Communion Makes Us Family

Recently my family has abandoned eating in the front of the TV, a bad habit we had fallen into. At first my eight year old daughter was very disappointed. The Great British Baking Show makes a fun short term distraction. But the delights of the family dinner are becoming apparent even to her.

For instance, she uses the time to ask complicated questions like....

I can't wait for you to read the rest of this fun post! Jump over HERE to Sharon Fleming's blog "Around the Table" to read it and then stick around to enjoy more great posts on the importance of family dinners!

Also if enjoy this post, I want you to know it is part of a FREE E-book available to all my subscribers. You can get it and other awesome resources HERE.

Helene

Catch me linking up at any of these fine places: 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,Be Thee Inspired, Facebook.com/groups/saltandlightgroup

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

The Parable of the Trolls (Vlog)

Let me tell you a story: a modern parable about the bridges that connect Christians and the trolls who live under them.  I have told this story before (The Parable of the Trolls, The Parable of the Trolls Explained, The Care and Feeding of Trolls), but frankly it seems timely again.  Each time I write about this topic, I think the division and disunity have reached their peak and then I see more Christians venomously and publicly quarreling on Facebook.  Sometimes it is some minor point of doctrine, sometimes it is a political opinion or a notion about the right policy in parenting, marriage, work, or health.  And each time my stomach aches.  To a watching world, we certainly don't seem to exemplify our meek and humble Savior.

This is the first in a series of vlog parables.  Watch, like, share and subscribe.  Let's get the word out.  The great King wants us all to love one another. 


Helene

You might find me linking up at: 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

What do you mean "NO sex"?!

Valentines Day-hearts, flowers, candy and dates--it’s the perfect time to rejoin the conversation about what God expects from Christians in terms of sex.  In our last pair of posts we answered one question from two perspectives: “Should I be having sex?”  Angela Legg from The Diligent Woman answered the married half of this question with a resounding, "Yes." I answered the single side with a resounding “No” (LINK).  Now it's time for some details.   If you are married, head over to Angela's post "How to Make Time for an Abundant Sex Life." If you are single, keep reading to learn more about God's vision for a single life. 

6 Strategies For Dealing With Anger

Sister, is being slow to anger the same thing as swallowing our anger?  

You know it’s not! The first is an aspect of God and a godly person (Exodus 34:6-7).  The other is a kind of self-deception and not healthy--bringing pain and disease in our bodies, our minds, our relationships, and our souls.

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.

Up in Smoke

Recently as I was giving my servants their morning chores (in other words I was loading the dishwasher and starting the washing machine), I was listening to my audio Bible.  As usual, I was lost in listening.  Suddenly I gasped aloud in shock.  From the other room my surprised husband called out to find out what was wrong.  Here’s the story…