6 FREE E-Resources for a New Christian

Are you a new Christian?

Welcome to the family.  On behalf of all of us let me say, we are rejoicing with the angels in heaven over your return to our Father!

Some of you have grown up in Christian families, some of you have come from the world.  You are young and old, wise and naive, male and female but what all baby Christians have in common is a longing for the Word. 

So let's dive into 6 (FREE!) resources that you can use to get started in your walk with God. 

Free Bibles:

I hope you are satisfied with the Bible you have at home, however if you haven't invested in one yet or are looking for something a little different, let me offer some free suggestions to get you started today. 

BibleHub: There is no app to download and no fees to get more services. You won't need to give your email or create a log-in. This is a straightforward online Bible search engine. You can read in your favorite version, compare between two versions and find the scripture your friend was talking about even if you can only remember 3 words. 

YouVersion: YouVersion has two distinct apps both of which are installed on my devices.  For adults it has the Bible App which offers the Bible for free in over 1,000 languages.  For kids there is the  Bible App for Kids with 41 different stories that are perfect for preschoolers through early elementary.  

Olive Tree: This is the app my husband has on every device he owns. It is searchable and cross-referenced even offline!  It DOES have in-app purchases but you can access (as of today) the NIV, ESV and NKJV versions for free. 

Educational YouTube: 

When you are first getting started sometimes reading isn't the way to go.  You want to HEAR the Word of God. YouTube has a number of both individual YouTubers as well as larger outfits putting forward good material to help you grow.  Let me recommend a few!

World Video Bible School: This LARGE collection of videos covers almost any topic you might want to talk about in regards to the Bible in a straightforward and non-denominational way. The lessons are lecture style.   I would recommend starting here with the video entitled "How To Begin Reading The Bible."

Questions Over Coffee: On a much smaller scale, this new YouTuber is trying to answer the basic questions that non-Christians and young Christians ask.  He is quick to respond and would love for you to leave a question in the comments.  (I also think he is also a handsome fellow as he is my husband!)

The Bible Project: This animated project is a quick but excellent overview of Bible books and themes.  This will appeal to young people and to anyone who enjoys educational YouTube. 

I'd love to know more about the resources you are looking for.  Leave me a comment and I'll help you find what you need!

Helene

Link up: Mommy-Moments, Spiritual Sundays, Inspire Me Monday, Holly Gerth, The Mom Gene, Good Morning Monday,  The Modest Mom Blog, Moments of Hope, God-sized Dreams, Glimpses, Breakthrough Homeschooling, Facebook.com/groups/saltandlightgroup

Defeating the Wisdom of the World

Imagine Marcy. She’s been a single mom for the last few years.  Her little family of three lives month to month barely scraping by. Yesterday her boss came up and suggested she could get a promotion and a small raise if she will just leave out some details on this month’s report.  Not lie.  Just not share this particular information.  Marcy is torn.  She calls you asking for prayer and good advice.

What would you tell Marcy?  Where can you turn in the Bible for this kind of absolutely practical advice?  We know there is no, "Thou shalt not leave out important details." It is in situations just like this one where living in and living out the story of scripture helps.  Let me suggest a story from Jeremiah.

Theology is for Girls Too!

I was not a particularly charming child. Yet, the minister at our church, Clay Woods, and his wife Karen took a very grandparently interest in me.  I was as awkward and gawky as could be.  But they saw this love for studying about God in me and thought it well worth cultivating. 

Mary's Manifesto

Mary was amazing.  We remember her heavy with child traveling to Bethlehem; we imagine her cradling her infant son in a stable, and we see her fleeing slaughter with her husband to Egypt.  But sometimes we forget she wasn’t just a mom, she was a poet.

We call her song the Magnificat.  But at its heart, it is Mary’s manifesto, her doctoral thesis in theology.  Her statement of what it means to be the maidservant of the Lord.  

That time I was expecting...

When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I was the size of a land barge.  At 6 months pregnant, strangers would stop me on the street and ask me when I was due, true story.  When I told them that it would be 3 more months, they'd say, "3 more months!  Are you SURE its not twins!"

It was disheartening.  

Recently I discovered that publishing a book is kinda like that.  

At first I didn't want to tell anyone.  I was a little embarrassed and very afraid that I wasn't good enough or the idea wasn't good enough or the book wasn't good enough.  Are you sensing a theme?  And just like when we were having a baby, my husband was proud as punch and wanted to tell EVERYONE.

And gestating a book is hard work.  It is absorbing and for a little while everything else fades into a weird blur.  Finally 3 or 4 months in you come out of your haze and begin to see the world clearly again. 

Then comes the wait.  Will the book be published?  When will the book be published?  What should you call it? (Women of Action went so long without a name that if it had been a real baby, it would have been child abuse.)  What will it look like?  What should we do to get ready?
Everyone you know starts to say things like, "Hasn't that book been published yet?!"  "Aren't you ever going to get that book?"

Then finally the big day arrives.  You feel all happy and satisfied.  Unfortunately, you did not anticipate the fact that having a book is all consuming.  Every waking hour (and some hours that are positively unholy) you're writing content, sending emails, addressing envelopes, and trying to figure out the Wyoming tax code.  

Suddenly it's all over.  And your baby is all grown up and off into the world for everyone to look at and blame or praise you for its problems.  

See just like a baby!  

Well, ladies, this mama of two beautiful girls and one little book is off to take a shower and maybe a nap.  You enjoy these last 2 days of launch week.  Remember all the bonuses end tomorrow at midnight so if you wanted to order do it soon! 

                                                                       

Frequently Asked Questions

Orders

Why 12.99?  

That's easy.  It's the price that the publisher set.  I am under contract to sell at the same price!

Is there a class discount?  

Yes!  At 15 books the price drops to $11.09  per book and at 25 the price drops to $10.39.  And don't forget until October 6th there are a couple of special bonuses for teachers who are purchasing for a class. 

I didn't get my bonuses?  Where are they?

Step 1: Check your promotions and spam tags.  If your email doesn't recognize mine sometimes things get misdirected!
Step 2: Email me.  I will send them to you another way if you can't find them!  I really don't want you to miss out!

How can I buy? 

Women of Action:

Wait isn't this a ladies Bible class book?  Why would I buy it as an individual?  

I love this question!  For several reasons, one because you study on your own.  Each lesson half of the questions are set for individuals.  Second because as lovely as a ladies Bible class is not everyone is able to attend one!  Maybe you teach a Wednesday night 4th grade class, are homebound, your church doesn't have one or it's on Tuesdays and you have to work!  Studying when YOU can matters! Finally, presents.  Christmas is coming and I know that there are women in your life you'd like to encourage!  This would be an excellent spiritual gift!

Would this be an appropriate book for a teenage girls class?

I think its a perfect book for teenage girls in their own class or with older women. I am a big proponent of bringing your teenager girls INTO your ladies Bible class if at all possible so they can be discipled by the older women. With the possible exception of the lesson called, "Single, Married and Single Again", there is nothing remotely inappropriate for teenagers.  Even that lesson doesn't begin to be as explicit as my daughter's Freshman Health class. Yikes!  

Why is it a perfect book? Well, little kids learn to read their Bibles as a story book.  Young teens learn to read their Bibles as a rule book, what they should and shouldn't do.  Older teens need to learn to read their Bibles in a whole new way.  They need to see the magnificent self-revelation of God and learn to love Him with all their hearts, souls, strength and mind and they need to see how His word is relevant to every aspect of their lives and their behavior.

Would this be a good book for someone who is elderly or homebound?

I hope so.  I can see that by the title you might think that this book would only be for folks who had the strength and health to "work for the Lord."  But in fact it's about changing our hearts so that the word of God is applied to every aspect of our lives.  Every Christian can benefit from this message.  I hope that the questions will encourage everyone to stretch not to frantic activity but to careful application to their own situation with its blessings and limitations. 

Questions from the Heart

I would really like to apply some of these things but my husband is not on board...

You know what? The secret is to find ways to obey God in our challenging situations.  But I don't want to get into that right now.  I promise I am about to write an ENTIRE post about this.  For every sister out there who has in her mind this ardent desire to serve God yet finds herself sidelined because her husband has other plans, hang on.  We are going to talk about it, I promise. 

Does this book address motivation?  It's where I struggle the most.

Me too.  In fact, that's kind of why I wrote the book.  I want to be transformed. I want to live for God wholeheartedly every day but some days I forget and think that I want to be a couch potato who eats doughnuts and reads her book, a big ole' baby who gets to pout when her plans are changed or a whiner instead of a powerful warrior in prayer.  We all sometimes let that old man, that person with a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26) peak through. To answer specifically the two chapters at the beginning and the chapters entitled "Sin in the Life of a Christian"and "New Creatures" address the topic of what motivates us.  And each chapter tries to find the deep motivation of loving God at the heart of all our obedience to Him. 

Do's and Don'ts of Ladies Bible class

I have cried, prayed, been convicted and been gathered in when I was altogether lost. Where?  At a revival?  A gospel meeting?  Some fantastic internet sermon?  Nope.  Ladies' Bible Class. 

I love ladies' Bible class.  I have been a member or a teacher of a class ever since I was an adult. Amazing things happen there.  I have seen women drawn to Christ simply by the fellowship.  I have seen marriages turned around as sisters gathered together to learn how to love their husbands (Titus 2:4). 

Not only that, but I feel that these "Ladies' Bible classes" are an application of Paul's words in Titus 2.  Women are commanded to teach each other-older to the younger.  It's how we learn how to do what we should like love our kids and our husbands, keep our houses to the glory of God, and be kind, sensible and good.  

But how can we have that amazing class?  The kind where we are convicted, repent and are transformed? Let me offer you some "do's" and "don'ts."

Do's

Do be honest.  We've written about honesty before, and the way one person's truth encourages others not only to confess but to feel less alone.  (Truth be told, Truth be told 2) 

Do have a confidential class.  Wednesday night's confession can not be Thursday morning's gossip.

Do study the Bible.  I am not against study books (I have one on sale right now, with a very special bonus just for teachers!).  But no book replaces the Word of God.  Every student needs a Bible open and in use.  Nothing I have to say, nothing any author has to say, trumps the word of God.

Do prepare.  The class will be better if even a few of the members will read ahead.  Make sure you have read the scripture, note down any questions you have, take a few minutes to pray that day for your teacher/class and fill your mind with the Word of God.

Do be open.  Close-knit classes are hard to break into.  Every class needs someone to wave newcomers to an empty seat, find them a Bible, smile and introduce them to others, and welcome them to come back again.  

Do be integrated.  Although our churches have followed our culture by segregating people by age-youth group, young professionals, parents, golden agers etc, women especially need the connection of women older and younger than them. 

Do speak carefully.  "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person," wrote Paul (Colossians 4:6).  He could have been writing to us.  We need to think carefully and speak gently.  This is especially true when sisters have some painful area of their lives (divorce, infidelity, infertility, grief etc) or if we have to correct or confront a sister. 

Don'ts

Don't be negative.  The class must be free from husband-bashing, griping about the elders, running down the minister or general gossip.  Remember Jesus' admonition to deal with problems personally and face to face.

Don't neglect the chance to serve.  I have seen ladies Bible classes do amazing things: send cards, arrange for the care of a widow while her daughter was out of town, send cloth diapers to a missionary with a new baby, and build a church building in South America. Let study naturally flow to action.

Don't forget to pray.  Although I have seen classes devolve into a half hour of chatting and 5 minutes of prayer before the bell rings, I still feel prayer is a crucial part of the process of Ladies' Bible class.  For one thing it is the only opportunity most women have to pray with and for their sisters each week.  For another, it is a private and confidential place to beg for intercession.  

Don't be divided.  Women fall prey to Satan's divide and conquer scheme. We allow competition and envy to defeat us.  We judge each other on issues unrelated to our faith   or even worse entirely related to our Christian freedom.  Satan wins when sisters don't stick together. 

If you are a part of an amazing class, I can't wait to hear all about it!  Tell me what your class is doing, how they are changing, and what they are studying!

Helene

PS  If you are looking for new material for next quarter, or if you feel like your class just needs a reboot, I want to help.  Click here to get to my videos introducing Women of Action:Transformed by Obedience.  

A Cold and Graceless Way?

Read the Bible.

Do what it says.

Does that sound...well cold to you?

Or legalistic?

Or graceless?

Like it is too simple to work?

It is.  Up to now we've left out one very crucial aspect.

Did you miss the first two videos?  Video 1        Video 2

Subscribe now to get the subscriber-only bonus!

Helene

PS.Are you looking for the book we were talking about?  We are running a Give-a-Gift, Get-a-Gift promotion. Check it out! 

Catch me linking up at: Darling Down Diaries,Friday Frivolity, Create with Joy, Mommy Moments, Sunday Thoughts, Create with Joy, Inspiration Monday,  

Reading my Bible better

None of us want to live in the desert of spiritual death.  We want to be fully alive in Christ, joyfully growing in Him every day! And to do that we need to...read our Bible.

Now I know what you are about to say.  I totally get it.

You are reading your Bible!  But there has to be a way to get from just "reading" to the transformation God promised.  What on earth are we supposed to do now?

I think I know.  Check out the video below!

Did you miss the first video?  Click here.
Want to see the third video? Click here.

Ready to subscribe so you don't miss the next one? 

 Click here.

Helene

PS. Are you looking for that book we were talking about?  From today until October 6 you can grab it with some special bonuses.  Check it out! 

Linking up at: Salt and Light

Forgiveness Matters!

Devotional 9 focuses on forgiving one another.  This devotional, like the others, is timed for less than 10 minutes, but feel free to slow down if your kids are older or have a longer attention span.  Parents your notes are in italics.  Happy studying!

Forgiving one another

To Do:  As this is the last week, it is a great time to celebrate all your hard work.  You could take your recitation and Bible reading outdoors, to your favorite coffee shop or to the park.  

Questions to Ask: 

What does “forgive” mean? Is it the same as “bear with?”  Simply we bear with people when they have not sinned against us and we forgive them when they have.  

What is the difference between saying sorry and asking for forgiveness?  Do they mean exactly the same thing?  When we say we are sorry we are talking about ourselves-we feel regretful of our actions.  When we ask for forgiveness, we are asking someone to change how they see us.  We want them to let our bad behavior go, not letting it damage our relationship.  However, in our ordinary lives we use the two statements interchangeably.

Why does Paul say we need to forgive? If the kids don’t immediately remember, you will need to reread Colossians 3:12-14. 

What have you asked God to forgive you for?  What has someone else asked you to forgive them for?  What is the connection? Sensitive kids may struggle to talk about sins aloud.  Be understanding.  However be sure that each child understands that our sin against God is worse than any sin someone has committed against them.

Insights: 

Can you imagine if as parents all the ethics and character we taught our children were rooted in punishment?  "Johnny, you can’t tell lies. If you do, I’ll spank you.”  “Susie, miss curfew and you are grounded.”  While those punishments may not be inappropriate, we certainly want to teach our kids more.  They need to value truth, trustworthiness and responsibility.  And these are grounded in something more than fear. 

In this section of Colossians Paul doesn’t just give some list of dos and don’ts and he doesn’t focus on the terribly punishments we’ll endure if we are disobedient. He grounds his ethic deeply. 

We too need more than the fear of Hell to ground our ethic in.  And Paul gives us the answers.  Our thoughts are exalted because Christ is exalted.  We live because Christ lives, so we can’t live like we used to.  We are chosen, beloved, deeply loved, and so we should be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. We are forgiven by God and so we must be people who forgive. 

As you have worked your way through these devotionals, I hope you and your kids have been able to set your mind on things above.  

Did you miss one? 

The "Why" Matters, Identity Matters, Compassion Matters, Kindness Matters, Humility Matters, Gentleness Matters, Patience Matters, Bearing with One Another Matters, Forgiveness Matters

Patience Matters

Devotional 7 focuses on patience.  This devotional, like the others, is timed for less than 10 minutes, but feel free to slow down if your kids are older or have a longer attention span.  Parents your notes are in italics.  Happy studying!






Patience Matters

To Do: With only two lessons after this, the kids should be very close to having the verses down pat.  If they are ready, encourage to share them their memory work and their favorite lesson with a grandparent or a Sunday School teacher.  Feeling the approval and encouragement of other adult Christians is crucial to a child's continued spiritual development.  Even if the verses are memorized continue to recite them as a reminder.


Questions to Ask:

When do you have to wait?  Answers might include-the bus, when mom is shopping, after church, at the doctor's, and for Christmas. Be sure and help your child identify times when patience is very difficult for them, for instance when a parent is on the phone, when they are waiting on their turn, and when they are tempted to interrupt.

Is it hard to wait?  Why?  Waiting is even harder for kids than it is for adults.  They have less of a sense of the way time passes and little experience with the fact that all waiting eventually comes to a end.  Learning to wait is in part developmental, in part training, and in part a spiritual exercise in patience.

What does it mean to be patient? Is the only time we have to be patient when we wait?  Other examples of extending patience include being patient with a younger sibling/cousin and being patient with peers at play or in class, being patient with adults who sometimes have difficulty understanding or relating. 

Who is patient with you?  Who is impatient?  As parents we are often loathe to ask our kids questions that reflect on our parenting.  Yet from this our children learn that parents are worthy of respect even when they make mistakes and they see how to be humble, repent, and accept correction.  

How is God patient with us? As adults we may understand this complexly but children may confused. Remind them that God is angry when people hurt each other but He waits and gives us a chance to repent.  Another tack would be to remind them of the story of Adam and Eve.  Although they deserved immediate death, God allowed their punishment to be delayed many years so they could establish the human race.


Insights:

When James calls us all to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, he is illustrating patience (James 1:19). He knows that having this kind of self-control not only over our tongue and ears but over our hearts is the essence of patience. Yet note these verses do not say, "Well, they're just little.  There's nothing you can do.  Kid's will be kids."  Especially in the training of our children, we have to be patient but active.  Listening carefully is crucial, however after we listen we need to discipline.  Considering our words is vital, but we must speak and correct our children.  We should be slow to become angry, yet children need us to pay attention and adjust their behavior so they can grow healthy, happy and strong.

When we consider "patience" as a virtue, we most often ask: Are we patient with our children? Yet our children also observe our patience or lack of patience with others.  For instance how do we drive?  With grace and etiquette or do we shout and snarl at those around us?  How do we wait in line?  What do they see when we are inconvenienced or slowed by those around us?  Our behavior informs their's.

Impatience is a sign not only of a lack of self-control but of self-absorption.  We are impatient because deep inside we believe we are the most important thing going!


Did you miss one? 

The "Why" Matters, Identity Matters, Compassion Matters, Kindness Matters, Humility Matters, Gentleness Matters, Patience Matters, Bearing with One Another Matters, Forgiveness Matters

Gentleness Matters

Devotional 6 focuses on gentleness.  This devotional, like the others, is timed for less than 10 minutes, but feel free to slow down if your kids are older or have a longer attention span.  Parents your notes are in italics.  Happy studying!

Gentleness Matters

To Do:

Read Colossians 3:1-4.  Say the verses aloud once or twice. If you and the kids aren't getting close to being able to say the verses, try saying them twice a day, just before bed, or every time you get in the car.  Then read Colossians 3:12-14.

Questions to Ask: 

Is gentleness just for little girls?  Who needs to be gentle and when?  Whether you have boys or girls doing devotionals with you this is a very important time to make it clear that gentleness is not a feminine characteristic but a robustly human characteristic.  Gentleness (in the sense of physically being delicate, exacting, and precise) is needed in many professions: welders, golfers, surgeons, pediatricians, scientists, computer engineers, clock makers, archaeologists, chefs, florists, carpenters, veterinarians  and mechanics. This is a good time if the kids know what they want to be when they grow up to ask them and how gentleness might play a part.

Was Jesus gentle?  Who else is told to be gentle?  Of course Jesus was gentle when he called the little children to come to Him but don't forget that He is also described as gentle (Matthew 11:29, 2 Corinthians 10:1). Who else? 

         Timothy (1 Timothy 6:11)
         God's approved workman ( 2 Timothy 2:25)   
         Women  (1 Peter 3:4 )
         All believers (Titus 3:1-2) 
         Elders/Overseers/Bishops (1 Timothy 3:2-3)

You won't need an exhaustive list but take a moment and make it plain to the kids that the wise (James  3:13) and pleasing disciple is a gentle person.  

Who in your life is gentle with you?  Who are you gentle with?  When are you tempted to be rough and not gentle?  Is it wrong to "roughhouse?"  Kids need to know the difference between the joyful, harmless rough and ready play that they need and enjoy and the kind of "play" that is careless, rough, thoughtless and causes harm.  One way to help them sort it out is with role play.  Have them imagine good and bad scenarios where they could be "rough." For instance the difference in running a little kid over during tag and a full-contact football game.

Insights: 

We live in a confused world.  Our society can not make up its mind about gender.  Scientists define gender with DNA.  Feminists insist that gender is a societal construct (in other words something imaginary that our society imposes on us from the outside).  And from exposure to our society's sexual sin, many have gained the impression that gender is fluid.  

When you put these things in a bag and shake them, what comes out is true disorientation.  Boys especially are pushed more and more into rigid boxes of masculinity that don't include virtues that are powerfully godly.  Anger is allowed but sorrow is not.  Excess is allowed but chivalry is not.  Stoicism is allowed but gentleness is not. 

It is important as you discuss things with your kids, male and female, that you present them with a throughly Christian worldview of gender.  For instance, Jesus and David are both pictured as shepherds-rough outdoor work.  Yet both of them wept.  Strength is not always stoic.  They are pictured as both caring for the little lambs and strong and brave to fight off the lions.  They are flourishing, thriving men.  Abigail, Lydia, Mary and Martha, and the Proverbs 31 woman provide a picture of the complexities of being female.  They are hard-workers, skilled in many crafts and business; they work inside and outside their homes, are married and single, and specifically in Mary and Martha's case are honored disciples!

God created gender.  It is in our DNA and we have God-given roles to fulfill.  But we must not let anyone in or out of the church simplify gender to a shadow of what God ordained.    

Did you miss one? 


The "Why" Matters, Identity Matters, Compassion Matters, Kindness Matters, Humility Matters, Gentleness Matters, Patience Matters, Bearing with One Another Matters, Forgiveness Matters