bombing in Hebron. It soon becomes apparent that there is more going on than being caught in a random bombing in Israel. Storm Syrrell, facing bankruptcy with the family business, gains a new, anonymous client with a very deep pocket—a definite boon to her business. But then her best friend Emma Webb, a Homeland Security agent, is pulled into the events when she learns that Harry is dead and Storm has been called away to a mysterious meeting in London. When the CIA comes to question Emma about her friendships with Harry and Storm, Emma and her boss realize there is more under the surface than anyone wants to reveal.

After several kidnapping attempts, a tension-filled rescue out of Israel, a strange visit to Poland, an attempted murder, and several more seemingly unconnected antique acquisitions, Storm and Emma race to discover what is going on in the background.

The Black Madonna is an excellent blend or adventure, romance, and intrigue—all of which I've come to expect from Davis Bunn. It did not disappoint, and I highly recommend this book. I look forward to more excellent reads in this series.