Archive for the 'Books' Category
We need to have our time with God every day. Paul says we should desire the sincere milk of the Word and grow thereby. But he also says we can’t sustain ourselves on the milk, we must grow to study the meat. Today I want to talk about the great resources available to help us understand the meat and increase our growth.
Some of our Bible study time can be spent in studying what others have learned about the Word. God gives some special insight to teach (one of the fruits of the Spirit). Study with Christian books by Charles Stanley, Charles Swindoll, Joyce Meyer, Max Lucado or many others who God has blessed with the ability to bless you.
God’s Word is essential for our spiritual growth and productivity. Except the help God has provided to assist in your understanding and pray for wisdom and understanding from the Spirit while you study.
As I write this it is Halloween. This time of the year we see ads on TV for every scary movie made and a lot of gross stuff assault our eyes, even during family viewing times. This makes me wonder how all these images effect our small children. I hate to think they get so used to beheaded people the they don’t notice it any more.
We can try to limit the exposure our kids have with this kind of media, but as I said, ads come even during children’s viewing times. Unless we turn the TV off they will be exposed. The best comfort we can give is reassurance of the care we give and the knowledge that God is in control. Starting young with comforting Christian children’s books may help. As the VeggieTales tell them not to be afraid, you can also reassure them of your love and protection, and protection the comes from God and lasts for eternity.
In today’s financial market and the questionable things that go on around us everyday, it’s easy to worry, wonder, and despair. Charles Stanley explains why we don’t need to. God’s Word is definite on this point.
A reminder that He is in control through Christian books and great authors is always a strength and help when we see things falling apart, blowing up, and going to pieces. We wonder about the moral condition of the children growing up around us and our own, who are immersed in their society. We are concerned about what our kids learn in school and out of school.
Spend some time studying on why we don’t need to despair. See this world and your own with God’s perspective.
Self introspection: not one of our favorite occupations. Joyce Meyers has a way of making us think practically about ourselves and our lives using Biblical perspective and practical, everyday insight. Using her Christian books as a part of our study time can open our eyes to things we’d rather not think about, but need to, yet she is fun and entertaining to read.
This is her latest offering and dares us to consider our motives, to do what we love to do (God gave us that pleasure for a reason) and dream big. She gives lots of easy to follow tips that encourage us along the way. We need God’s word as part of our everyday study, but authors who have put time into knowing themselves and God can help us see things more clearly.
It helps when trying to interest your kids in Bible stories and principles, to put them in a format that looks interesting and exciting. One of the ways Christian authors have done this is with Christian comic books.
There are great story lines available which can drag your kids back from the world’s heroes and distractions and focus them again on the Lord and service to Him. How better for a kid to get caught up in the story of David and his mighty men? The Lord tells us to speak of Him when we sit down, rise up, etc. This is a great way to let your kids spend some quality time in His Word, and they won’t even realize they are doing it!
Many parents probably associate comic books with cartoonish violence and mysticism. Some comic books deal with overtly mature themes yet they’re targeted toward young adults and even younger children. I remember when my oldest son, Jason, began borrowing X-Men comics from his friends. At first I felt bad about looking through them to scan for sexual content and outrageous violence, but then I remembered what I had heard about alternative comics.
The Archangels series is just one example of the genre of comic books that are penned by Christians just like you and me. The books deal with themes that are age appropriate for young teens, and they go an extra step by teaching moral lessons. Whereas right and wrong, good and evil are ambiguous concepts in mainstream comics, the Archangels series draws a distinctive line in the sand.
People generally stop growing physically in good ways around 20 years old. But mentally, emotionally and spiritually we never stop growing. How we grow is up to us each as individuals. We can look to good examples, read God’s direction in His Word, and pray for guidance. These are all good and necessary things.
There are also people who write very good Christian books that can help us in the process of spiritual and emotional growth. Baggage can be overcome. Bad habits can be changed. There is no “can’t” with God, and people with special insight can help us see how we can go about our growth. Get away from the worthless tripe of the world and concentrate on something uplifting and beneficial. Spend some growing time today.
In recent years, comic books and their movie adaptations have moved away from black-and-white depictions of good and evil. In The Dark Knight, for example, Batman has a dark, seedy past of his own; he often crosses the line in the pursuit of the villainous Joker. Adults are perfectly capable of recognizing that morality can be ambiguous, and that shades of gray are often necessary to achieve realism. But the same cannot be said for children.
Kids benefit from strong, positive messages – the kind that mainstream comics just don’t provide these days. It takes a Christian comic, such as the PowerMark series, to provide a clear demarcation between what’s wrong and what’s right. These comics supply kids with fictional role models around which they can modify their behavior. Even if the adventures and settings described in these comics are fictional, they remain applicable to real life in many ways.
It’s never to soon to begin to teach the promises of God’s Word through Christian children’s books. Little ones learn earlier and faster then most of us imagine. They are blank slates waiting to be filled with vital information, and what can be more vital then our relationship with our loving heavenly Father.
Let your little ones hear about the blessings God promises early and often so that they can grow to love Him as they grow up and get in the habit of thinking about all He gives and does for us. Dt 6:7 ” Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” It’s your parental duty as a Christian and a joy God gives us to do.
What does that really say? How often have you read a portion of scripture and wondered what the author was really saying? Many very devout men have studied the scriptures for years and are much better qualified to explain God’s Word to you then I am. Many of them have written informed commentaries and Christian devotional books. Meet some of them in Bible references and commentaries that will enhance your understanding and the benefit you receive from your study time.
There are many choices on the bookshelf. Any from qualified sources would be a good addition to your library and your understanding. Don’t take the Word of God lightly. “Study to show yourself approved”.